Get ready for Summerfest 2018
June 26, 2018
Summer is almost here, which means festival season is upon us once again.
A fantastic option for summer concerts is Summerfest: an 11 day music extravaganza touting over 800 artists and eight stages on their dedicated grounds in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. The best part? It’s crazy cheap.
Tickets are only $21 or $14 if you go before 4:00 PM on a weekday. With tickets that cheap there must not be any good bands playing right? Wrong. Last year we saw performances from The Shins, Walk the Moon, Steve Aoki, AWOLNATION, Dispatch, Tegan and Sara, Bleachers, and many others.
There’s a separate amphitheater where more popular bands play with ticket prices ranging from $50 to $100. The amphitheater tickets also get you into the main festival grounds so you can hang out and see other bands before the main show.
Summerfest also has other fun attractions besides music. On the grounds are food vendors, trinket shops, a ferris wheel, a ski lift, and a merch store.
Here are some highlights in this year’s musical lineup:
Wednesday, June 27th
Radio icons, Imagine Dragons, are playing the amphitheater in support of their 2017 album, “Evolve.” On the main grounds is rapper, Lil Uzi Vert, EDM artist, Alesso, and indie rock band, Grizzly Bear.
Thursday, June 28th
At the amphitheater we have singer-songwriter, James Taylor along with Bonnie Raitt. On the grounds is EDM megastar, Marshmello, rapper, Nelly, and hip-hop legends, The Sugarhill Gang.
Friday, June 29th
Headlining the amphitheater is rap star, Logic, supporting his fifth album, “Bobby Tarantino II.” Joining him is pop singer, Halsey and rapper, NF. The only notable artists playing the main grounds are rock group, Social Distortion and alt rock group, Plain White T’s.
Saturday, June 30th
Country-pop duo, Florida Georgia Line and pop star, Bebe Rexha will be at the amphitheater this day. Notable acts on the main grounds include indie rock band, Kaleo, and blues rock virtuoso, Buddy Guy.
Sunday, July 1st
Headlining the amphitheater is folk rock band, Dave Matthews Band. There’s quite a few great artists on the main grounds including indie rock band, The Neighbourhood, indie rock band, Spoon, electro-funk duo, Chromeo, indie electronic duo, Capital Cities and classic rockers, Pat Benatar and Neil Giraldo.
Tuesday, July 3rd
Headlining the amphitheater is rapper J. Cole in support of his recent album, “KOD.” On the grounds is Aerosmith frontman, Steven Tyler, indie pop band, Foster the People and pop singer, Bishop Briggs.
Wednesday, July 4th
Featured at the amphitheater are classic rock bands, Journey and Def Leppard. On the grounds is pop singer, Kesha, 90’s alt rock band, Pixies and indie rock band, The Wombats.
Thursday, July 5th
Pop singers Shawn Mendes and Charli XCX will headline the amphitheater. On the grounds is reggae rock band, Slightly Stoopid, rapper Machine Gun Kelly, and DJ Jazzy Jeff.
Friday, July 6th
At the amphitheater will be country star, Blake Shelton. On the grounds is psych rock band, The Flaming Lips, singer-songwriter, Janelle Monáe, and indie pop singer, Børns.
Saturday, July 7th
Headlining the amphitheater is pop mega-star, The Weeknd. On the grounds will be indie electronic band, Phantogram and singer-songwriter, Hunter Hayes.
Sunday, July 8th
Headlining the amphitheater are indie rock legends, Arcade Fire. On the grounds is Rockford’s own, Cheap Trick and pop band, Timeflies.
The lineup for Summerfest is looking great this year. With bands for almost every music taste out there, it’s no wonder Summerfest is a hit year after year. If you’re trying to have a great time over the summer for cheap, look no further. I’m going out to see Foster the People, The Flaming Lips, Spoon and Marshmello. Who do you plan to see?