6 takeaways from Summerfest 2024 lineup: More Latin acts, greater competition and more

Especially after Friday's snowstorm, summer can't come soon enough in Milwaukee — and Summerfest is poised to be a highlight of the season.

Summerfest, one of America's largest and longest-running music festivals, revealed more than 140 headliners Thursday. Alongside return appearances from regulars like Living Colour, Better Than Ezra and Chase Rice, there's even more newer artists to check out and discover, including acclaimed singer-songwriter Ethel Cain, pop-punk breakout JXDN and up-and-coming country artist Wyatt Flores, whose latest single happens to be called "Milwaukee."

After processing all of the names, I spoke with Director of Entertainment Scott Ziel about some lineup highlights — and about some areas that still need improvement.

More: Summerfest in Milwaukee reveals 2024 headliner lineup, with more than 140 acts

More: Here's the Summerfest 2024 lineup by date, time and stage for the Milwaukee music festival

No female amphitheater headliner, but some noteworthy LGBTQ+ representation

Included in the lineup reveal Thursday was an eighth American Family Insurance Amphitheater show — one that, like the other seven, is not headlined by a woman.

DJ Illenium joins an amphitheater lineup topped by Lil Uzi Vert, Maroon 5, Tyler Childers, Kane Brown, Keith Urban, Motley Crue and AJR. Women will still play the amphitheater as openers, including Carly Rae Jepsen and Rico Nasty. But if the final Summerfest amphitheater show isn’t led by a female artist, it’ll be the first time that’s happened in 11 years, and only the second time ever.

Not the greatest look in 2024.

Ziel wouldn't say Thursday if the final amphitheater show to be announced will be led by a woman, but he said the talent-buying team "is making a lot of effort."

"We are making tons and tons of offers all year long on some of the greatest contemporary names in music, many of them female artists and diverse artists," Ziel said. "It's really just kind of based on the nine-day window of time that we have, and when those artists are available and trying to get the dates to work and the money to work."

As always, there are several noteworthy female headliners on the schedule, including Christian pop singer-songwriter Amy Grant, feminist punk veterans Sleater-Kinney and R&B group En Vogue, and emerging stars like country singer Jessie Murph.

And 2024 will go down as a noteworthy year for LGBTQ+ representation, including queer artists Brittany Howard, Muna and Fletcher getting top billing as BMO Pavilion headliners, and Vert — who identifies as gender-nonconforming and uses they/them pronouns — in the amphitheater.

Fewer hip-hop veterans, but an exciting young crop of artists — including more Milwaukee rappers

As hip-hop has become the most popular genre in America, it's been frustrating seeing Summerfest's rap representation be so hit and miss, with great gets and cutting-edge artists often overshadowed by safe, sometimes stale bookings.

But this is the first year when bold younger artists dramatically outnumber the tried and true. That Lil Uzi Vert show is pretty special — it's the only appearance the A-list rapper has planned this year outside of Coachella — and Summerfest is the only place where they'll share a bill with noteworthy innovators Lil Yachty, JID and Nasty. Up-and-comers like Lil Tecca, Key Glock, Ken Carson and Gloss Up are also scattered throughout the festival's run.

And Summerfest is finally shining a brighter spotlight on Milwaukee's innovative, buzzy hip-hop scene, giving headliner slots to Certified Trapper and DC The Don.

"We’re all about trying to put Milwaukee artists in front of big audiences and different crowds," Ziel said.

K-Pop and Afrobeat artists finally make Summerfest's lineup, and there's more Latin music, too

Latin music, K-Pop and Afrobeats have become mainstream movements in the pop music ecosystem — though you wouldn't know it looking at the Summerfest lineup in recent years.

But after last year's significant booking of regional Mexican singer-songwriter and rapper Santa Fe Klan at the Miller Lite Oasis, Summerfest has expanded the Latin music crop — most impressively, scoring regional Mexican breakout Ivan Cornejo, who's already sold out all of the reserved seats for his BMO Pavilion show.

Cornejo isn't the only emerging Latin music headliner: Mexican folk singer Kevin Kaarl, Mexican urbano group Latin Mafia, Afro-Cuban artist Cimafunk, Tropical music artist Luis Figueroa and electro-cumbia artist Reyna Tropical are all set for Summerfest, too.

And, finally, the new Afrobeats wave will be represented via Nigeria-born, London-based artist Obongjayar. And Summerfest will host the first K-Pop act in a decade with South Korean star Hyo. Both of those acts will appear at the new Aurora Pavilion, which is quickly establishing itself as a prime Summerfest spot for music discovery.

"Our job is to stay ahead of and in touch with styles of music that are emerging or becoming more popular," Ziel said.

Less EDM — with a scheduling conflict that might be doable for fans

With Illenium announced for the amphitheater on June 27, you'd suspect Summerfest's EDM superfans would be thrilled. But I suspect some were furious.

The lineup released Thursday included just one other major EDM artist — a really good one, Alison Wonderland — but it's on the same night as Illenium.

But rest assured, Ziel said, Illenium's show is scheduled to wrap up at 10:30 p.m., 15 minutes before Wonderland's set starts at the Miller Lite Oasis. There'll be other DJs opening for both headliners, he said, and another EDM headliner and EDM stage takeover is planned for the Miller Lite Oasis June 28. And while the Aurora Pavilion is replacing Summerfest's dance-oriented Sound Waves stage, the local DJ showcases will return to close out the stage each night, Ziel said.

Prices for single-day tickets tick up, multiday passes stay flat — and Summerfest is (mostly) still a bargain

The cost of single-day tickets are up again, to $28, a $2 increase from 2023 and a $5 increase from 2021. But prices for three-day general-admission passes are flat, still costing $62. Nine-day passes typically cost the same as they did last year — $130 — but they're available for $65 through March 28. And there'll once again be several promotional offers that will get fans in for free (details to be announced).

So yes, there are some price increases — and amphitheater tickets generally continue to rise. But Summerfest is still a bargain for music fans, giving them a chance to see veteran acts and discover new artists at one place for less money than nearly any other festival of its caliber.

Summerfest faces more competition than ever, but fest officials aren't sweating it

There was a time where every venue in town closed up shop during Summerfest. Not anymore.

During the festival, in addition to big Chicago concerts including the Rolling Stones, Billy Joel with Stevie Nicks and Justin Timberlake, there's the Dave Matthews Band at Alpine Valley Music Theatre — the kind of competition Summerfest traditionally faced in the 2010s.

But for the first time, there'll be a stadium concert in Milwaukee during Summerfest — Kenny Chesney and Big Gig favorites Zac Brown Band at American Family Field June 22. And that same day, there'll be another major festival in the market opposite Summerfest, another first, with Ludacris and T.I. leading several fellow hip-hop veterans at the Tacos and Tequila Festival at Franklin Field.

But Ziel suggests this is actually good news.

"What we’re seeing is a testament of how healthy the music community supporting concerts and festivals are as Milwaukee as a city grows and southeastern Wisconsin grows. I celebrate that," Ziel said. "We're very confident in how we are positioned. Clearly over the last 56 years of the evolution of the festival, we are still and will always be one of the greatest entertainment values."

Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on X at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: 6 takeaways from Summerfest 2024 lineup in Milwaukee