We were going to see Tom Petty at Summerfest. To do this, we had to get down there before the gates opened, and get in line for wristbands to get us into the lawn for free. I had planned on getting there sometime between 1:30 and 12:00, but it was not to be. And even if we had gotten there by noon, we might not have gotten wristbands. We were walking past the main gate at 12:15, when we heard an announcement that they were out of general admission seating. Looking at the website now, I don't think they were even available in the first place. The lawn seating at the amphitheater used to be free, but this year, it was free only for four of the eleven shows. Actually, the bleachers used to be free too. :-(
So we wandered around the fest for a couple of hours. Got some ice cream and wandered through the vendors' tents (I bought a shirt). We sat and watched Roster McCabe for a while. I liked them. A guitarist like Santana, and a singer like Stevie Wonder. A little Latin sound, some soul, a dash of reggae. Then we watched the first part of Rumbrava's set. My favorite Jazz duo, Mrs. Fun was joined by a conga player and a singer/electric cellist, doing Latin music. Not bad, but not great.
There was another band playing at 5:00 that I wouldn't have minded seeing, but I didn't want to stick around there for another three hours. And Cracker would have been fun, but they weren't on until 10:00. We left around 3:30. Would have had to stay twelve hours to get my twelve bucks-worth. We came home and grilled some steaks for dinner.
Then we went to the fireworks here in town. Good show, as always. Saw a couple of new fireworks, one of which got a huge response from the crowd. I wish I could remember quite what it looked like.
I was really hoping to see Petty at Summerfest. He's someone I'd like to see, but not pay a lot for.
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