1. Gary Clark Jr.
CHELSEA MAMEROW, ART DIRECTOR
I am a Summerfest enthusiast. I can have fun even if there’s no one I am particularly excited for – sometimes bopping around leads to the best Summerfest night. But it looks like weekend one has plenty for me to focus on. I might be camping at the Miller Lite Oasis Stage Thursday, June 19. Gary Clark Jr. headlines and he’s preceded on stage by Joy Oladokun, who I am not familiar with, but her 2023 album included collaborations with Noah Kahan and Chris Stapleton. Right up my alley. June 19, 10:15 p.m.,
Miller Lite Oasis Stage
2. Joy Oladokun
BRIANNA SCHUBERT, DIGITAL EDITOR
Unlike Chelsea, I’m very familiar with Joy Oladokun. I’ve been listening to them for years, and I was super excited to see them on the lineup! I love their songs “sunday,” “jordan” and “DRUGS.” Their genre-spanning sound is soulful and hopeful. I can’t wait to go see them perform them live! June 19, 8:30 p.m. Miller Lite Oasis Stage
3. Buffalo Nichols
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
Buffalo Nichols is a Milwaukee artist whose blues and folk tunes hit hard with his guitar showmanship and gravely voice. I first started listening to him when MilMag interviewed him a few years ago in anticipation a show at the Cactus Club, and I was quickly hooked. If you haven’t heard him, give his 2021 self-titled album a listen, and then try 2023’s The Fatalist. June 19, 4:30 p.m., Miller Lite Oasis Stage
It’s time to pick your Milwaukee favorites for the year!
4. Richard Marx
CHRIS DROSNER, EXECUTIVE EDITOR
If 25-year-old me could see this pick, he’d be recoiling in revulsion and wondering where old Chris went wrong. A few words for young Chris: Dude, these are great songs. Marx, Eddie Money, Bonnie Tyler, fellow 2025 Summerfest artist Rick Springfield – sure, they’re cheesy, but there’s some killer songcraft and performance going on here. Plus, little dude, in about 12 years there’s going to be this thing called Twitter where famous people will say whatever they want to millions of people without filters and you’re going to find out that Richard Marx is FUNNY. And I’m hoping that’s on display around ’80s superhits like “Should’ve Known Better,” “Hold onto the Nights” and “Right Here Waiting.” July 4, 9:30 p.m., Uline Warehouse Stage
5. MJ Lenderman
EVAN MUSIL, CULTURE EDITOR
Never mind that I just saw him a few months ago – I’m stoked to see MJ Lenderman again. His twangy Manning Fireworks was one of my favorite albums last year – perfect music for summer evenings overthinking on the porch with a High Life in hand. And his band rips live. Their sold-out concert at the Turner Hall Ballroom in October had the same winning mix of irresistible riffs and winking humor that’s made him a rising star in indie rock. I’m expecting a packed crowd for this one. July 3, 10 p.m., Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard
6. The Head and the Heart
CHELSEA MAMEROW, ART DIRECTOR
Friday, June 20, my last stop will be the headline performance by The Head and the Heart on the Generac Power Stage. I first saw them in 2011 at Turner Hall Ballroom and I’ll be happy to sway on a bench and belt out a few songs. June 20, 9:30 p.m., General Power Stage
7. Cake
ARCHER PARQUETTE, MANAGING EDITOR
“The Sopranos,” season one, episode eight “The Legend of Tennessee Moltisanti.” That episode isn’t just television of the highest quality, it’s the way I was introduced to the musical stylings of Cake as a teenager. Their song “Frank Sinatra” from the album Fashion Nugget plays over the final scene of the episode, and those sharp staccato drums, that earworm melody, and the deadpan vocal delivery of strange lyrics (“We know of an ancient radiation / That haunts dismembered constellations.”) fascinated me. After googling those lyrics to identify the artist, I dove into Cake’s unique catalog of catchy, strange, sarcastic tunes, and have been a fan for the past decade. I’m looking forward to hearing that unmistakeable deadpan live for the first time. June 27, 9:30 p.m., BMO Pavilion
8. Japanese Breakfast
CHELSEA MAMEROW, ART DIRECTOR
One of my favorite Summerfest memories is seeing Doug Martsch, frontman of Built to Spill, finish their set and then weave down into the crowd to watch Japanese Breakfast with the rest of us last year. You never know who you’ll discover, or who you’ll stand next to, at our musical kaleidoscope of a festival and that’s exactly why I love it so much. June 21, 10 p.m., BMO Pavilion
9. Megan Thee Stallion
BRIANNA SCHUBERT, DIGITAL EDITOR
One of the headliners I’m most excited about is Megan Thee Stallion. I really love “Girls in the Hood” and “Savage,” and I feel like she’ll be really great live. June 28, 7:30 p.m., American Family Insurance Amphitheater
You can find the 2025 Summerfest lineup here.
