Milwaukee's Summerfest 2011 Entertainment Lineup

Summerfest 2011 will kick off its musical celebration on Thursday, June 30 this year. The ten day festival will have a day off on July 4 and resume on July 5 through the 10th. Visitors to Milwaukee who plan to be here for the entire show will get an opportunity to explore this great city on the 4^th and participate in the many Independence Day celebrations.

The festival has announced that July 5 will again feature their popular Children's Fest Day with music and activities directed towards our young friends. Admission will be free to all until 3:00 PM.

Late January and February is the time of anticipation while the main stage acts are announced. Generally by March we have the line up. What can be said now is that Summerfest will again be the world's largest music festival featuring the best of Country, Rock, Pop, and Soul music. Each day the stages will be rocking with famous artists and the up and coming new artists we have all come to expect.

The first main stage acts have been announced and this year and Toby Keith will be at the Marcus Amphitheater on July 1^st. He will bring his traditional Country Western sound and songs to the stage as part of his American Ride tour. Opening for Toby Keith will be Eric Church . Many have compared him to Merle Haggard with his straightforward, honest songs. Tickets go on sale for this concert later in January.

Katy Perry will be appearing on July 7. She will wow the crowd with one of her unconventional outfits while she sings her own brand of pop music. Her sometimes controversial lyrics have come to please her millions of fans. Katy will tell it like it is.

This line up article will be updated regularly as new acts are announced. Check back often to see who has been added to the line and which stage they will be appearing on. In the past acts have been added all the way up to the start of Summerfest so you will want to keep informed.

American Idol made a stop in Milwaukee and featured a grounds keeper from the Summerfest staff. No announcement has been made yet but all money is on the fact that she will appear on one of the stages at this years Summerfest. Naima Adedepo is a twenty-five year old professional dancer who has performed with Milwaukee's Ko Thi dance company. Jennifer Lopez described her as one of the best auditions of the year. We will look forward to seeing her perform at this year's Summerfest regardless of how far she gets in the Idol talent show.

Two updates in two days, things are starting to heat up with Summerfest 2011. A big announcement was expected and this one was not about a stage act. Summerfest 2011 will inaugurate The Rock 'n Sole half marathon and 10K run. The first run will be held on Sunday July 10 starting at 8:00 AM. The courses will be USATF certified. There will be $22,000 in prize money for the professional runners but the rest of the pack gets a T-shirt commemorating the inaugural race. A wrist band for free admission to Summerfest both on Sunday and another day during the fest, and a finishers medal. All proceeds from the race will go to The Ronald McDonald House programs. Information about the run can be found at: rocknsolerun.com .

Two more acts have just been announced. Sugarland will appear on the Marcus stage July 10. This grammy winning duo, The Incredible Machine has gone platinum time after time. their American Country music will bring down the house. Opening for them will be the incredible singer song writer Bareleilles. She has been nominated for three Grammys and sold millions of records. Her sweet voice will fill the air along the shores of Lake Michigan.

A fourth headliner has just been announced. The Black Keys will be performing on July 6 at 7:30. This American Blues Rock duo has sold over 1.5 million albums and recently took home 3 Grammys for their album Brother. On the bill with the Black Keys will be Florence + The Machine . Florence Welch who has exploded over the international music scene will be backed by her band of the moment. This is an act you do not want to miss.

The fifth headliner has just been announced. Deff Leppard will be on the Marcus stage July 5 with special guest Heart. Def Leppard the hard driving arena rock band from Great Britain will be releasing their first live recorded album featuring all of the music you have come to expect from this group. Heart, the sister band of Ann and Nancy Wilson will be coming down from British Columbia to open the concert.

March is here and the acts are being announced. Jason Aldean the traditional country western singer who has performed with such mega stars as Willie Nelson will bring his act to the big stage on Friday July 8. Along with Aldean with be RCA recording star Chris Young and the husband and wife team, Thompson Square .

Thursday June 30 will find Kanye West on stage. This rapper, record producer, singer, writer, and performer will excite fans with platinum hits like, Jesus Walks. With Kanye West will be Kid CuDi . This actor, singer, rapper caught the attention of Kanye West and they have collaborated on several releases

Peter Gabriiel has been booked to open Summerfest on Thursday, June 30. He will be performing with members of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra as he introduces his album New Blood.

Headliners have been announced for the Briggs and Stratten Big back yard and the Miller Lite Oasis Stages.

Briggs and Stratten Big Backyard will have:

June 29 - 10:00 pm - Meat Loaf
June 30 - 8:00 pm - George Clinton
July 1 - 10:00 pm - Third Eye Blind
July 2 - 10:00 pm - Phil Vassar
July 3 - 6:00 pm - Ike Reilly
July 3 - 8:00 pm - Alejandro Escovedo
July 3 - 10:00 pm - Jayhawks
July 5 - 10:00 pm - The Wailers
July 6 - 10:00 pm - Danny Gokey
July 7 - 10:00 pm - Raphael Saadiq
July 8 - 10:00 pm - TBA
July 9 - 7:30 pm - Pat McCurdy
July 9 - 10:00 pm - The BoDeans
July 10 - 8:00 pm - Willy Porter
July 10 - 10:00 pm - Amos Lee

The Miller Lite Oasis has announced the following headliners:

June 29 - 10:00 pm - Matisyahu
June 30 - 10:00 pm - Better Than Ezra
July 1 - 10:00 pm - Girl Talk
July 2 - 10:00 pm - Maroon 5
July 3 - 10:00 pm - Rise Against
July 5 - 9:30 pm - Paul Rodgers
July 6 - 10:00 pm - O.A.R.
July 7 - 8:30 pm - Here Come The Mummies
July 7 - 10:00 pm - Michael Franti
July 8 - 10:00 pm - Goo Goo Dolls
July 9 - 10:00 pm - TBA
July 10 - 10:00 pm - 311