Every morning throughout Summerfest 2025, we’ll deliver a guide that covers the day’s entertainment and how you can get in the gate free of charge. This is where you’ll find info about the AmFam Amp headliners, eclectic picks from our knowledgeable staff and the music lineup for the day (see the full 2025 Summerfest lineup here).
Today at the AmFam Amp
Benson Boone w/Bishop Briggs, The Aces, 7:30 p.m.
Following a memorably, um, grabby performance at the Grammy Awards, Boone added Summerfest to an already-busy run of festival appearances that included Coachella in April. The busy touring schedule in 2025 follows a year that saw his debut album, Fireworks & Rollerblades, go platinum and push him to a Best New Artist nomination. While the Grammy ultimately went to Chappell Roan, Boone got a lovely consolation prize as the Amp’s closing artist on Summerfest’s third Thursday.
Radio Milwaukee staff pick #1
Friko @ Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard, 6 p.m.
Chicago indie rockers Friko released their impressive debut, Where we’ve been, Where we go from here, to ATO Records back in 2024. The full album showed off their potent dynamic prowess, going from breathless rock ‘n’ roll to quiet contemplation in a matter of moments.
One of their most notable tracks, “Get Numb To It!,” deals head-on with the relentless flow of life’s challenges and the subsequent emotional onslaught. Pent-up energy underlined by crashing-and-bashing drums and guitar make their brand of catharsis feel 110% real — a huge part of what this band does best.
To get a double helping of Friko, find them on our stage at Radio Milwaukee for a Studio Milwaukee Session at 1 p.m. before they tear up the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard over at Summerfest tonight.
— Erin Wolf
Radio Milwaukee staff pick #2: MJ Lenderman
MJ Lenderman @ Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard, 10 p.m.
MJ Lenderman makes Henry Maier Festival Park his Himbo Dome as he docks his houseboat at Summerfest this weekend. Songs from his latest album, Manning Fireworks, will illuminate the Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard just in time for the sky to light up in unison. That's right, Milwaukee’s first ever drone show July 3 will coincide perfectly with Lenderman’s headlining Summerfest performance.
At just 26 years old, Lenderman has released five heartbreakingly epic full-length solo albums, three bitter sweet solo EPs and four crushingly awesome LPs with the noisy indie-twang project Wednesday. Yet, it was last September that Lenderman slam-dunked his way to over half a million Spotify listeners with the release of Manning Fireworks. The album received a whopping 8.7 rating on Pitchfork, earning the sacred title of “Best New Music.” I’d imagine, for Lenderman, these achievements would garner nothing more than an all-lowercase exclamation of: “cool.”
Where vanity is a stranger to Lenderman, subtlety is a close friend. When I saw him perform last fall at Turner Hall Ballroom, no bells and whistles were needed to make the show memorable. His connection to the songs he authored was clear. He was there to express himself in the way he knew best: music — no more, no less. When Lenderman did play into the performative aspect of a live show, it was almost in a taunting, sarcastic, dad-joke way. Exactly what we were looking for.
If you see MJ Lenderman, you’re at high risk of seeing clogs with socks, intentional yet stiff interpretive dance, incredible curls, crazy guitar solos, a shocking amount of men in their early 30s wearing baseball hats and the devastatingly beautiful anthems of a basketball fanatic singing about self sabotage. In other words, welcome to The Himbo Dome. Proceed with caution.
— Carolann Grzybowski
Radio Milwaukee staff pick #3
Loud Luxury @ Generac Power Stage, 9:30 p.m.
As a longtime fan, I’m beyond excited to see these two powerhouse DJs and producers bring their high-energy electronic set to Milwaukee. Their ability to get the crowd moving by blending recognizable hooks with fresh, hard-hitting beats is unmatched, whether it’s their chart-topping “Body” or their latest unreleased remixes. Trust me, if you're into feel-good vibes and unforgettable drops, this is the set you’ll be talking about all weekend.
— Kenny Perez
Radio Milwaukee staff picks #4 & 5
Bug Moment @ BMO Pavilion, 4 p.m.
One of Milwaukee’s favorite local bands takes to Summerfest’s BMO Pavilion this afternoon with the kind of emo-adjacent rock we’ve come to eagerly expect from Bug Moment. They delivered another dose on their recently released EP, The Lazer Collection, which further solidified their rep as one of the hardest-working and most talented bands our city’s DIY scene has to offer. Bug Moment has played in front of a sold-out Turner Hall, they’re getting ready for a late-summer tour that’ll take them along the East Coast, and you can catch them at BMO as the front half of a local one-two punch.
— Ben Moyle
Chapped Lips @ BMO Pavilion, 5:45 p.m.
Whenever I see this Sheboygan-formed, Milwaukee-based foursome perform, it's truly a biblical experience — full-body levitation and everything. Chapped Lips are one of the greatest local bands I've seen in our city in a very long time; they scratch a special itch that lives in every crevice of your brain.
If you're into our local DIY/underground scene or just want to support badass kids doing their thing, make sure to catch them at Summerfest and check out their ROT EP, which dropped earlier this year. If you can't see them at Summerfest, hopefully you'll catch them on our very own Radio Milwaukee stage in the near future (manifesting).
Please mosh responsibly.
— Bianca Camiro
How to get in free today
Free on July 3rd with Walmart+
All patrons who arrive between noon and 3 p.m. will be admitted free, courtesy of Walmart+. Just “deliver” yourself to any gate and enjoy the kickoff to your holiday weekend on the lakefront at Summerfest.
Summerfest schedule for Thursday, July 3
American Family Insurance Amphitheater
- 7:30 p.m. — Benson Boone w/Bishop Briggs, The Aces
BMO Pavilion
- 9:30 p.m. — 311
- 7:30 p.m. — Badflower
- 5:45 p.m. — Chapped Lips
- 4 p.m. — Bug Moment
- 2 p.m. — Doozey
AmFam House
- 4 p.m. — hey, nothing
- 2 p.m. — The Aces
Miller Lite Oasis
- 10:15 p.m. — Lovejoy
- 8:30 p.m. — I Don't Know How But They Found Me
- 6:30 p.m. — Phantom Planet
- 4:30 p.m. — Phoneboy
- 2:45 p.m. — Oh Geeez, Not Again
- 1 p.m. — Ur Mom
UScellular Connection Stage
- 10 p.m. — Arya Starr
- 8:15 p.m. — Gashi
- 6:45 p.m. — Zeeblast
- 5:30 p.m. — Hezdes
- 4:15 p.m. — Ray Nitti
- 2:30 p.m. — Klassik
- 12:45 p.m. — *aya
Generac Power Stage
- 9:30 p.m. — Loud Luxury
- 7:45 p.m. — Twinsick
- 5 p.m. — Bobby Friss
- 3:30 p.m. — Love Monkeys
- 2 p.m. — The Playlist
- Noon — Judson Brown Band
Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard
- 10 p.m. — MJ Lenderman
- 8 p.m. — hey, nothing
- 6 p.m. — Friko
- 4 p.m. — Timmy Skelly
- 2 p.m. — Luke Bower
- Noon — Tangled Lines
Uline Warehouse
- 9:30 p.m. — Sebastian Bach
- 7:30 p.m. — Rocket Mania ft. Rikki Rocket
- 5:30 p.m. — Vixen
- 3:30 p.m. — Enuff Z'Nuff
- 1:45 p.m. — Chronic Edge
- Noon — Killing Rapunzel
Aurora Pavilion
- 9 p.m. — Hipster Disco
- 7 p.m. — Rich Amiri
- 5:45 p.m. — UnoTheActivist
- 4:30 p.m. — Midwxst
- 3:15 p.m. — Petti Hendrix
- 2 p.m. — Blonde
- 12:45 p.m. — Krusher