Milwaukee Summerfest Admission, Stages, and Reviews

The leaves are changing and the weather is getting cooler, it is officially fall. Celebrating the season, I am drinking a pumpkin spice latte and starting to bundle up but before I get too far into unpacking my scarves, I will take a moment to look back on the warmer times. Summer is spent with days on the beach and if you’re lucky enough to live in Milwaukee, great nights at Summerfest seeing your favorite bands.

My favorite Summerfest show that I have been reminiscing about lately would definitely have to be seeing Jacks Mannequin the summer of 2007. The show was at the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage that is sponsored by Leinenkugel’s and FM 102.1 and took place on the 4^th of July. This show was such a great show because it took place on the best day of the year, my birthday! The band played at 10:00 PM and the weather was perfect, a cool breeze coming in off Lake Michigan and I went with all of my friends. The band put on an awesome show and front man and pianist Andrew McMahon shared a great moment with the fans as it was the last day he took pills for his chemotherapy to treat leukemia. The band played some awesome songs from their debut CD , Everything In Transit and some new tracks from The Glass Passenger, their most recent CD. For many reasons, this is my favorite show from my vault of Summerfest memories.

40 Years of Summerfest Classic Rock Style

On a local Milwaukee radio station's website, there is a nice laundry list for classic rock fans to peruse. Starting with Summerfest's first year 1968, Steve Palec put together a list of memorable Summerfest moments. (WKLH took that link down, but we all have our favorite moments to reflect upon)

It is funny looking at the list as many of the acts who headlined a stage at Summerfest come back year after year, sometimes moving to a bigger stage, sometimes smaller. Then you have a band like The Steve Miller Band who goes both directions.

If it weren't for classic rock, Bob Babisch and the other Summerfest big shots would have some empty stages, most notably on the Marcus Amphitheater stage.

Summerfest Blogging

If you nose around the web looking for Summerfest information. Maybe you haven't been before and are looking for the locals' take. Maybe you are just curious about the admission promotions for the upcoming year. Either way, you are sure to stumble on a blog or two dedicated to Summerfest and it's charm. Just today I came across a blog entry from a neat site called Johnnyjet.com. You can read it on your own time, "Milwaukee: Part 2", but it deserves to be highlighted as it is very complementary to my Milwaukee, Brew City, which isn't something that happens everyday. It helps getting the word out that there are things to do in Milwaukee besides getting drunk.

Top Summer Beers to Enjoy at Summerfest

There is one big caveat to the following list. Not all of the beers listed can actually be purchased on the Summerfest grounds. The offerings at the various tents do run deeper than Milwaukee's Miller brands, though not as deep as a serious beer drinker might be hoping for.

Playing a quick game of "if I was in charge", I have compiled my list of ice cold brews I would like to enjoy as I take in some music at Summerfest. Sorry Miller, the list does not include your nasty Miller Chill. I tried, can't do it.

10. Pabst Blue Ribbon

9. Sierra Nevada Pale Ale

8. Leinenkugel's Sunset Wheat

7. Corona with lime

6. Blue Moon

5.Leinenkugel's Summer Shandy

4. Sam Adams Summer Ale

3. New Glarus Spotted Cow

2. Hacker-Schorr Weiss

with the obvious winner being...

1. Sierra Nevada Summerfest

Panic! At Summerfest???? At the Amphitheater????

Along with Gym Class Heroes, The Academy Is.., and The Hush Sound, Panic! At the Disco will play the Marcus Amphitheater at Summerfest in Milwaukee on Saturday, July 7th, 2007.

This headlining act was formed just a few years back in Las Vegas. They are known for their old-style circus-like shows, with complete with contortionists. Panic! has become a hit with the kids, as has the other bands on the ticket, but will it sell out the Amphitheater? The other bands have come around Milwaukee recently and played to solid audiences at the Rave. Kids are finicky though...this show is still months away.

Panic! At the Disco tickets will go on sale through Ticketmaster on Saturday, May 26th at 11am cst. I believe prices are $20-$30 before the additional charges Ticketmaster tacks on. As always, you will have free admission to the Summerfest grounds with your Panic! tickets!