Generally when Zestivals thinks of a festival, we are thinking of many musicians crammed into a one to three day event. They have 10-30 bands playing every day and it is an "All Day" adventure. So if this is typical, what is atypical? Well, there is Summerfest, also known as the "Big Gig," in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Summerfest operates more like a rock concert spread out every night for 11 days. That's right, "11 days, 11 stages, and over 700 bands" is their tag line, and they aren't kidding. Every night has a different headliner, so expect entertainment at its finest.
Summerfest was created back in 1968 when the Mayor of Milwaukee decided his town should have something similar to the Oktoberfest of Munich, Germany. Although you shouldn't expect to find a huge selection of the finest beers from all over Europe, or North America for that matter, you will find a Miller sponsored Summerfest festival. Some of us around the office consider that to be just as good, while others are waiting with foam weapons to voice their disapproval of that statement.
Now, if you are thinking like we would, you are saying to yourself that 2008 is 40 years after 1968, so there should be a huge event this year, right? Well, for some reason, that was last year. This is why you need to check back often with Zestivals, so you don't miss out on the major events from now going forward. So like we said, "11 days, 11 stages," this should equate to at least 11 headliners, right? Yeah, at the least, there are 11 headliners. In fact, most of the headliners are written in a way that looks like there is a duet or a trio, but we get the feeling that they are just going on in the same night.
So, who are we looking at this year? Stevie Wonder on June 26th, Rush on June 27th, Steve Miller Band and Joe Cocker on June 29th, wait, what happened to Saturday, you ask? Well, it hasn't been announced yet, so while you should check back here for updates, you should also know that is not all the bands that we know of right now, either. There is also Rascall Flatts ("My Wish" and "Take Me There") and Taylor Swift (Taylor's big hit, "Teardrops on My Guitar" is sweeping the nation right now) on June 30th, and Alicia Keys and Stephen Marley on July 1st (Alicia Key's has several number one singles including "Fallin", "My Boo", and "No One"; Stephen Marley was part of the reggae group Ziggy Marley & the Melody Makers, as well as the son of reggae legend Bob Marley). On July 2nd, John Mayer ("Remedy" and "Waiting on the World to Change") will be headling along with Colbie Caillat (hit song "Bubbly") and Brett Dennen ("Ain't No Reason," "Darlin' Do Not Fear," and "Private Life"). On July 3rd, Tim McGraw ("My Best Friend," "Last Dollar (Fly Away)," and "It's Your Love") along with Jason Aldean ("Johnny Cash", "Laughed Until We Cried", and "Hicktown") as well as Halfway to Hazard ("Daisy"). Now July 4th, you just have to expect something spectacular, and Summerfest isn't going to disappoint you on this one. For their Independence Day spectacular, buy your tickets to see the Stone Temple Pilots ("Plush," "Creep," "Silvergun Superman", and "Flys in the Vaseline,") reunited. Considering how hard Velvet Revolver rocked at Virgin Fest this past year, Summerfest might not need anyone else headlining alongside Stone Temple Pilots (STP), a band that will be having the same Scott Weiland on lead vocals, for the July 4th weekend kickoff. On July 5th, If you have any energy left from STP's reunion, check out Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers ("Don't Come Around Here No More", "Running Down a Dream", and "Last Dance with Mary Jane") and Steve Winwood ("Higher Love" and "Roll with it").
The unofficially last day, or last reported day thus far, is July 6th. So, who is going to bring in the rear on this fest, you ask? Just the Jonas Brothers. What? You haven't heard of the Jonas Brothers? Well, if you have any teenagers in the vicinity, especially of the female variety, you can ask them about the Jonas Brothers. Just be prepared for a lot of screaming since the Brothers are the latest attraction, having performed on the Hannah Montana show with Miley Cyrus. The Jonas Brothers ("Hold On" and "SOS") will most likely be sold out soon, so if you want to go, get tickets early.
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