Bear with us while explain the concept for this series of articles: we take two seemingly unrelated Milwaukee icons, then pit them against each other in 10 categories. In each category, we'll assign them points, one through 10, then add them up and name the winner.
No, it's not scientific, but yes, it's fun, and for this Face Off, we look at the two giants of Summerfest. How does one of the biggest venues in town, the Marcus Amphitheater, stack up against the free and explosive Big Bang fireworks display? Read on to find out ...
Affordability:
Marcus Amphitheater, 5
Obviously, it depends on the show, but tickets to bigger venues can get pricey. The best seats for Tom Petty this year cost $89.50 ... but the grass seats are only $30. Less popular shows like Stone Temple Pilots max out at $40, but start at $20. And they include admission to Summerfest. Of course, finding free parking is a different story, but if you can walk a few blocks it's doable.
Big Bang, 10
You can't argue with free. These fireworks don't cost a penny, and you can see them from all over Downtown.
Value to city:
Marcus Amphitheater, 5
Summerfest's ability to bring in big, national acts helps establish Milwaukee a world-class city. You can argue that some of these acts don't deserve to be on such a big stage (see: STP) but others are bonafide huge names. Some of the biggest bands of all time have played Summerfest. It's hosted acts like Prince, Paul Simon, Jimmy Page, the Eagles and Dave Matthews -- and dozens more.
Big Bang, 5
Everyone loves fireworks. How much value they bring to the city is debatable. But with lots people coming to the lakefront and basically camping there, area businesses certainly benefit.
Popularity:
Marcus Amphitheater, 9
Not every show sells out, but the majority come close. Capacity is 25,000 -- and over 11 days, we're talking more than 250,000 seats getting filled. The only other venue in town that can boast those kind of numbers is Miller Park.
Big Bang, 10
Plain and simple, people camp out for these fireworks. Easy parking is practically non-existent. Tens of thousands of people at Summerfest stop watching the bands and turn around to watch the display. The Big Bang could not be more popular.
National name recognition:
Marcus Amphitheater, 1
Sadly, Summerfest is still too often regularly ignored by the national press. Regionally, everyone knows about the world's largest music festival. But on a national level, the Marcus Amphitheater means hardy anything to most music fans.
Big Bang, 0
Hear the crickets? No one outside the area, obviously, knows anything about Milwaukee's big fireworks display.
Design:
Marcus Amphitheater, 7
The Amp is a pretty good sounding shed. It's incredibly spacious, which means that you'll find lots of funky angles, and the grass seats are good for listening but not seeing. Video screens, however, have done a nice job filling in the blanks.
Big Bang, 9
You know if they're designed by Bartolotta Fireworks in Genesee Depot, they're gonna be good. This family has been delighting adults and scaring dogs for more than 30 years.
Marcus Amphitheater, 3
The Amp is unique within Milwaukee, but nationally it looks a lot like other open music venues.
Big Bang, 1
You'll find fireworks, albeit not this big, almost every weekend, all summer long. If you miss these, wait a few days and try again.
Economic value:
Marcus Amphitheater, 5
Milwaukee World Festivals is a non-profit organization and its rent is tiny, so it doesn't bring a ton in tax revenue to the area. But the Amp employes lots of security, vendors and tech people. Plus, people who attend shows also spill out to the rest of Summerfest and the city and spend money during the Big Gig's 11 days.
Big Bang, 1
Except for the trinket vendors, snack stands and parking lots, the Big Bang doesn't raise much money for the city.
Convenience factor:
Marcus Amphitheater, 3
Understandably, getting in and out of any part of Summerfest is a challenge by car. It takes a lot of walking, no matter what you pay. On the upside, you have myriad shuttle, "drunk bus" and public transportation options available at all times.
Big Bang, 1
Nothing is convenient about cramming tens of thousands of people along the lakefront -- including a lack of restrooms. However, you can see these fireworks from quite a distance away, so if you live on the East Side, you might be able to just look out your window and see these controlled explosions.
History:
Marcus Amphitheater, 5
The Amp dates back to 1987, when the Beach Boys headlined the first day. Twenty-one years for a venue isn't insignificant, but even locally, it's a baby compared to the city's other rooms.
Big Bang, 3
We apologize, but we don't have an exact date for the first Big Bang. But we know it doesn't stretch back to the beginning of Summerfest. It's old enough that we can't remember when it started, but we certainly remember summer without it!
Quality of product:
Marcus Amphitheater, 7
This one varies year by year. Critics claim that the music is too mainstream, skews too old and too white. But every year, Summerfest delivers a few blockbusters, and who doesn't have at least one lifetime memory from an Amp show?
Big Bang, 9
Unscientifically, the Big Bang is probably the second-biggest display of the Milwaukee summer (behind Festa and maybe the big July 3rd Lakefront display). That's about as good as fireworks can get.
Total:
Marcus Amphitheater, 50
Big Bang, 49
Winner: Marcus Amphitheater
Andy is the president, publisher and founder of OnMilwaukee. He returned to Milwaukee in 1996 after living on the East Coast for nine years, where he wrote for The Dallas Morning News Washington Bureau and worked in the White House Office of Communications. He was also Associate Editor of The GW Hatchet, his college newspaper at The George Washington University.
Before launching OnMilwaukee.com in 1998 at age 23, he worked in public relations for two Milwaukee firms, most of the time daydreaming about starting his own publication.
Hobbies include running when he finds the time, fixing the rust on his '75 MGB, mowing the lawn at his cottage in the Northwoods, and making an annual pilgrimage to Phoenix for Brewers Spring Training.
