After the past two weekends being in the mid-70s, the heat finally hit Milwaukee, and my energy levels were nearing the end. Despite looking forward to getting some more sleep after this weekend, I felt sad that it was the final weekend of this large music festival. I live for the adrenaline and being in the photo pit while the crowd is singing along word for word. The energy and vibes are incredibly infectious, because sometimes even when I feel down, the atmosphere fuels me to keep going and make sure that I make the most of it. I am saddened to mention I missed all the BMX sports demos due to several conflicts of time, but I got my annual Sky Glider ride in. I love watching the people just walking while dangling above them, wondering if they know they’re being watched. People watching is fun because you never know what or who you’ll see. The view of the city from there is breathtaking, as the skies were clear blue, not a cloud in sight. Storms were still in the forecast, but everyone had their hopes crossed it’d pass over us like the weekend prior. More to come on that later since it was mostly Friday night with the highest prediction. 

The Dunkin pop-up was replaced with a Pepsi Zero experience, and unfortunately I didn’t realize the Instax one would be gone. An Oreo Cakesters photo experience and free samples took its place; who is going to say no to free food? I grabbed a couple and even popped inside the airstream trailer to see what there was to see for photos. 

DAY SEVEN:

I was sweating by the time I got to the media trailer; the heat was a doozy, and I felt like taking a nap. But I had been inspired by a band that surfaced on my TikTok ForYou page earlier that week and was determined to make it to the set. My day started almost right after doors for a band named Pretty Pity. They were on the T-Mobile stage, which was unfortunately at the sun’s mercy from the very start. Another photographer who had arrived as early as me was in agreement that it was not the stage to want to hang out until the sun went down.

Even so, after popping around to check out different bands, I stopped by the very hot T-Mobile stage to see Fluorescents, a band I had not seen in a long time. They came from Chicago, not too far, but these boys have been blowing up for a while, and it was so fun to finally see them in Milwaukee again. I hung out in a shaded area to watch the whole set, and while I enjoyed watching, I think I got hit with a bit too much heat after that. I had gotten approved for the amphitheatre headliner that night, Muse, and as some darkened clouds approached, my body needed to hang out in the trailer to catch my breath if I was going to make it that late. 

Between the openers and Muse, I caught two artists whose publicists had reached out to make sure they were on my radar. I was able to interview Matt Hansen prior to his set, and that interview is coming really soon; stay tuned. The other artist I caught was Blondshell, and she had a commanding stage presence that worked with the crowd. Both performed well, and I’m excited to see where they turn up next. 

Temper City and Julia Wolf were the openers for Muse. According to another photographer who was excited to catch their set, they informed me that Julia Wolf was not even on the tour with Muse. She was originally going to headline a summerfest stage before Muse invited her to join the lineup. I had only heard of both acts by name through others and was very excited to catch them on stage. Even though they were both more solo artists and microphone cords limited movement around the stage, they made sure the music really spoke to the crowd. 

When Muse took the stage, the sun was down, and everyone was offered some reprieve with it finally being gone. Even then, the humidity levels were high, and for a good 10 minutes we were treated to extreme high winds that almost made me feel the storm was going to hit. The winders were brief but made sure they were felt as dozens of trash cans were turned over and porta-potties got shifted. Thankfully, that was it, and Muse was a blast.

The stage setup was elaborate with floating screens and smoke filling the room. The first song was darker, but you could feel the tension building because as soon as the second song started, it was a blast of lights hitting all at once. I was definitely caught off guard by how bright everything got and had to shield my eyes before I could see things again. Vocalist Matt Bellamy strutted down the catwalk twice, encouraging more cheers from the room. The production quality of Muse was unlike anything I had seen in a while, and it’s something I definitely want to catch again the next time they hit up Milwaukee. Muse is still on tour; get a ticket and check them out. Even if you don’t know their music, you will not be disappointed, and it’s a good show.

DAY EIGHT:

I got a later start as the storm predictions were still swirling and many were wondering if a major rain would hit later or not. It did spit throughout the day, and I got my start a little later.

My first stop was the little American Insurance Amphitheatre house to see an acoustic set by Spoon. I wasn’t sure if I’d make it to their official later set, and had the time, I figured what better way to experience a new band but with a more intimate setting as well? Before the artist took the stage, Christopher came out to hype the room up for what they’re about to see. He is the absolute greatest presence at this festival, and I look forward to seeing what colorful suits he sports every time. 

After Spoon, it was time to see NileXNile, who paired up with Wave Chappelle this year for a duo-set. I interviewed Nile last year before he took the stage, and he’s a local artist you should be following as well as Wave. The fans who showed up were clearly familiar with these two, as one of them waved a 414 flag around in solidarity. The local scene will forever live on as long as people support it. Never forget that your favorite artist started somewhere small and that the next big thing can come when you least expect them to. 

I stopped by to party with DJ Jazzy Jeff a bit while he spun some early ’00s bops. I enjoyed some sets by Chase McDaniel, who I had apparently seen before without realizing it. He played at The Rave/Eagles Club opening for Alexandra Kay, and he came out with an energy I don’t recall seeing last time. It was sultry, smooth, and flashy. He waltzed around the stage, singing with his heart and connecting with every person in the crowd. 

But also speaking of the next big thing… Last year, Alex Warren headlined a summerfest stage, and this year, he was on the massive one, the amphitheatre with Noah Cyrus as his opener – more details to come later.

My last artist of the night was none other than Flo Rida. The rain clouds had clustered, and it was drizzling by the time he took the stage, but that did not slow him or the audience down. Arguably one of the biggest crowds I’ve seen in my past three years of attending Summerfest. It was massive and took forever to even make my way to the photo pit. At the end of his first song, he and his two backup dancers grabbed bottles of champagne to spray towards the crowd. I ducked into the general admission pit to save my cameras from the sticky mess, and then watched him toss out roses into the crowd. This was definitely pure nostalgia for me, and I’m sure many others who grew up on his hits like “Right Round” and “Whistle.” 

The rain lasted for about ten minutes, and then the storm clouds just continued right over us.

DAY NINE:

There was some spitting throughout the day, and it wasn’t very hot; it was a very foggy one for a while. My first band of the day is yet another special one as they’re some dear friends of mine and got me some stage access last minute. I was able to cover their entire set from the photo pit and right next to them, ensuring I caught all the very best angles. Go check out Known Moons and let me know what you think!

After their set, I had to race over to catch The Maiden Voyage. A local band, which apparently a member is a cousin to someone else I know from concerts. Connections are crazy sometimes. They were playing the Miller Lite Stage, which the final artist of Summerfest 2026 would play on later. They rocked the stage and got the moshers moving. 

I had been approved to cover the final amphitheatre artist of Summerfest — Jelly Roll with his openers Tyler Hubbard and Three 6 Mafia. 

Between catching their sets, I also saw KT Tunstall and Preston Cooper. KT Tunstall was a sweet soul to watch as she kept commenting on her travels and day throughout the set. 

Then at 10 p.m., everyone was treated to a glorious fireworks show to celebrate July 4. Then after that, I caught the final two acts of the night: Jonah Kagen and Kerry King. Jonah Kagen was beautiful to watch, and I loved watching the fans up front with their signs while singing as loud as their lungs allowed. Both sets are about as different as can be and still very enjoyable. I had heard that the artist before Kerry King broke down the barricade, which was held together with zip ties in preparation for the final act of this year’s music festival. 

If you’re not familiar with the metal scene or Kerry King, he is one of the co-founders of the band Slayer. He was coming to Summerfest to play his solo stuff and close out the entire night, as he was the very last set to start. The entire group was intense, and it was just the kind of note that was needed to end everything with one final bang. 

Farewell Summerfest 2026, until next year! 

Speaking of next year, they are continuing to keep the three-weekend setup and pushing everything back one weekend later than normal.