For years, he was Summerfest's most valuable "utility player." With a simple setup and a throng of loyal fans, he was an ideal pinch-hitter when a performer was delayed by travel complications. Many days, he'd play a noon set at the Big Pig mid-gate stage, fill an afternoon slot at a side stage and then close out the evening by playing the 10 p.m. slot before enthusiastic crowds at the comedy tent.

"We were everybody's fallback," McCurdy said. "If there wasn't anything else going on that night or if the stage people wanted to go to was too crowded, they would come and see us. I heard that a lot.

"If you look at a typical year at the comedy tent, over 11 nights, I'd be playing to about 40,000 or 50,000 people. That's a lot of people."

When the comedy tent gave way to JoJo's Martini Lounge, McCurdy no longer commanded the closing spot. He was relegated to midday slots on side stages and his usual utility role. Murphy's theory is that once the beer sales for the entire were consolidated under one vendor - Major Goolsby's - the vendors at individual stages no longer requested shows from McCurdy, who was a proven draw at different times of the day.

"I would get the usual 2 p.m. slots and a couple of Sunday noon slots in front of the religious services," McCurdy said. "In a way, I guess I was spoiled by my success at the comedy tent. But, I felt like I was as big a draw as some of the local bands that play nighttime slots on the side stages.

"I don't want to burn any bridges and I don't want to sound like a diva. But, we'd be walking in to do the early Sunday show in front of a giant picture of Jesus and I felt like a loser. I don't want to feel like a loser in my hometown."

Murphy said that feeling began to drain McCurdy's enthusiasm for the festival, which was a traditionally a highlight on a calendar filled with more than 300 shows.

"Summerfest has a particular amount of money that they can pay each time slot on each stage," Murphy said. "We totally understand that. But, it's also a fraction of what we can make during that time at other festivals and private events.

"I think what it comes down to is that Pat would rather appear less often during the festival, but in a better time slot. One of the bars we play in La Crosse canceled a bus trip because they found out we weren't playing this year. I'm getting an average of eight to 10 e-mails a day asking why we aren't playing during Summerfest this year.

"I've been telling people that we still have plenty to do, but it won't be at Summerfest. It's not like we're hurting for business. I think Pat has three days off between the end of Summerfest and Labor Day."

McCurdy, who loved walking the grounds and checking out other artists, doesn't plan to visit the festival this year. "I'm going to miss it," he said. "I've always liked playing there. Maybe we can work something out next year.

"If that doesn't happen, I had a great run. My last show was at the Potawatomi stage and I played at 3 p.m. and it was a nighttime crowd. If that was it, it was a good way to go out. It was a great run."

Babisch doesn't think the run has ended yet. "I think we'll work something out next year," he said. "It just didn't happen this year, but we like Pat a lot. He's a talented guy."

Summerfest is hosting an event for FUEL Milwaukee tonight at the Marcus Amphitheater. Babisch will answer questions about the festival from about 400 attendees. The featured musical guest is Pat McCurdy, who will make his only appearance on the grounds a week before the festival opens.

"Ironic, isn't it?" McCurdy said.