Miller Park Now a Venue For Concerts

Whoa, it’s freaky! Just a few posts back, I spoke about Miller Park being a concert venue. I talked about what the field conditions would be like after forty-thousand fans trampled the grass, etc. I suppose that we will come to know all about that in due time, because Miller Park management announced that they have partnered with Summerfest president Don Smiley to bring shows to the largest indoor venue in Wisconsin.

As expected, the shows would have to be large events that require weatherproofing. Miller Park can be climate controlled to a certain point, but cannot accommodate events in the winter. It is a rain-or-shine venue to be sure. My mind wanders, as I think about the events that could be held there. The first thing that comes to mind would be the back end of some festival that draws numbers as large as Coachella. The parking lot could hold pre-show events, weather permitting, and the interior of Miller Park could be configured to provide reserved seating and general admission areas on the grass.

When I saw Pink Floyd at County Stadium, I sat near the top of the upper deck. I was as far away from the stage as one could get. I experienced an echo of grand proportions that night. Yes, sound engineers can adjust for p.a. mixing issues, but who wants to be the first band to test out the sound at Miller Park?

This agreement may also come in handy, should it last through the Harley Davidson 110th anniversary rally. It was interesting to see the bands in the Miller Park parking lot, but it would have been better to see them in the park itself.

Miller Park, the Unused Concert Venue?

Professional baseball players would not like to chase down a fly ball, only to twist an ankle on some overly-trodden grass. Imagine the wild hop a baseball would take if the surface at Miller park was trampled flat by 50,000 fans. Some sports venues are routinely used for non-sports events. Soldier Field comes to mind. Jimmy Buffett played there a few years back, as did Pearl Jam and The Grateful Dead. I suppose that it's a bit easier to fix a football field when you have months to get it ready for the NFL season. You could have a concert in July, and still have nearly two months to get the grass back in shape.

For a "baseball only" venue there is the problem of trying to have a concert, then most likely a baseball game within days of each other. I remember the plywood covered outfield at County Stadium for Pink Floyd. 60,000 people crushed the field flat, but it didn't matter, the Brewer season was over.

Miller park keeps the roof open during the winter months. The snow can pile high in that place for sure. It's actually good for the natural grass to have a blanket of snow. Will that venue ever host a concert? They did just that during the 105th Harley Davidson Rally. Kid Rock headlined a two-night event there. The Miller Park Tickets you needed to get into the event allowed access to the parking lot only. The event was held outside of the ballpark.

As the years roll on, we might see a show inside the ballpark, but I don't see it happening during the baseball season. Perhaps there would be a show in late fall, with the roof closed, after the Brewers season is over. As a venue, Miller Park is not hurting for revenue. That may never happen.

Harleys rumble into town

Can you hear them coming? The Harley Davidson 105 reunion starts this weekend. The entertainment for this event is spread out all over the city. You can catch Kid Rock at Miller Park if you are a H.O.G. member and you can prove that. You can head to the lakefront with a Summerfest ticket or pass as it is known. That pass will get you into the grounds to see at least fifty bands on five stages. Z.Z. Top is one of the top name acts performing on Friday.

Water Street will host a biker rally with entertainment galore. Brady Street will feature some great Milwaukee Rock Bands as well. Don't forget the Harley Davidson parade on Saturday. After all, it's all about the bikes. Thousands and thousands of chrome horses will ride across Wisconsin.

Yes, Waukesha has some events too, but don't be fooled, the action is in Milwaukee. Bruce Springsteen will hopefully put to rest the issue dating back five years, when Elton John performed in the park. No distrespect to Elton, but that is not a Harley themed top name act.

For the younger audience, Foo Fighters will also perform in Milwaukee this weekend. This seems to be one of the biggest last hurrah's of the short summer here in Wisconsin. Take some time and soak up the sun. Before you know it, the cold and snow will be with us, and the Harley Festival weekend would make winter a tiny bit more tolerable. At least in your memories.

Bruce Springsteen and his fickle fans

After hearing word that "The Boss" will headline the Harley Davidson 105th reunion, Bruce Springsteen's fans rushed to dump their March Bradley Center show tickets for the warmer and possibly more enjoyable Summer show. Bruce Springsteen fans are a loyal, albeit an aging base. His March show at The Bradley Center had strong ticket sales from what I heard. But given the choice of seeing "The Boss" out in the open, and under the warm summer night's sky, with 100,000 other fans, the dumping ensued. It didn't matter much that the Harley show requires membership of H.O.G. itself to acquire a code to purchase a ticket. Fans seem to be jumping through that hoop with ease.

Bruce Springsteen and the HOG

Do you have your Bruce Springsteen tickets yet? He comes to The Bradley Center on March 17th. If you miss that show, he returns to Milwaukee for the HOG and Harley Davidson reunion in August. Coming off of the worst line up for a Harley event, the Harley reuinion folks hit it out of the park for this coming reunion. Some great bands will be on the Summerfest grounds. But the big show will be Bruce in the park.