Kendrick Lamar @ Marcus Amphitheater, July 1
Thursday, June 25
Public Enemy @ Miller Lite Oasis, Summerfest, 10 p.m.
A quarter century ago, the militantly political rap band Public Enemy would have been a controversial booking for a music festival like Summerfest, but the group has softened its image over the years. Leader Chuck D has embraced his role as a hip-hop elder statesman and commentator, while hype-man Flavor Flav and his unorthodox love life became the basis for a franchise of VH1 reality shows. Yet despite everything, the group still sounds amazingly good after all this time. Their recent work, including 2012’s The Evil Empire of Everything, is a typically electrifying shock to the system from a group that, even during their periodic slumps, has never held back.
Friday, June 26
Punch Brothers @ BMO Harris Pavilion, Summerfest, 9:45 p.m.
Virtuoso mandolinist Chris Thile spent more than 15 years playing with his roots-pop trio Nickel Creek, but in recent years he spent more and more time working on his many outside projects, and by the time the band called it quits last year it was clear that his star had outgrown Nickel Creek. He’s since dedicated most of his energies to the Punch Brothers, a quintet that nurtures Thile’s ever-expanding ambitions, letting him perform lengthy, classical-inspired suites. At their best, Punch Brothers place more emphasis on composition than on showboating jamming, but that’s not to say that Thile doesn’t still toss the bluegrass faithful a juicy bone in the form of plentiful banjo, mandolin and fiddle solos.
Saturday, June 27
Burnhearts/Pabst Eighth Annual Street Party @ Burnhearts, noon-8 p.m.
For eight years running, Burnhearts has thrown one of Bay View’s liveliest street parties. This year’s lineup will feature music from some local festival staples, including the Latin party band De La Buena and rapper Klassik, who will be backed by the combo Three. Stacks. Eliot as well as a whole bunch of indie-rock, including local scuzz heroes Platinum Boys, the burgeoning electro-pop group Light Music and spazz favorites Soul Low. DJ Why B will spin between sets, and once again the street party will feature an art and craft fair curated by Cortney Heimerl, as well as food from Goodkind, Honeypie and Classic Slice.
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Stevie Wonder @ Marcus Amphitheater, 7:30 p.m.
Summerfest’s Marcus Amphitheater lineup is even more studded with legends than usual this year, and one of the biggest is Stevie Wonder, among the most decorated and accomplished musicians of all time. Though he hasn't released an album since 2005's A Time To Love, Wonder has been in the spotlight recently, following a televised all-star tribute this winter on CBS—a reminder, as if anybody needed one, that Wonder is one of the best who ever did it.
Lakefront 7s Rugby Tournament @ Veterans Park, 8 a.m.
Now in its 33rd consecutive year, the Lakefront 7s is the largest summer rugby tournament in the country and easily one of the best ways to watch rugby up close and personal. More than 125 teams—men’s and women’s teams of all ages, with kids playing flag rugby—will play round robin-style in Veterans Park. These unpredictable, highly charged matches are fast-paced, consisting of two seven-minute halves. Spectators are welcome to watch on the sidelines, free of charge, and Wisconsin Brewing beer, Johnsonville brats and more will be sold. Play begins at 8 a.m. with new matches starting every 20 minutes until 7:30 p.m. or so. Check it out before heading to Summerfest. For more information, go to lakefront7s.com.
Downer Classic @ Downer Avenue, 10:20 a.m.
Many know Downer Avenue as one of the East Side’s most scenic stretches, but one day a year it’s also home to a famous cycling course. This free family friendly event includes a full day of racing for adults, teens and children. Racers will be attending from all around the country. The schedule runs from 10:20 a.m. to 7 p.m. with juniors, tweens, pro women and even a Fat Tire beer keg race. A Belgian Beer Festival will be held in conjunction with the races.
Cedarburg Strawberry Festival @ Downtown Cedarburg, 10 a.m.-6 p.m.
Every festival needs a signature food. For the Cedarburg Strawberry Festival that item is the strawberry brat, which hundreds of people line up for each year. For those who prefer their fruit meatless, there are also chocolate-covered strawberries, strawberry ice cream, strawberry shortcake and strawberry wine from Cedar Creek Winery. Enjoy the sugar rush while strolling through the Washington Avenue art fair, which will feature the 15th Annual Plein Air Painting Competition. The festival kicks off with the Berry Big 5K run/walk on Saturday morning and runs through Sunday, June 28.
Sunday, June 28
Charles Bradley @ Johnson Controls World Sound Stage, Summerfest, 10 p.m.
Everybody loves a good comeback story, and perhaps none more than the crew at the soul-revival label Daptone Records, which has stacked its roster with veteran singers who have given music a renewed push late in life. A former James Brown impersonator, Charles Bradley wallowed in obscurity for decades until Daptone discovered him in his middle age, releasing his debut album No Time For Dreaming in 2011. The 2012 documentary Charles Bradley: Soul of America introduced more people to the remarkable story of this 60-something soulman, who released his second album, Victim of Love, in 2013.
Tuesday, June 30
Gogol Bordello @ BMO Harris Pavilion, Summerfest, 9:45 p.m.
New York’s Gogol Bordello, one of the wildest world-fusion acts, melds the accordions and fiddles of traditional Romani Gypsy music with the combustible energy of punk rock. Their 2005 album coined a fitting term for their hybrid: Gypsy punk. Think of theirs as international drinking music: a hodgepodge of Bulgarian and Slovakian sounds with crashing percussion and a Pogues-like love for call-and-response with the crowd. Leader Eugene Hütz is a madman on stage, so expect him to pull out all the stops for this sure-to-be-sweaty Summerfest performance.
Wednesday, July 1
Kendrick Lamar w/ ScHoolboy Q @ Marcus Amphitheater, 7:30 p.m.
Perhaps no rap album this decade has proven more influential than Kendrick Lamar’s good kid, m.A.A.d city, a morally conflicted account of growing up in gang territory that set a new watermark for contemporary conscious rap while still yielding some seriously catchy singles. Lamar’s follow-up album, To Pimp a Butterfly, is somehow even more ambitious, an impressionistic pastiche of jazz, soul, funk and hip-hop that examines the state of race relations in America. It’s the best reviewed album of the year by quite some measure, according to the number crunchers at Metacritic. It should be a thrill seeing how Lamar translates such cerebral material for the stage.
