Milwaukee Summerfest

Welcome to Road Trip, a special series where we get to vicariously go Rockin' Down the Highway with antiMusic's Kevin Wierzbicki as he takes us along on his road trips to various rockin' locales that played an significant part in the history of rock n roll, highlight that history or music's heritage. (Unless noted all photos are also by Kevin - click on photos to enlarge). 
 

You’ve probably heard the old saying about what made Milwaukee famous. That’s a reference to the golden liquid that so many find indispensable---beer! And while they still make a little brew within the city limits, this beautiful city on the shores of Lake Michigan is in the Guinness Book of World Records for something that has nothing to do with lager. It’s Summerfest, the annual 11-day party that celebrates music and all the good fun that comes along with it. This year I did something that had been on my wish list for a long time as I got to spend a couple of days checking out the festival. And, I guess I better come clean. We’re only a paragraph into this story and already I’ve lied to you. Summerfest does have a little something to do with beer! More on that later…
 

Wednesday

I was practically drooling upon arrival in Milwaukee. There were only a few days of Summerfest left to go and it seemed that they had saved the best acts for last. Just a few of the acts that would be playing this day included the Big Wu, New Monsoon, country darling Jamie O’Neal and local boys made good, the Violent Femmes. And although there is music being played at Summerfest all day long, these acts weren’t scheduled to play until later in the evening. It wasn’t long before I found something to do in the meantime. If you are a regular reader of Rockin’ down the Highway, you know that I love river boat cruises, and Milwaukee’s Edelweiss Cruise Lines offers one of the best. The cruise aboard the Edelweiss I lasted for two hours, sailing the Milwaukee River and out into Lake Michigan. Panoramic views of the city are on tap the whole way as the ship passes rows of ritzy riverside condos and outdoor cafes. That’s plenty of time to enjoy a dinner on board, and today the menu featured a combination plate of filet mignon and fresh-catch fish with all the trimmings including a healthy chunk of strawberry cheesecake. As delicious as the meal was, it was hard to take more than a couple of bites without checking out the stunning scenery outside, especially when the Edelweiss I passed through the city’s marina, alive with thousands of bobbing sailboats and vessels of every description. And since the Summerfest grounds are located right on the shore of Lake Michigan, we passed that too. The music, laughter and sense of fun wafting out to the boat whet my whistle even more for the evening’s shows. But first, the beginning glow of sunset and a thank you to the crew of the Edelweiss I were in order as we pulled back to dockside. www.wegmke.com/edelweiss/edelweiss.shtml 

The Summerfest grounds are relatively huge. Thirteen stages are spread out throughout the grounds, and there are other cool experiences around every turn. On your first visit, its best to keep the map you’re given at the gate and plan your route from stage to stage. The big draw tonight was a bunch of jam bands, and the crowd surged with a throng of neo-hippies grooving and dancing to the music in their tie-dyed shirts and hemp bracelets. Keller Williams, the Big Wu and Michael Franti and Spearhead all played before I arrived, but at 8:30 the String Cheese Incident, Umphrey’s McGee and the Yonder Mountain String Band were all playing at the same time on three adjacent stages. If you walked sort of a triangular course between the three you didn’t have to put out much effort; by the time you went out of earshot of one band, the next would come floating out and get you. I also managed to catch part of Eddie Money’s show, Local H, Modern Day Zero, Billy Dean and of course the Violent Femmes. I know what you’re thinking. Man, this must cost a fortune! Think again my friend, for tickets are a mere $12.00 a day and less for kids and seniors. I didn’t go to see Journey; they were playing at the facility’s Marcus Amphitheater. The nightly amphitheater shows come at an additional cost but I only skipped Journey because seeing them would’ve meant missing all the jam bands. Well sated for one day, it was time to retire to the nearby Park East Hotel for a good night of rest and sweet dreams for the morrow.
 

Thursday

There’s nothing quite like throwing your drapes open in the morning to reveal the great expanse of blue that is Lake Michigan. One look is so refreshing, it’s almost like you can skip the morning shower. The Park East Hotel www.parkeasthotel.com  offers such a view; and all the better from their penthouse patio. After a half hour up there gawking, breathing fresh air and taking pictures, I thought better of that shower thing and got cleaned up for my second day of Summerfest. The grounds open daily at noon and I wanted to get there earlier today to check out all the other activities, which are on tap in staggering numbers. You know how places like to advertise that there’s “fun for the whole family?” At Summerfest it is true. For the kiddies, there’s a whole amusement park full of rides. This isn’t just a little corner with a couple of things for the tykes, but a big area complete with towering Ferris wheel. One of the best ways to get the lay of the land is to ride the  Sky Glider, a gondola ride that runs from one end of the park to the other. Hanging up in the air and moving along slowly you get plenty of time to watch scenes of the lake, the city and all the little critters scurrying around below. If you ride it at night when all the concerts are going, you hear a different band every few minutes as you pass different venues. I enjoyed it so much that I rode it four times; twice during the day and twice at night. Back on solid ground, there are some tough decisions to make when the belly starts to rumbling. Almost every kind of food you could think of is being served up from dozens and dozens of booths. And of course to wash it down---now here’s where that beer thing comes in---plenty of ice cold suds. Souvenirs of all sorts are available as are arts and crafts type items. Forgot your sun block or film? No problem. And if you want to get a tattoo, sailor, now is the time. (Don’t worry, it’s only henna and will come off in a few days…) Just about every local radio station has a booth or trailer at Summerfest; blaring their programs, giving things away and signing people up for contests. The Build-a-Bear workshop is there as are displays of Gibson and Fender musical instruments. For duffers, there’s a hole-in-one contest sponsored by Hyundai. The folks at SoBe brought in their Freestyle MX demo team to perform some amazing stunts. The list just goes on and on, and when I wasn’t indulging in these things, I seemed to be magically drawn to the Captain’s Deck V.I.P. area. There are various ways to gain entry to the Deck; in my case it was the flash of a “press” card. Everybody likes to hang out with the good Captain because here the beer and munchies flow for free. And those who are really up on things know that the bartender has a stash of Dove ice cream bars behind the bar, and all you have to do is ask. So you can see there are tons of ways to have fun at Summerfest. But now, back to our regularly scheduled program---music, music, music!

Ecuador Manta is a group that has played at Summerfest for a long time. They have a spot right out on the midway, and it is almost impossible to walk by when they’re playing and not stop to listen to their Latin and Caribbean sounds. Legend has it that these guys used to be among the many street performers who hang out just outside the festival grounds playing for tips. Eventually, festival management realized how good they were and invited them inside, and the rest, as they say, is history. The highly anticipated show tonight was the one in the Marcus Amphitheater featuring Weezer with opening act, the Pixies. Frank Black and company played a long set to a full house, and of course the crowd went bonkers for the hits of the nerdy Weezer. Between sets I managed to find another V.I.P. area; there’s something about journalists and free beer that just seems to be oh so right. That reminds me, for some reason, to tell you this: there are plenty of restrooms all over the Summerfest grounds! After leaving the amphitheater, I managed to catch Kenny Wayne Shepherd, Black Elephant and Dilated Peoples. Groups that I missed included Death Cab for Cutie, Night Ranger, Skid Row, the Ohio Players and Donna the Buffalo. But I got a special surprise when I got back to the Park East. As I walked to the elevator to find my room, I happened to spy some interesting looking characters in the hotel bar. Bellied up to the bar was none other than rhythm and blues legends, the Ohio Players! These cats are among the nicest folks out there and they kindly indulged me in conversation over a nightcap. Since it is really a nice place and only a few blocks from the festival grounds, the Park East is definitely the place to be on celebrity watch during Summerfest.

The amount of fun that I packed into two days in Milwaukee was just amazing. And it could have been any two days out of the fest’s eleven day run. Just take a gander at some of the other acts that played: the Donnas, Alter Bridge, Isaac Hayes, Whitesnake, Marc Broussard, Cowboy Mouth, Phil Vassar, the BoDeans, Dickey Betts, Shelby Lynne, Collective Soul, .38 Special, O.A.R., Tim McGraw, the Allman Bros., Styx, Coheed and Cambria, Seether, the Gin Blossoms, Steel Pulse, Femi Kuti, Kool and the Gang, John Hiatt, the North Mississippi Allstars, Ben Folds, Little Feat, Stevie Nicks, John Waite, Moby, Lucinda Williams, Steve Winwood, Gavin DeGraw, Michelle Shocked, Santana, Los Lonely Boys, Talib Kweli, David Lee Roth, Dave Mason, Hall & Oates, Dr. John, Los Lobos, Kenny Chesney, the Black Crowes, Tom Petty, Sugar Ray, Donovan, Johnny Rivers, Survivor, Rusted Root, John Fogerty, John Mellencamp, the Doobie Bros., the Neville Bros., Chevelle, Morris Day & the Time, Deep Purple, LeAnn Rimes, Indigenous, and , and, I’m out of breath! www.summerfest.com