Wisconsin State Fair

To be perfectly honest, I have been dreading attending the Wisconsin State Fair. On the surface the State Fair has many things that I dislike: carnival rides, over-priced crappy food, farm animals, idiots and very hot weather. So, I skirted most of these by building my State Fair experience around seeing Three Dog Night at the Potowatomi Main Stage on Friday night.

We arrived early enough to check out a good portion of the fair grounds. We split a "Giant Corn Dog". It was at least a foot long and probably weighed more than a pound.

The beer situation is worth noting. They have dozens of stands all serving Miller products. I did not see any other choices. What was interesting were the prices. Within 50 yards there were three Miller stands with 16 oz beers for $5.50, 20 oz beers for $7 and 20 oz beers for $5.50. I selected the latter, several times.

Ian has been to many festivals, but never an official rock and roll concert. So, Three Dog Night, with special guests, The Grass Roots, was his first concert experience. Here are some tips that I wished I knew at 7:30pm on Friday:
1) The Potowatomi Main Stage is an outdoor venue. Actually, it is a hunk of the Milwaukee Mile race track grandstands.
2) Rain was eminent for 8:00pm-11:00pm Friday night.

We found our seats, 19th row on the aisle. Good work, Dad. There were knuckleheads in our seats, of course. "This is part of the of concert going experience," I told the boy. As soon as we sat down, it started to rain. " This is part of the outdoor venue concert going experience," I told the boy. The woman in front of us took out an umbrella. This was not an appropriate rain intervention because it obstructed others' view (I cannot remember my exact words), I politely told the woman.

The Grass Roots opened, and were quite good. They started with "Midnight Confessions", and nailed crowd favorites such as "Let's Live for Today", "Sooner or Later" and "Where Were You When I Needed You". The rain steadily increased, so Ian and I headed out for ponchos. I requested hot pink, but they only had biohazard yellow.

We returned with perfect timing for the beginning of Three Dog Night. They opened with "One Man Band", played all of the hits, and some well picked and well played deeper cuts. "One", "Shambala" and "Never Been to Spain" were great. They did a very extended, and a bit cheesy, version of our favorite Three Dog Night song, "Mama Told Me Not to Come". My favorite part was their performance of "Heart of Blues". It is a relatively recently released blues track that is worth checking out at iTunes.

All in all, it was a very cool and memorable time with my son, though probably not a typical Wisconsin State Fair experience.

Ratings:

Entertainment is a Paul. Three Dog Night and The Grass Roots were excellent musicians and entertainers.
Drink is Miller Lite. To be fair, I did not see the entire grounds. However, in a state that is home to 70 breweries, with an immense and proud history of brewing large and small, it is a crime that only Miller products were available at our state fair. Perhaps Mr. Doug Healy can give a report from the Great Taste in Madison to balance my disappointment.
Food is Jimmy Johns Delivered. Amazing is the best description. The fair boasts 60 items on a stick, chocolate covered bacon, and this years special, a cheeseburger with Krispy Kreme donuts as the bun.
Cost was $9 for adults. There were lots of coupons and deals, however the 90+ degree weather with dew points in the upper 70s kept us away all week.
Bathrooms are a Das Old German Beer Hall. Most bathrooms were port-a-potties, however, the State Fair earned its Das Old rating by having a strange, giggling bathroom attendant in the Expo Center. The attendant provided no service, no special grooming products, but did, of course, accept tips.
Adult vs. Family Fun spectrum is Disney.

Ratings

Entertainment is on the Beatles Scale from Ringo to John. Ringo is fun, however not terribly engaging and cannot stand alone as single act. George shows glimpses of brilliance, however is relegated as a supporting feature. Paul is excellent, great for singing along and definitely worth the price of admission. John is the greatest ever.

Drink is based on the Beer Scale from Miller Lite to Guinness. Miller Lite is okay in a pinch, but almost anything else would be better. Bud Light is good, ordinary and passable. Lakefront Local Acre is excellent, intriguing, and an excellent surprise. Guinness is classic greatness that stands the test of time.

Food is based on the Sandwich Scale from Bologna on white bread, boring; Ham and Swiss on rye, ordinary; Jimmy Johns delivered, amazing; to Italian combo with sweet and hot peppers, stuff of legend.

Cost will report the costs of admission, beer, and access to discounts.

Bathrooms will be on the Public Bathroom Comparison Scale from State Street BW3, strangely disgusting; McGillicuddy’s, long lines; Trinity, clean and available; and finally, Das Old German Beer Hall, strangely entertaining.

The Family Friendly vs. Adult Fun Spectrum will go from Fantasea Dolphin Show at the Shedd Aquarium, to Disney World, to Vegas, to Stanley Kubrick Movie.