Got a call last week from Bobby Tanzilo (of OnMilwaukee.com) looking for input on an article he was working on… a response to the naysayers and miscreants who pick and poke and knock down the largest music festival in the world, Summerfest.

Summerfest is such a massive enterprise that it’s not a surprise there are those in our community who will never be happy with the acts that are booked each year. Music snobs on both ends of the spectrum exist, apparently, to lob stones at each other from behind their fortresses of cool… when they could be offering something constructive or at least lightening up a bit and having fun. It’s the nature of the Milwaukee music scene, to rip those who aren’t doing things with you or in line with how you feel music should matter.

So here’s the article, enjoy the read. While I do, in fact, think Summerfest is largely a beer festival that sells music (as quoted) and not the other way around, let me be perfectly clear and state, for the record : I think Summerfest, Bob Babisch and Don Smiley are an incredible asset to our community and Milwaukee would be a shadow of itself if we were to ever dump The World’s Largest Music Festival.

This year marks Summerfest’s 40th anniversary, by the way. Congratulations!