Milwaukee bars, bands, concerts, summerfest thread

[warriorchick]

It was a fairly expensive show to begin with, what are they asking now?  ($75 for face, not even in the front sections)

Stub Hub has cheapest reserved seat (non-bleacher) at $135.

[Hards Alumni]

Stub Hub has cheapest reserved seat (non-bleacher) at $135.

I guess everyone needs to take their cut.

"service" fees are getting outrageous.  If I worked for a band (they'd have to be a sellout the arena kind of band) I'd sell tickets to the show only on my website.  It seems like Ticketmaster is adding $25 on to a $40 show.

[BrewCity83]

I guess everyone needs to take their cut.

"service" fees are getting outrageous.  If I worked for a band (they'd have to be a sellout the arena kind of band) I'd sell tickets to the show only on my website.  It seems like Ticketmaster is adding $25 on to a $40 show.

Don't forget that Summerfest is adding their $16 grounds admission to the price also.

[warriorchick]

I guess everyone needs to take their cut.

"service" fees are getting outrageous.  If I worked for a band (they'd have to be a sellout the arena kind of band) I'd sell tickets to the show only on my website.  It seems like Ticketmaster is adding $25 on to a $40 show.

Unfortunately, TIcketmaster has a stranglehold on the market.  I believe their deals are with the venues, not necessarily the bands.  A few big acts have had some well-publicized attempts to circumvent Ticketmaster, to no avail. I have never heard anyone try to bring an anti-trust lawsuit against them, which surprises me.  Ticketmaster is a monopoly that is ripe for some liberal judge to break up.

[warriorchick]

Don't forget that Summerfest is adding their $16 grounds admission to the price also.

Unless they have changed the policy recently, admission to the grounds is included in your ticket.

[BrewCity83]

Unless they have changed the policy recently, admission to the grounds is included in your ticket.

That's what I mean.  It's about $40 for the concert + $16 for entrance to the grounds (included in your concert ticket) + the $25 or whatever for Ticketmaster that gets you to the $80 that you are paying.

[QuetteHoops]

I was so disappointed with the bands playing in the amphitheater this year until I saw all the free stages. This is one of the best years I can remember the problem is having to make the trek down there so many times.

[BrewCity83]

The side stages are always the place to be IMO.  You can come and go as you please, you can get as close up as you want (or don't want), and they are almost always right on schedule.  You can hop between stages if you want to see simultaneous bands.  And if the show is not that great, you're not committed to it.  I rarely go to the Amp during the Fest.

[MerrittsMustache]

Am I alone in thinking that Summerfest sucks? I'm surprised that so many posters are really excited for it.

[Hards Alumni]

Am I alone in thinking that Summerfest sucks? I'm surprised that so many posters are really excited for it.

you are alone.  Summerfest is great.

You are the biggest Milwaukee hater on this board.

I'll bet you love "The Taste" though.

[MUfan12]

Am I alone in thinking that Summerfest sucks? I'm surprised that so many posters are really excited for it.

Lifelong Milwaukeean and I kinda agree with you. The novelty has worn off since HS/College for me. It's to the point where I won't go unless I have free tickets.

It's become the world's largest amateur hour.

[MerrittsMustache]

you are alone.  Summerfest is great.

You are the biggest Milwaukee hater on this board.

I'll bet you love "The Taste" though.

For the record, I'd take Summerfest over "The Taste" any day.

How am I the biggest Milwaukee hater on this board? Because I don't like Summerfest and I think Miller Park is blah?

Lifelong Milwaukeean and I kinda agree with you. The novelty has worn off since HS/College for me. It's to the point where I won't go unless I have free tickets.

It's become the world's largest amateur hour.

Looks like I'm not alone!

[tower912]

Bodean's update - I bought tickets over the weekend to see the Bodeans at a Connecticut theater located way out in the sticks.  I'm not sure why they're playing where they're playing, but I still couldn't pass up the 1 hour plus drive to take Mrs. MU Fan in CT to see them.  I have front row seats.  The one drawback is I have to wait until October.  I would have liked to see their summertime New York City show also, but I'll be on vacation.

They (ok, Kurt) played in town two weeks after Sammy left the band.   You could tell Kurt was hurting and finding his way.   Plus, a Bodeans show without 'Still the Night' just feels wrong.   However, the backing band is solid and Kurt still has some gas left in the tank.   Plus, he did 'Tied down and Chained', which has always been one of my favorite obscure tracks that I had never seen live.   

[MU Fan in Connecticut]

They (ok, Kurt) played in town two weeks after Sammy left the band.   You could tell Kurt was hurting and finding his way.   Plus, a Bodeans show without 'Still the Night' just feels wrong.   However, the backing band is solid and Kurt still has some gas left in the tank.   Plus, he did 'Tied down and Chained', which has always been one of my favorite obscure tracks that I had never seen live.   

I still have high hopes it'll be a great show for a reason.
It sounds a lot like another favorite band of mine, NRBQ.  (They're a Northeast version of the Bodeans, but they go much farther back to the early 70's.  They also have the distinction of being the first band to appear as themselves on The Simpson's, or something like that.)  The lead guitarist, co-song writer, & co-lead singer left the band in the mid-90's to produce country music acts in Nashville.  The replaced him with the bassist's brother.  They were still great in concert.  I still aLWAYS caught their traditional day after Thanksgivng show at Toad's Place in New Haven.

[BrewCity83]

Kurt Neumann's BoDeans are playing Summerfest this year (July 4th at the Potawotami Stage).  It's the smallest stage on the grounds but I bet that will be a great crowd.  We'll see how they are after having a year to reformulate.

As for Summerest in general, the fun has never worn off for me, and I'm 50.  As a music lover of many genres, I try to go every night.  I admit, though, that it did lose a dimension after I got married because it's the biggest singles bar on the planet.

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

Lifelong Milwaukeean and I kinda agree with you. The novelty has worn off since HS/College for me. It's to the point where I won't go unless I have free tickets.

It's become the world's largest amateur hour.

I've only been to a couple non-Summerfest festivals, but I kind of like the other festivals in comparison due to this. Summerfest is very overcrowded and more or less a large drinking fest. Fun when I was in college, not so much now.

[BrewCity83]

Summerfest can get overcrowded, but the ongoing changes they have made to the configurations of the stages over the past few years really improve the traffic flow.  They also stopped trying to get a million people because they realize that it's a much better festival (and they can make just as much $ because the people who are there will stay longer and get served better) with around 80,000-90,000 per day instead of 100,000+.   The weeknights are rarely crowded; Fridays and Saturdays can still get filled up pretty good, though.  

[Hards Alumni]

honest question for those who don't like Summerfest:

When was the last time you went to Summerfest?

[Spotcheck Billy]

I still like Summerfest but the lineups in recent years don't get me too excited esp. since Potawotami no longer books as many blues bands as they used to

It seems like most of the bands are too young for me and the "classic rock" bands are all has-beens that I used to see at Summerfest in the 70's and aren't a draw for me these days, that said, I can't wait to see Otis Taylor again at Potawotami 

[Chicago_inferiority_complexes]

honest question for those who don't like Summerfest:

When was the last time you went to Summerfest?

Huh? In order to know that you don't like to do something you must have done it recently?

[🏀]

honest question for those who don't like Summerfest:

When was the last time you went to Summerfest?

I'd say I go every other year.

There are no ground stage acts that really interest me this year, and it seems like that happens every other year.

I don't dislike Summerfest, but I am awfully tired of it after two days.

What I don't understand is why people go effing nuts for the State Fair. Granted I'm not from the Dairy State, but I went for the first time, not impressed.

[WellsstreetWanderer]

They're there for the cows

[BrewCity83]

Huh? In order to know that you don't like to do something you must have done it recently?

To be fair, it's changed quite a bit since Smiley took over.

[damuts222]

  You can guess half of the bands that will be at Summerfest prior to the bands being announced. They need to improve the variety of the fest instead of rehashing the same bands year after year.

  Go to another music festival and then report back. How many music festivals bring back the same bands year after year?

[Spotcheck Billy]

how many other music festivals have like 700 bands during that years run?