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  • RayeLynnD:
    Broke down and bought the half price tickets for Spoon New Year's Eve at Riverside. Was on the fence. Missed them at Summerfest.

  • tonydizinno:
    @rebeccaprybell They were here for Summerfest I think after freshman year idk if you knew.

  • wheatgrower:
    @nickhowardmusic Looking forward to it. Hoping to go to Summerfest again, too. If so, will make sure I'm there when you are.

  • wheatgrower:
    Yay! RT @nickhowardmusic: Just found out that we're playing @ Summerfest, Milwaukee again in '10, dates coming! link

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    @nickhowardmusic Great news! Summerfest is a wonderful gig. Discovered you there last year. Still hoping you will get to Seattle.


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In Summerfest Guide Commentary
Charting the hits and misses from Summerfest
Summerfest 2009 came in quietly and exited the same way.
By Drew Olson RSS Feed Twitter Feed
Senior Editor
Photography by Alex Hutchison / Zaitz Photography
E-mail author | Author bio
More articles by Drew Olson

Published July 6, 2009 at 8:33 a.m.
Tags: summerfest


Another Summerfest is in the books. Maybe in was the predominantly lousy spring weather, but when the 2009 version of the Big Gig began, a lot of people asked "Already?"

Now that it's over, the same feeling permeates.

Already?

This version of Summerfest came and went without major scandal or headlines. In a few days, officials will release attendance figures and they likely will indicate a drop from the 2008 total. We can point a couple of reasons for that, including the sluggish economy, a long Brewers homestand, some unseasonably cool and cloudy weather and a solid-but-unspectacular lineup of musical acts.

In the aftermath of the festival, we offer the following hits and misses. Feel free to use the Talkback feature to add your own.

Hit: The reconfigured M&I Classic Rock Stage (with Fiduciary Management, Miller Lite, 97.3 The Brew & My 95.7) eased congestion and made for better sightlines. Let's hope things go as smoothly when the area around the Briggs stage and south gate are revamped.

Hit: Kudos to Summerfest for using social media to let people know about a "secret" free admission deal. Kudos, also, for the Kapco $2 Tuesday, the Wednesday happy hour and the three hours of free admission on Sunday.

Miss: Jeers to people who bypassed Summerfest because they thought the admission price was too steep. If you're paying full price to get through the gates, you're not trying very hard.

Hit: The breakfast offerings at Major Goolsby's, served before the grounds open, remains a staple for employees and early arrivals. It's a great way to start the day.

Miss: The weather was crummy for the traditionally lower attendance days. That didn't help matters.

Hits: Saz's mozzarella marinara and Venice Club eggplant. Always great.

Miss: The absence of 102.9 The Hog definitely hurt the Rock Stage. Nothing against the fine folks at 94.1 WJJO (Madison) and 95 WIIL ROCK (Kenosha), but the lack of presence and promotion from a "local" station created a void on the site. The lack of marquee bands for the stage didn't help, either. (Disclosure: The author has been a paid guest on 102.9 The Hog's morning show since 1998.)

Miss: A few visitors from Illinois pointed out that signage could be more prevalent and dynamic throughout the grounds. A couple well-placed information kiosks and stage lineups would help.

Hit: You have to love the Catalano's lemonade stands. The drink is delicious, but (small quibble) the cups don't seem to hold up very well.

Suggestion: Years ago, it seemed like more Downtown office workers would come to Summerfest during their lunch hour to listen to music and have a sandwich. The change in hand-stamp policies probably hurt that traffic, but there should be way to get it back.

Miss: The food vendors in the Ethnic Village -- Usinger's, Mader's, Famous Dave's, Edwardo's, John Hawks, Botanas and King & I, are obscured by picnic tables and the north end of the Sky Glider. There might be a way to open that area and make them more visible and accessible.

Hit: The Summerfest site included some outstanding videos this year. The clips, produced in conjunction with Mindpool.TV, included performance footage, backstage interviews and other fun stuff. Clearly, Summerfest is scratching the surface of something that could be pretty huge down the road.

Hit: Speaking of video, the U.S. Marines and other branches of the military didn't create any controversy this year with video games.

Hit: Summerfest hasn't increased beer prices in awhile. Now is not the time to dabble in that area, either.

Miss: It's time for Summerfest to udpate its Web site and ditch the slow-to-load flash player.

Hit: It was good to see some eco-friendly urinals in the men's room, with plaques from Kohler explaining how the new technology saves water.

Miss: We know it's tough to keep up with demand, but too often the paper towel dispensers in rest rooms are empty or jammed.

Hit: It was great of Summerfest to book (insert band of choice here, mine is Dropkick Murphys). The show was awesome and I hope the band comes back against next year.



More Information ...
Henry Maier Festival Park
200 N. Harbor Drive
Milwaukee, WI 53202
(414) 273-3378
http://www.summerfest.com

Related links:

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

Recent Talkbacks ...

Posted by rainbowtrout on July 10, 2009 at 8:23 a.m. (report)

Drew, it wasn't the military who caused the "controversy" last year. It was the liberal complainers who get offended by anything and everything, that made the video game a big deal. And that idiot Don Smiley gets blame, too, for giving in to the whiners.

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Posted by Don on July 9, 2009 at 1:39 p.m. (report)

Summerfest officials announce preliminary data indicating that Milwaukee World Festival, Inc., the non-profit organization that plans, promotes and produces Summerfest, the Worlds Largest Music Festival, generated more revenue in key categories than in 2008, increased attendance and remained profitable, despite the most challenging economic climate in the events 42 year history. Combined revenue totals derived from gate and concert ticket sales, as well as food and beverage commissions, exceed last years totals in the same categories by 2.7%, while attendance increased to 835,679 over the 11-day run.

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Posted by are-gee on July 7, 2009 at 8:00 p.m. (report)

I agree with the comments made about the not-filled beer cups and the SF website. Does the festival EVER have anyone outside of the organization click through its site? Every year, it's redesigned, and every year it's difficult to get to what you want. Just give me times and acts. Don't need much of the cumbersome stuff. Keep it simple and looking good. Although I did like the flash on the homepage. As far as acts go, this was the best year in 10 years. The night KHB, Rusty Ps, and The Roots was golden, and there were plenty of other acts I wanted to, but couldn't see. Well done. Oh, and the Refugee Tent is brilliant!!!!!

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Posted by Broner on July 7, 2009 at 3:16 p.m. (report)

Dusty, I agree that speakthetruth's take on the volume of the concerts at Summerfest but determining whether or not it is too loud is very measurable. In fact, the Milwaukee Journal did a watchdog report on it over the weekend and the volume often surpassed OSHA's regulations. I had to stick cigarettes in my ears to ensure that my hearing wasn't damaged.

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Posted by speakthetruth on July 7, 2009 at 3:03 p.m. (report)

I'm not a sound engineer or a doctor, but it seems to me that "louder" doesn't equal better, certainly beyond a certain point. Causing damage to one's hearing isn't my definition of a good time, and amplification inherently distorts music, so beyond a certain point, you are hearing less and less of the "music" and more and more "noise" at such high dB levels. I do wear musician's earplugs that are rated at 25dB, but probably more like 20dB if you consider effectiveness. That still makes most concerts too loud for my liking. I wear 10dB filters to the symphony, and that's just about right. There are a lot more people who avoid Summerfest because it is too loud than because it isn't loud enough.

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