Milwaukee’s Summerfest Highlights From AmFam Amphitheatre and Park Grounds 2025

Jun 30, 2025 admin_bitlc Features, Music News, Reviews 0

By Randall Hicks

Thursday June 26th was my first ever experience at Summerfest in Milwaukee, WI. It is and was a bit overwhelming. It’s almost as if there is a small section of a large city where music and food and fun are so abundant that it needs to explode into three long weekends of pure party.

Thursday I had the pleasure of catching some amazing acts throughout the evening.

Shane Smith and the Saints opened the AmFam Amphitheater. They are the definition of country music. Four men in cowboy boots and one wild child wearing chacos filled the amphitheater with twang and resonance to a sea of fans in their cowboy hats and blue jeans. It was a lively set and set the mood for the night.

Next up in the amphitheater was Lukas Nelson. The son of the legendary Willie Nelson has a terrific voice and gave a great performance. The crowd had filled in and each song ended to an abundance of cheers and applause.

After a fun bit of country, I slipped to the complete opposite side of the fest to catch everyone’s favorite, Devo! Approaching the large mass of fans, I quickly noticed all of the heads donning Devo’s signature “Energy Domes.”

It was a fun set shared by all in attendance. The crowd sang along to every word and Devo delivered a classic performance. I had a moment to chat with a few fans on the rail to learn they were on a fourteen show stretch and it really enlightened me to how devoted Devo fans are.

I ended my night with Mayday Parade. The Pop-Punk band was met with another large crowd (just how many people attend Summerfest?). Frontman Derek Sanders kicked off on the piano and quickly came out to the front of the stage to entertain the masses. Their music was met with fans dancing, waving their arms and some of the loudest cheers I had heard for the day. It was an energetic fun-filled set to close out the night.

Overall, it was a great way to experience my first day of such a massive festival. It was a beautiful night on the lake and I couldn’t wait to do it again the next day!

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Friday’s Summerfest lineup was just as amazing as the day before. I was able to catch a few more bands than the day prior, and it was all that much more fun.

My day kicked off with an intimate set from country icon Jo Dee Messina. She played a small set in the AmFam House. She took questions and a fan off to the side asked her to play ‘Sk8er Boi’ by Avril Lavigne. Backed by her talented musicians – she got the lyrics from a cell phone and they jammed out to it for a few minutes. It was such a unique experience as she clearly didn’t know the song personally, but was such a great sport and willing to have fun. It really left an impression on me and I am sure others in attendance.

I mosied next door just in time to catch what was possibly my favorite set of the day, Chaparelle. The band fronted by Zella Day and Jesse Woods quickly mesmerized the crowd with their catchy lyrics and classic country sound with a twist. While the crowd was sparse at the start, the band seemed to draw in more and more as attendees walked by and couldn’t escape the magnetism from the stage. Special shoutout to bassist Geoffrey Muller for always keeping the low-end tight and swinging.

I popped in to local Milwaukee Hip/Hop/Rapper IshDARR’s set. He had some catchy hooks and great beats. He had the crowd singing along, and swaying. It provided some great distraction to the sun beating down on the festival.

I took in a couple songs of a few bands before settling in for Cold War Kids opening the Amphitheater for the night. Showoff reminded us that pop-punk is not dead and the bass really drives the music. Isabel Dumaa had the most angelic voice paired with some melodic guitar and hi-fi poppy synth keys. The Plain White T’s got the crowd counting 1, 2, 3, 4 and chanting along about some girl named Delilah. It was a lot of fun catching snippets of these sets.

Cold War Kids kicked off the evening with ‘Love is Mystical.’ Their stage presence was simple, but the music spoke for itself. There is a reason they are played across the radio all the time. Their songs are catchy and give off a sense of calm and excitement. Truly a great way to start off a killer evening.

With the night nearing end I dropped in for Chicago alt-rock legends – Local H. They are known for their raw, authentic and hard hitting sound which they delivered in abundance. The trio were synced up and minus the technical difficulties in feedback flare-ups sounded top notch. They played crowd favorites and could have easily closed out the Miller Lite stage – but that duty was in the hands of Billy Corgan and His Machines of God.

Between sets I caught a glimpse of Cake in the BMO Pavilion. It was an extraordinary stage setup with plants, large spacing and a giant disco ball. It was so fun to see the attendees taking it all in. I never knew how much Cake is just a vibe. Everyone was all smiles, singing along, taking in the display of lights and beautiful night on the lake. It really gave me a want/drive to deep dive into their catalog and experience Cake in a different way than what the radio gave me all of these years. I left their set with a new found respect and admiration.

Which brings us to the last set on the Miller Lite stage. Billy Corgan is touring, playing Smashing Pumpkins songs, but without his entire Pumpkins band. It’s interesting, and feels like it is a chance to play some deep cuts that maybe don’t get the love that they deserve. The crowd was enamored, the band was top notch and it felt like a great way to end a magnificent Friday in Milwaukee.

The weekend was an eye-opener to what I have been missing all of these years not attending Summerfest. Maybe this is the motivation I needed to make a change and become a regular.

Stay tuned for next week’s coverage as I experience the final weekend of Summerfest 2025.

For more on Summerfest, click here