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Today's Summerfest schedule and picks: Friday, Sept. 17

Each day during Summerfest, we’re rounding up the festival’s highlights and hidden gems and sharing Radio Milwaukee staff picks. Here’s everything you need to know about today’s lineup, which includes Future Islands, Run The Jewels, Bleachers, Miley Cyrus and more.

(If you’re looking for the complete 2021 Summerfest daily schedules, you can find them here.)

Miley Cyrus | facebook.com/mileycyrus

Nate Imig's Pick: Miley Cyrus w/ Wiz Khalifa @ American Family Insurance Amphitheater, 7;30 p.m.

If there is an artist on this year’s lineup I trust to deliver an end-to-end engaging amphitheater show, it’s Miley Cyrus. Whether or not you love her music (I am definitely a fan), her stage presence and show-womanship are undeniable. I’m betting Cyrus will be singing live and encouraging you to belt out the hits alongside her. I’m particularly looking forward to seeing how she’ll create a stage show to compliment her full-out '80s rocker vibe on “Plastic Hearts”

Today's rap pick: Run The Jewels @ 10 p.m.

Killer Mike. El-P. Two of the hardest rappers on the planet, making some of the hardest hitting rap on the planet. This is the celebrated rap duo's first time playing Summerfest, and we expect nothing short of an absolute spectacle.

Justin Barney’s From The Music Desk Pick: Bleachers @ Miller Lite Oasis, 10 p.m.

To be honest, I don’t really love Bleachers. But they are my pick, which tells you something. A couple years ago I was coming out of the Am Fam Theater after seeing Billie Eilish put on one of the best shows I’ve seen there. My friends were at the Bleachers show so I walked over and I saw a man on stage who was possessed. I stood in awe. Antonoff ran around the stage like the Bruce Springsteen that he admires so much. I think at one point he saw a ladder on the side of the stage, brought it out to the middle of the stage, climbed to the top, shredded, and jumped off. I was in disbelief. And now he’s back, and he has vowed to bring that energy again. Let me tell you, it’s something that you want to see.

Nate Imig recommends: Future Islands @ Johnson Controls World Sound Stage, 8 p.m.

Sam T Herring has one of the most recognizable voices in indie rock, and he is known for not only his live vocals, but also his signature, full-body dance moves. (I saw them firsthand during a Studio Milwaukee session at our space a few years ago. They did not disappoint.) A Future Islands show is earnest and in the moment, with deep and insightful lyrics that will have you pondering your own life and relationships. You’re sure to feel a personal connection with the band, and by the end, you just might find your feet in lockstep with Herring as the music takes over your entire body.

Today's Milwaukee music pick: WebsterX @ Generac Power Stage, 6:30 p.m.

Few Milwaukee artists deliver as consistently as WebsterX, who makes every new single feel like a cinematic event, the hip-hop equivalent of a Marvel movie. He's been teasing a new album, so there's a mighty good chance you'll hear some new material at this show.

Here's the complete Summerfest schedule for Friday, Sept. 17

American Family Insurance Amphitheater

7:30 p.m. – Miley Cyrus w/ Wiz Khalifa

Miller Lite Oasis 

4 p.m. – Joywave
6 p.m. – Joan
8 p.m. – Claud
10 p.m. – Bleachers

BMO Harris Pavilion

4 p.m. – Ohio Players
8 p.m. – TommyGunn and Fast Company
9:30 p.m. – Charlie Wilson

UScellular Connection Stage

6 p.m. – Nora Collins
10 p.m. – Jake Owen

Generac Power Stage

6 p.m. – Ekoh
10 p.m. – Run the Jewels

Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard

4 p.m. – Candlebox
8 p.m. – 5 Card Studs
10 p.m. – Psychedelic Furs

Uline Warehouse

4:30 p.m. – Mother Mother
6:30 p.m. – Velvet Starlings
8 p.m. – Dead Sara
10 p.m. – The Struts

Johnson Controls World Sound Stage

6:45 p.m. – Michigander
8 p.m. – Future Islands
10 p.m. – Jayx

JoJo’s Martini Lounge

1 p.m. – Jon Van Theil – The Voice of Elvis
4 p.m. – Panic Station
8 p.m. – Cold Sweat and the Brew City Horns

Klement’s Sausage & Beer Garden

Noon – Gene Gruber
2 p.m. – Jackie Brown
5 p.m. – Lil Rev and Jim Eannelli
7 p.m. – Eric Barbieri and The Rockin’ Kraken

The 2021 Summerfest lineup poster

Today's promotion

SHOW YOUR COLLEGE PRIDE DAY WITH ONMILWAUKEE
All patrons who arrive between 12–3 p.m. wearing a shirt or hat representing a participating college or university will receive one (1) FREE admission ticket. Tickets are only valid for the day and time of the promotion. Stop by the Mid Gate Promotions Booth to receive your ticket, then head over to your school’s booth to say hello and show your support! Only shirts or hats from the following colleges or universities will be accepted:

  • Alverno College
  • Concordia University
  • Carroll University
  • Herzing University
  • Milwaukee Area Technical College
  • Milwaukee School of Engineering
  • University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee
  • University of Wisconsin-Parkside

Additionally, all students, faculty members, and staff from each participating university/college will receive a code from their respective university/college, valid for admission to Summerfest on September 17, 2021.