“The Best Party of the Summer.” Counting the days until Summerfest 2002 opens, many quote it to be just this–the ultimate music fest in the state, if not the country. With stellar gigs lined up at the Marcus Amphitheater, as well as plenty of free shows on their ground stages, Summerfest should be a non-stop party for anyone bouncing by the Milwaukee area between June 27-July 7.

Summerfest Is all about the music. Headliners this year at the Marcus Amphitheater include Sheryl Crow and Jars of Clay, Brooks and Dunn Neon Circus and Wild West Show, Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers and Brian Setzer Trio, the BoDeans and Train (an annual favorite), Alicia Keys and Musiq, Nickelback and Jerry Cantrell, and John Mellencamp and Shannon McNally. The Eagles end the week and a half of great tunes on the Marcus. The ground stages also offer great shows every night. The Harley Davidson Roadhouse features Jewel on the 2nd. The Briggs and Stratton Big Backyard stage offers such bands as Heart, the Love Monkeys, and Earth, Wind, and Fire. And the Miller Lite Oasis, which always has some of the biggest names in music, this year hosts Better Than Ezra, The B52s, Soul Asylum, Live, Blondie, Sugar Ray, and the Violent Femmes. Even smaller stages have brought in big names and will certainly bring in big crowds, such as Ben Folds, Guess Who, Big Bad Voodoo Daddy, and Lifehouse at the Piggly Wiggly Music Market with Leinenkugel’s and CBS 58 Milwaukee Stage.

Here are some other acts and goings-on to keep an eye out for.

–Hayley Lachmund

Sheryl Crowe

Don’t let her age and carefree single “Soak Up the Sun” fool you, Sheryl Crowe is serious about rocking out and seriously far from washed up status. In fact her latest “C’mon C’mon” is full of a youthful, free spirit supported by emotional tracks that clearly illustrate she has been around and seen her fair share of love and pain — a quality all but absent in today’s up and coming singer/song writers. Crowe is what every Michelle Branch/Vanessa Carleton should aspire to be, and would thank their lucky high-school stars if they ever acquired as much talent as this leading lady of rock. Crowe kicks things off on June 27 at the Marcus Amp, slinging her guitar and age with grace.

–Anna Roberts

Frank Caliendo

Local funnyman Frank Caliendo will brighten The Pepsi Comedy Pavilion not once but twice on opening day, bringing in his Mad TV-honed comedic skills to the shores of Lake Michigan. With impressions of the entire cast of Seinfeld, Robin Williams and a dead-on impersonation of John Madden all in his repertoire, you’ll be snorting Miller out your nose.

–AR

The Midway

Oh sure. I know it, you know it, the calendar knows it. It’s summer 2002, but you’d never guess that from the clientele at the Summerfest midway. A living, breathing time capsule, the midway seems to have been stuck in the early ’90s since the early ’80s. There’s more Z. Cavaricci, B.U.M. Equipment and Cross Colours gear here than in a Color Me Badd video, and bandanas are rocked not in faux-East-coast posturing, but to “represent” one’s “crew.” But don’t gawk at that 14-year old girl holding a Newport in one hand and her newborn baby in the other too long, as her boyfriend of two months will no doubt start some beef. Besides, the Gravitron awaits you.

–Nick Marx

Alicia Keys

It’s been just over a year since her powerhouse single “Fallin'” hit airwaves, and Alicia Keys has never looked back. On July 2, at the Marcus Amp, she awakes from a post-Grammy-clean-up slumber with the opening date of her summer tour. Word is this leg is stripped down from her winter-outing – which was slightly short on Keys’ vocal prowess and slightly long on costume changes and dance numbers — and showcases live what every radio listener has learned over the last year — this girl can sing. Keys owns a stage; laughing and talking with the crowd, strutting around in high heels, and singing her brains out. With her live performance command and Musiq as support, this promises to be the best, if not the only R&B show of the two weeks.

–AR

Food, food, food

Bright red popcorn wagons decorate every corner, and big, brown root beer barrels are at your service everywhere for all your soda pop needs. Everyone takes a stroll through the little shops selling Summerfest apparel, jewelry, and all sorts of other trinkets. And as I make my way to Major Goolsby’s to meet the gang, I stop for some cotton candy and a walk along the lakefront to see the countless boats with countless people enjoying themselves just as much as those of us inland. The food may be almost as good as the music. Goolsby’s burgers, Venice Club Eggplant strips, Baskin Robbins turtle sundaes, and Hawaiian Shaved Ice seem to always be favorites. And Saz’s. Saz’s Ribs. And Mozzarella Sticks. And Sour Cream and Chive Fries. And the Sampler plate so you can try all of it at once. (As you can tell, I am a Saz’s girl down at the Fest!)

–HL

Nappy Roots

For a music festival that supposedly represents all tastes, Summerfest is sorrowfully lacking in representation from the hip-hop community. So with Smokin’ Grooves still almost a month away, it’s up to the Nappy Roots to give the Milwaukee concert going crowd a much needed dose of country fried lovin’. The infectious “Awnaw” will no doubt have the crowd bouncin’ in their britches and hungry for…hmm, I wonder if Saz’s sells gritz?

–NM