Stalwart Summerfest headliner Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers will perform two nights at the Marcus Amphitheater during the 50th edition of Summerfest in 2017.
The band will play July 5 and July 6 with special guest Chris Stapleton as part of its 40th anniversary tour.
Tickets for the shows go on sale Friday, Dec. 16 at 10 a.m.
Petty is the third headliner that has been announced for Summerfest 2017. Summerfest recently announced that the Red Hot Chili Peppers will perform at the Marcus Amphitheater on June 28 and P!nk will perform there on July 2.
Tom Petty has performed more than a dozen times at the Marcus Amphitheater during Summerfest, more than any other festival headliner. The American rock icon was paid $992,500 to headline one night at the amphitheater in 2013 and $1,857,526 to headline two nights in 2010, according tax information Summerfest organizers filed with the federal government. A BizTimes cover story published in June took a behind-the-scenes look at how Summerfest organizers book headliners, how much performers are paid and Milwaukee World Festival’s plans for the future of the event amid ongoing changes in the music industry.
Milwaukee World Festival, Inc., the nonprofit organization that runs Summerfest, announced Thursday it is planning to build a new stage on the north end of the Henry Maier Festival Grounds through a 10-year sponsorship contract with U.S. Cellular.
Smiley told BizTimes this summer that Milwaukee World Festival, Inc. is eventually planning to replace the 23,000-seat Marcus Amphitheater on the festival grounds over the next few years.
In September, Milwaukee World Festival released plans for renovations to the Miller Lite Oasis that will be completed in time for the opening of the 50th edition of Summerfest in June 2017.
The nonprofit organization with the help of its sponsors has completed $65 million in improvements to its facilities, primarily on the southern end of the grounds, since CEO Don Smiley took over in June 2004.
