Worth the Wait: Soaking Up Wisconsin's Outdoor Music Festival
Andy Erdman

My take on outdoor music morphed in September 2005, after I crammed all my worldly possessions into the red, rusted-out '89 Chevy Cavalier that cast me more than 2,000 miles away—from Wisconsin and its tyrannical winter to what would be my squatting ground for the next 12 months: California’s utopian central coast.

The central coast, or “the 805,” offered treasures I had only seen in movies and magazines: countless vineyards, vast strawberry fields, barking sea lions, daredevil surfers, ever-present palm trees and a seemingly unalterable and picturesque climate.

I barely finished unpacking my car before what I presumed to be one of the major benefits of such a climate subconsciously caused my head to bob: outdoor music, 365 days a year. The sound of Monty Mills and the Lucky Horseshoe Band boomed throughout the neighborhood from Ramona Garden Park, just two blocks from my new Grover Beach apartment, where the town’s Sizzlin’ Summer Concert Series was in full swing.

In such a climate, where the major weather impediments are light fog and a weak drizzle, outdoor music is omnipresent. So while my music-junkie friends back in Wisconsin were forced indoors for their winter-music fill, I was under no such constraints. I could, and did, spend much of my free time in the late fall and winter months that year soaking up rays while delighting in the soothing sound of music—on golf courses, beaches, park grounds and even vineyards.

But after a while, this sort of ever-available social outing began to lose its appeal. I would have given my vital organs to attend an outdoor show back in the Badger State, but the longer I stayed in California, the less such an event became a priority.

But what made jamming to an outdoor concert so much better in Wisconsin? Why did I find California’s limitless outdoor music scene less appealing? The answer: yin and yang. The yin and yang concept, very generally, asserts that good cannot exist without bad, and vice versa. For instance, food would not taste as satisfying without hunger; health would not be appreciated without sickness; and the Green Bay Packers would not be as praised without the Chicago Bears.

In California, outdoor music had no such yin and yang relationship. Wisconsin’s yin—the bitter winters, the months spent cooped up inside—make the yang—the rejuvenation ushered in by the spring and summer months—that much more attractive, especially in regard to outdoor music. In Wisconsin, the start of spring has a seemingly tangible, electric feel—one of energy and enthusiasm for the months ahead. On the other hand, in the 805, little to no shift in feeling occurs with the changing seasons. For the most part, everything is the same, day to day, season to season, 365 days a year. The central coast’s bad is a lingering haze with an almost polite, apologetic precipitation. Heck, a Wisconsin tornado is a more frequent phenomenon than a central coast thunderstorm. No kidding.

When I returned to the Badger State after my brief hiatus, winter was again knocking at the door—just as it had been when I left 12 months earlier. But my perspective had changed. I no longer had the option of outdoor music at my disposal. It was too cold. The “season” was over. But I now found joy in this fact and came to appreciate Wisconsin’s yin and yang. Besides, I knew I could still get my music fix indoors if need be. But while indoor venues such as The Rave in Milwaukee or the Kohl Center in Madison provide artists with a Wisconsin tour stop even during the winter months, nothing beats the yang: finding the perfect patch of grass to spread a blanket on and listen to great tunes while watching the sun drop and the stars capture the night sky. Because fresh air, open country and vegetation can’t be found even in the best indoor venues.

Fortunately, Wisconsin’s music-junkies have no shortage of outdoor venues to visit during the Midwest music season. And generally, every season the most prominent venues host dozens of concerts and music festivals with the knowledge that here, unlike places such as California, time is of the essence.

The following is a brief look, in no particular order, at some of the best outdoor music venues to experience in Wisconsin. While literally hundreds of venues exist throughout the state, those included below are by and large some of the most prominent—those venues that have historically attracted big names and provide the capacity for large crowds, as well as those that have the most to offer, both aesthetically and in pure head-banging fun.

Alpine Valley Music Theatre, East Troy
Alpine Valley, with its nearly 40,000 seats, is generally considered both one of the best and biggest venues in the entire country. Launched in 1977, Alpine Valley’s location was chosen because of its surroundings, as the hilly terrain forms a natural amphitheater. Alpine Valley also has the best of both worlds—it is surrounded by uninhabited land as far as the eye can see but is within easy driving distance from Milwaukee, Madison and Chicago. Alpine Valley brings in handfuls of big names season after season, but is most famous for its relationship with The Grateful Dead, who played Alpine more than 20 times. Other famous acts that have performed at Alpine Valley include Korn, Dave Matthews Band, Pearl Jam, Rage Against the Machine, Johnny Cash, Frank Sinatra and Kiss. General manager Dave Shaw said his best memory of Alpine Valley really shows how much musicians love playing there. “It came in my very first show, which was also Phish’s last show there,” Shaw said. “They were crying as they left the stage.” The venue is often mentioned in conversation about blues guitarist Stevie Ray Vaughan, whose helicopter crashed into a hill within the Alpine Valley property shortly after he played a concert there in 1990.

Hodag Country Festival Grounds, Rhinelander
The Hodag venue is vacant much of the season, but when it hosts the annual Hodag Country Festival, it pulls in 20,000 to 25,000 music lovers in just a couple of days. The venue’s name, Hodag, derives from a fictional animal, sort of a dragon-ox mix, said to be living in the woods in and around the Rhinelander area. The Hodag Country Festival Grounds are located on hundreds of acres of farmland, which is also used as the site for the Oneida County Fair each year. Since 1981 the venue has also hosted an annual band contest, where bands fight for the title of “Wisconsin State Country Band Champions.” Scores of famous country music legends have played the Hodag Festival Grounds: Tim McGraw, Faith Hill, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Reba McEntire, Tammy Wynette, Alan Jackson and Kenny Rogers. Dawn Eckert, co-owner of the grounds, said that music isn’t the only draw of the venue. “It is located in the beautiful Wisconsin northwoods,” she said, “and many of our patrons plan their summer vacation around our venue, taking advantage of what the north has to offer at the same time.”

Trempealeau Hotel, Trempealeau
The Trempealeau Hotel, with its capacity of about 2,500, is the smallest venue included here, but its history and beauty make up for its lack of size. A 19th century Methodist cleric, Reverend D.O. Van Slyke, went so far as to publish his belief that the city was the real location of the Bible’s Garden of Eden. The hotel itself, which attracts both regional and national talent, was one of the few buildings to survive a Trempealeau fire in 1888 and has been a staple of the community ever since. The hotel’s owner for the past 22 years, Jim Jenkins, said its biggest appeal is its proximity. “It’s located right on the banks of the Mississippi River. It’s such as beautiful place,” he said. “And it’s a very intimate setting, so the people who want to get close to the stage can do that pretty easily.” Every year the Trempealeau Hotel hosts two big music festivals, Reggae Sunsplash and Bluesbash. It has also been home to many famous acts like Arlo Guthrie, Kansas, the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, Steppenwolf and the Marshall Tucker Band.

Leach Amphitheater, Oshkosh
The Leach Amphitheater, which holds up to 8,000 fans standing, is one of the newest venues in the state. Located in downtown Oshkosh at the serene shores of the Fox River, the Leach Amphitheater is most noted for hosting Waterfest, a May through August concert series that launched in 1986 and relocated to Leach three years ago. Mike Dempsey, president of Waterfest, spoke highly of the Leach Amphitheater, saying it’s a “comfortable, intimate place, where people can experience top-notch quality while easily interacting socially.” Dempsey’s most memorable Waterfest moment: “Without a doubt, Tiny Tim with an electric blue violin and high-tops doing a forward roll while playing ‘Tip-toe Through the Tulips.’ It’s beyond explanation,” he said. Though still in its infancy, the Leach Amphitheater has hosted dozens of famous acts including Collective Soul, George Thorogood, Smashmouth, Joan Jett and the BoDeans, a band native to Wisconsin.

Chippewa Valley’s Amphitheater, Cadott
Chippewa Valley’s Amphitheater is one of the most well-known venues in Wisconsin as it hosts two of the largest annual music festivals in the state, Country Fest and Rock Fest. One of the best draws to the Chippewa Valley venue, according to co-owner Mike Asher, is the 8,000 campsites within walking distance of the amphitheater. What’s more, Asher said, “there’s not a bad seat in the house. It’s a natural amphitheater with its rising hill.” Asher helped launch Rock Fest in 1994, which has brought in famous names such as Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers, Megadeath and ZZ Top. Even earlier, in 1987, Asher and his partners started Country Fest, which has attracted famous country music acts such as Alan Jackson, Alabama and Randy Travis. But Asher’s most memorable moment of Country Fest didn’t involve a musical act. “In 1993 we had a ‘Mud Fest,’” Asher said. “It rained 10-and-a-half inches in only four days. It was a messy experience.”

Marcus Amphitheater, Milwaukee
This 23,000-seat amphitheater is situated within Milwaukee’s 75-acre Henry Maier Festival Park. Constructed in 1987, the Marcus Amphitheater is famously known as the main stage for Summerfest, a festival that brings in 900,000 people a year, which the Guinness Book of World Records in 1999 called “The World’s Largest Music Festival.” Kristi Chuckel, marketing and PR manager for Summerfest, said of the venue, “It’s owned by the city and is a non-profit venture, so all the money made goes back into improving the grounds each year.” Chuckel also mentioned that the park’s 10 other stages allow for “a little bit for everyone. A nice eclectic mix of music with as many genres as possible.” The Marcus Amphitheater has been a regular stop for the country’s top-tier acts including Christina Aguilera, James Taylor, Bob Dylan and Nine Inch Nails.

Float-rite Amphitheatre, Somerset
The Float-rite Amphitheatre is the main stage within Float-rite Park, located along the gorgeous Apple River near the northwestern Wisconsin-Minnesota border. For many concert goers, the music at Float-rite is only part of the appeal as it offers tubing, camping and lodging in a secluded, natural environment. Linkin Park, Korn, Poison, Kiss, Snoop Dogg and The Black Crowes are just a few of the big acts that have played Float-rite in the past several years. Ozzfest also regularly includes Float-rite as part of its tour stop, due to the fact that the park can accommodate more 30,000 to 40,000 visitors per day. Scott Klimek, who grew up near Wausau, couldn’t speak highly enough of Float-rite. “It’s definitely the best outdoor venue I’ve ever been to,” Klimek said. “And I’ve been to a lot. I saw Ben Harper, Jack Johnson and Mason Jennings there. It was beautiful in so many ways.”