When Don Smiley took over as the head of Summerfest, he identified an increase of national exposure as one of the festival's biggest needs. Country Music Television came to Milwaukee last year to tape three concerts for later airing. The results were so good that CMT decided to come back again this year, with a complete production team from the network's Nashville headquarters: three production semi-trailers, an elaborate stage set-up, 10 cameras, and additional lighting transformed the venerable Harley-Davidson Roadhouse into a top-notch entertainment venue for three nights.

Along with tapings of concerts by Sugarland, Sara Evans, and Big & Rich, CMT also brought its popular Top 20 Countdown program to the shore of Lake Michigan for a second year. Host Lance Smith and the CMT crew spent three days taping segments for the show, which premieres Thursday on CMT.

OnMilwaukee.com was able to get permission to follow the Top 20 Countdown crew around the grounds for a day as it wrapped up taping for the show and prepared for the Big & Rich concert later that night.

Enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at Country Music Television's visit to the 40th Anniversary of Milwaukee Summerfest.

***

Things get off to a somewhat late start for Top 20 Countdown today. Our "tour guide" of sorts, Associate Producer Kristi Boyd, explains that most remote tapings are done over the course of two days, but they took three to tape the segments for the three-hour Milwaukee show. That makes Sunday a little less frantic; but busy nonetheless.

OMC met up with Boyd and Smith near the Roadhouse around 4 p.m. The duo, along with their crew, spent much of the afternoon shooting some segments from around the grounds. A favorite spot for CMT has been the newly-opened Lakeshore State Park. On the footbridge linking the park to the Summerfest Grounds, Smith taped a segment where he talked about George Carlin's infamous arrest after his "Seven Words You Can't Say on Television" act in 1972, a piece of well-known Summerfest lore.

Boyd has spent weeks prepping for this show, which is mainly about the top 20 videos played on the network over the previous week, but also includes interviews with artists, trivia and game segments. In Milwaukee, Top 20 Countdown will include all of that, but also try to capture the essence of the World's Largest Music Festival.

"We go around and try to really capture the atmosphere," Boyd – who looks right at home in Milwaukee in a Miller High Life hat – explains. "We've gone around and shot segments out on (Lakeshore State Park) so we could get the lake and the festival, itself, in the background."

Boyd says the Countdown team averages about a trip a month over the course of a year, but the timing can vary. There could be a number of remotes shot over a span of a few weeks, followed by a significant string of studio work. Travel – and the challenges of working on location – is a welcome challenge for Boyd.

***

Back at the stage, preparations continue for the evening's show. Many Big & Rich fans showed up at the Roadhouse within moments of the gates opening that day. They've sat through a number of acts and seem to be enjoying themselves.

Stage manager Bill Turner says to be wary of the crowd's relaxed nature. The laid-back fans that took in the Sugarland and Sara Evans concerts the previous nights were a blend of folks from different musical genres, thanks to the growing mainstream presence of country music. Those crowds are hardly an indicator of tonight's crowd. Big & Rich, Turner explains, are rockers. It's going to be a party tonight.

Turner just has that country look to him. He's dressed in black – not because of any fashion statement, but because it keeps him out of the view of the camera for the most part. He's got a tough job ahead of him tonight; one of the most important of any of the crew. He speaks with just enough of a southern accent to suggest he knows what he's talking about when it comes to music and a show.

He's seen a lot of acts over the years, but none of those names were a big deal to him. He's only, in fact, ever asked for one autograph, and it wasn't even from a musician but former New York Yankee legend Mickey Mantle.

"I see these guys every day," Turner says with a quick wave towards the stage. "But oh man, that was Mickey Mantle. Just a few months before he died, I just had to do it."

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2 comments about this article. Post a comment / write a review.

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by curlyboy1978 on July 5, 2007 at 9:52 p.m. (report)

Great article! Never knew that much production would go into tapping 3 side stage shows. And great for the city of Milwaukee and Summerfest. Now if only MTV or VH1 would stop by too.

Posted by Fan on July 5, 2007 at 5:54 p.m. (report)

Awesome! This is what Summerfest needs more of. The country acts dominated this year and the crowds at the gigs make Milwaukee look great.