Country star Kenny Chesney headlines the Marcus Amphitheater on Friday, July 3 at 7:30 p.m. along with opening acts Miranda Lambert and Lady Antebellum, Summerfest officials announced today.
Back in December, Summerfest announced that George Strait headlines the Amphitheater on Monday, June 29.
After opening for Tim McGraw at the Big Gig in 2001, Chesney returned to the Marcus as a headliner every year between 2002 and 2006.
The performance is part of Chesney’s Sun City Carnival tour. Pollstar recently said that Chesney – tabbed as Country Music Association (CMA) and Academy of Country Music (ACM) Entertainer of the Year last year -- was the top ticket-seller in the country in 2008.
Tickets go on sale Saturday, Feb. 14 at 10 am and cost $82 (red), $72 (yellow), $62 (bench) and $37 (lawn). Prices include Summerfest admission. Tickets can be purchased at the Marcus Amphitheater box office and via Ticketmaster.
Singer Lambert’s most recent record is "Crazy Ex-Girlfriend," which won the 2008 ACM album of the Year. Lady Antebellum won the 2008 CMA Horizon Award and the 2008 ACM Best New Duo / Group Award and has been nominated for a Grammy Best New Artist.
Summerfest 2009 takes place June 25-July 5 from noon until midnight daily.
Born in Brooklyn, N.Y., where he lived until he was 17, Bobby received his BA-Mass Communications from UWM in 1989 and has lived in Walker's Point, Bay View, Enderis Park, South Milwaukee and on the East Side.
He has published three non-fiction books in Italy – including one about an event in Milwaukee history, which was published in the U.S. in autumn 2010. Four more books, all about Milwaukee, have been published by The History Press.
With his most recent band, The Yell Leaders, Bobby released four LPs and had a songs featured in episodes of TV's "Party of Five" and "Dawson's Creek," and films in Japan, South America and the U.S. The Yell Leaders were named the best unsigned band in their region by VH-1 as part of its Rock Across America 1998 Tour. Most recently, the band contributed tracks to a UK vinyl/CD tribute to the Redskins and collaborated on a track with Italian novelist Enrico Remmert.
He's produced three installments of the "OMCD" series of local music compilations for OnMilwaukee.com and in 2007 produced a CD of Italian music and poetry.
In 2005, he was awarded the City of Asti's (Italy) Journalism Prize for his work focusing on that area. He has also won awards from the Milwaukee Press Club.
He has be heard on 88Nine Radio Milwaukee talking about his "Urban Spelunking" series of stories, in that station's most popular podcast.
