Photo Credit: Michael Pflughoeft
Andrew W.K. brings his high-energy, anthemic, party ’til you drop, rock to Summerfest’s Throwback Thursday on the Uline Warehouse Stage at 4 p.m.
My kids affectionately refer to it as “Old Fart Day” at Summerfest.
And while they’re nowhere near the target demographic, that affection comes from tagging along to every “Throwback Thursday” since Summerfest introduced the concept back in 2016. We’ve had a blast at each one and the young’uns have had the opportunity to see some bands that are still great despite having reached the height of their popularity decades before my children had ears.
This year’s Throwback Thursday (June 27) offers Summerfest visitors a wide variety of “veteran” headliners across a number of stages—playing much earlier than the normal headline time slot. That day, all the following artists will be playing full sets starting at 4 p.m.
- Andrew W.K.
- Steve Earle & The Dukes
- Foghat
- Paul Oakenfold
- X
- 10,000 Maniacs
Scott Ziel, Summerfest associate booking director, says that the Throwback Thursday concept has been a smashing success. “Over the course of an 11-day festival, it can sometimes be tough to draw people on a weekday, mid-week. We’ve seen the attendance grow steadily every year since Throwback Thursday started, and people have told us they love being able to see a national act at 4 p.m. and still get home at a reasonable hour.”
This year’s Throwback Thursday lineup certainly presents some interesting choices. “We try to create as much diversity on the six stages as possible,” says Ziel. “This year we have classic rock (Foghat), EDM (Paul Oakenfold), punk (the band X), roots rock (Steve Earle & the Dukes), ’80s MTV icons (10,000 Maniacs) and crazy, high energy, party rock (Andrew W.K.). I like ’em all. It’s tough to decide who I’ll see.”
If the early headline performances aren’t quite enough to entice you to attend Throwback Thursday, from Noon to 6 p.m., all beverages will be 50 percent off (excluding frozen drinks, specialty coffee drinks and smoothies).
And finally, thousands of Pick ’n Save shoppers who earned free Throwback Thursday tickets via purchases they made in May will be at the Main Gate box office redeeming their coupons. From experience—even if you don’t have a Pick ’n Save coupon—I can tell you that there will be lots of free admission tickets floating around the Main Gate that can be had for the asking.
You know how we “old farts” enjoy those early bird specials…
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