SUMMERFEST 2008

One of the world's largest music festivals has arrived...and I'm not sure if I'm going at all. Boy, I'm old. I saw the line up of singers, bands, acts, etc. and I really don't care about going this year. My son, however, does since we went last year and he loved all the cool kids stuff. (We went on kids day and that I will never do again. First of all, it was 90 degrees out. Humid. Sticky. Crowded. 'Nuff said. That, along with several thousand screaming kids is enough for any sane human being to stay home!)

This is funny to me since I used to change my whole life around to get to Summerfest. Ok, not really, but in my late teens and 20's, it was all we thought about once school was out! I recently ran across a list of bands that some guy saw over the past 40 years and realized how many of them I remember seeing, or at least heard through the massive crowds. Rarely could one get anywhere near a main stage to even get a glimpse of who it was, but if you could hear the loud siren roar and then "Riding the Storm Out", you knew you were nearing the REO Speedwagon stage! (Which by the way was always crowded, even if they seem to be there EVERY YEAR).

So anyhow, I found this list on a local radio website. I know it's not all inclusive! What about Rick Springfield? Hall and Oats? Pat Benatar? Oh, I guess I was at different stages in the 80's as this guy! Ok, so how about Bare Naked Ladies?

I actually had a chance to meet these guys. My friend Michelle and I were standing off to the side of the stage while some dj was going to introduce the band. A few guys came up to us and asked "Hey, who is this band?" We replied with BNL, but said we never heard of them before. The guy said, " We have, and we've heard they're pretty good. You girls should hang out and listen." At that point the guys we were speaking to ran up on stage and started to sing. Michelle and I freaked. Of course, they were "no bodies" at the time, but within the next few months, they exploded into stardom. Geez, and we knew them way back when... ha ha.

So, you see, I've had my share of awesome experiences at Summerfest. Red wine coolers, fried eggplant, henna tattoos, and great music at a relatively fair price.

What will I do now? I wait to see the weather report. Ok, next week looks "cooler by the lake" and we can go during the day since I'm not working then. That should avoid some of the drunken crowds. I'll drink some lemonade, and sit on the rocks by the lakefront, watching golfers trying unsuccessfully to make a hole in one over a water inlet, in hopes of winning some grand prize. Then, the kid will play on the jungle gym, swarming with other sugar-charged mongrels, eat some eggplant strips and head home before the evening crowds.

Yep, I'm officially old.