The best days for Summerfest — depending on which music you love
Summerfest offers something for everyone — practically the only festival in the world where you can check out country, Afrobeat, thrash metal, indie rock, legacy hip-hop and house music on the same day.
But some people want just one thing.
And in that regard, Summerfest — returning to Milwaukee’s lakefront June 23 to 25, June 30 to July 2 and July 7 to 9 — still has you covered.
This year in particular, there’s been more of a concerted effort to make certain Summerfest stages destinations for specific genres, from ’80s metal, to emerging country, to female-fronted pop-punk popular on TikTok.
Here are the best days and stages at Summerfest this year for people who really love …
EDM and club-ready hip-hop
Day and stage for you: June 23 at
Miller Lite Oasis.
Who’s playing: Artists affiliated with EDM A-lister Steve Aoki’s Dim Mak Records, including Callie Reiff (5:25 p.m.) and Bok Nero (6:40 p.m.), plus DJs and rappers Synymata (4 p.m.), Trés Mortimer (4:40 p.m.), 24HRS (6:10 p.m.), Nostalgix (7:10 p.m.), Riot Ten B2B Crankdat (8:10 p.m), The Dojo (9:10 p.m.) and Aoki himself (10:15 p.m.).
Hard rock and metal
Day and stage for you: June 23 at Generac Power Stage and June 30 at American Family Insurance Amphitheater.
Who’s playing: Thrash legends Anthrax, still featuring much of the same lineup since the early ‘80s, headlines at 9:30 p.m., preceded by Municipal Waste (7:30 p.m.), Pop Evil (5:30 p.m.), The Heroes Lie (3:30 p.m.), Grin Cynic (1:45 p.m.), and Milwaukee’s own Conniption (noon). Or you can see four acts on one bill at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater beginning at 7:30 p.m. June 30, with co-headliners Disturbed and Lamb of God, and openers Chevelle and New Medicine.
’80s rock and metal
Days and stages for you: June 24 at Uline Warehouse and June 25 at UScellular Connection Stage.
Who’s playing: Not one but two days loaded with noted names of that era. On June 24, they include Quiet Riot (3:30 p.m.), Lita Ford (5:30 p.m.), Warrant (7:30 p.m.) and Skid Row (9:30 p.m.), with Milwaukee band Addiction kicking things off at noon. June 25 features Slaughter (10:15 p.m.), Great White (8:15 p.m.), Ratt singer Stephen Pearcy (6:15 p.m.), Stryper (4:15 p.m.), local act Metal Men (2:30 p.m.) and Judas Priest tribute band Hellion (12:45 p.m.).
Socially conscious alternative hip-hop
Day and stage for you: June 25 at
Generac Power Stage.
Who’s playing: This day already boasts the biggest rappers on the Summerfest bill with a triple bill of Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa and Wu-Tang Clan at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater, but you can catch Sa-Roc (3:30 p.m.) and The Far Side, once known as the Pharcyde (5:30 p.m.) before the amphitheater show. If you’re skipping the amp show, see Minneapolis hip-hop duo Atmosphere at 9:30. And check out local DJ GetMoses (4:45 p.m.), who cites Atmosphere as one of his biggest influences.
Female-fronted pop punk
Day and stage for you: June 30 at
Generac Power Stage.
Who’s playing: Willow, who originally had been scheduled to headline this stage on this day, dropped out of the festival Monday — a major loss — but the Generac stage still features some of the biggest TikTok-fueled breakouts of recent months, including Royal & the Serpent (6:25 p.m.), “abcdefu” hitmaker Gayle (8:15 p.m.), Nessa Barrett (9:30 p.m.).
Emerging bluegrass, folk and Americana
Day and stage for you: July 2 at Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard.
Who’s playing: Milwaukee music scene veteran Buffalo Nichols (4 p.m.) is a highlight on a day and stage that features Mt. Joy in the closing headlining slot (10 p.m.), plus Madison Cunningham (8 p.m.), Houndmouth (6 p.m.), Boy Named Banjo (2 p.m.) and local band the MilBillies (noon).
Alternative pop rock and punk
Day and stage for you: July 2 at UScellular Connection Stage.
Who’s playing: There’s a little range here, from alternative ’90 rock titans Third Eye Blind (10 p.m.) to local punk group Avenues (6:15 p.m.), but the acts all embrace guitars and pop hooks, including Hockey Dad (8:15 p.m.), Lit (4:15 p.m.), Parader (2:30 p.m.) and Part Time Models (12:45 p.m.). Up-and-coming country
Day and stage for you: July 7 at UScellular Connection Stage.
Who’s playing: Any of these artists could dominate country radio soon, or maybe all of them. Russell Dickerson (10 p.m.) is already racking up hits, and he’ll be preceded by Erin Kinsey (8:15 p.m.), Niko Moon (6:15 p.m.) and Priscilla Block (4:15 p.m.).
Latin music
Day and stage: July 8 at Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard.
Who’s playing: Summerfest has long devoted a day and stage to Latin music, and 2022 is no different. The “El Caballero de la Salsa,” Gilberto Santa Rosa, headlines (10 p.m.), preceded by a Minneapolis rock band Making Movies (8 p.m.) that embraces Latin musical elements and Spanish lyrics. The lineup also includes performances by Milwaukee youth Latin dance team Salsabrositas (5:45 and 7:45 p.m.), plus local act Clave y Afinque (6 p.m.) and Ecuador Manta (4 p.m.).
New Wave
Day and stage: July 8 at UScellular Connection Stage.
Who’s playing: Martin Fry’s ABC closes out the stage, celebrating the 40th anniversary of debut album “The Lexicon of Love” (10 p.m.). Local New Wave band Xposed 4heads will open (8 p.m.), and they’ll be preceded by A Flock of Seagulls (6:15 p.m.). New Wave tribute band The New Wave sets up the theme for the day at 2:30 p.m.
Emerging hip-hop and R&B
Day and stage: July 8 at Miller Lite
Oasis.
Who’s playing: Cordae is this year’s breakout hip-hop booking at the Big Gig, closing out the Miller Lite Oasis July 8 (10:15 p.m.), preceded by upand-comers Ric Wilson (8:15 p.m.), Chiiild (6:15 p.m.) and, fresh off playing T-Pain’s Wiscansin Fest, Milwaukeebased Djay Mando (5:30 p.m.).
’90s-originated (or inspired) alt-rock and post-punk
Day and stage: July 9 at Generac
Power Stage.
Who’s playing: Summerfest has left some of their best daytime acts for the last day, with buzzy, female-fronted, ’90s-inspired rock bands Illuminati Hotties (1:45 p.m.) and Dry Cleaning (5:30 p.m.), plus seminal Husker Du frontman Bob Mould (3:30 p.m.) and the acclaimed Parquet Courts (7:30 p.m.). Closing out the day, and the festival, at the Generac stage is Death Cab for Cutie (9:30 p.m.).