Some might say the beauty of George Strait is you know what you're going to get - straight ahead country music. But the real beauty of George Strait is his innate ability to collide comfortable & worn with fresh & exciting every time he straps on his guitar and steps up to the microphone.
The fest doesn't rest and neither do we.
OK we both took off Monday, but we're still in the game.
Our tenacious music team tackled more reviews Wednesday night. Here's what they liked (or didn't like) during Summerfest Day 7.
Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater
It's sad to say, but during the opening song Wednesday, you could see why Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers have contemplated calling it quits.
The start of the band’s two-hour set was a bit stiff, but near the end of “Mary Jane’s Last Dance,” Petty and lead guitarist Mike Campbell did their own little gnarly guitar dance.
From that point forward, the band held tight to its mojo at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater.
The show ended with 'American Girl' and Petty's bright white smile peering out from his facial scruff. The joy on his face suggests his talk of ending major touring likely will be just talk. If not, this was a fitting farewell from a Summerfest favorite.
— Piet Levy,
Milwaukee Journal Sentinel
RELATED: Tom Petty plays the hits, with a few thrilling tweaks, on night one of Summerfest Heartbreakers residency
Kyle at the Miller Lite Oasis
Rapper Kyle took command of the packed bleachers at the Miller Lite Oasis Wednesday, offering a light-hearted, engaging and impressive performance.
His DJ came out first and played a flurry of hits, including Vic’s “Get Silly,” delighting the mostly teen-aged crowd. He may have played a few too many songs, but when Kyle ran onto the stage rapping his 2015 single “Doubt It,” all was forgiven. Between bouncing around the stage to choreographed danced routines with his DJ, rapping verses a capella and chugging a Miller Lite in one gulp, Kyle's set brought a fun and playful vibe that was refreshing.
The crowd sung every word and passed every 'test' — his was term for interacting with them — until the end, when he performed his smash hit 'iSpy' featuring Lil Yachty two and a half times.
Throughout, his stage presence and crowd control were impeccable and, more importantly, consistent. He barely took a break for the hour he was on; an impressive feat for such a young artist.
— Tyrone Miller,
Special to the Journal Sentinel
James Arthur at the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage
The ongoing saga of singer-songwriters on the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage vs. louder bombasts from adjacent Summerfest venues pitted British singer James Arthur against T-Pain Wednesday night.
For once, the singer-songwriter was up for the challenge.
The throbbing introduction to 'Back From the Edge' led to screeches from the crowd. When the lanky singer walked on stage, his deep, soulful voice resonated loudly over his four-piece band's own grinding bravado.
'Prisoner' was a swirl of funky rock 'n' roll swagger and autobiographical reflection on life's demons. Even when T-Pain's thundering volume threatened to drown out an inter-song chat with the crowd, Arthur was undeterred, urging his fans to clap overhead and summoning the band to drive into the wailing stomp of 'You're Nobody 'Til Somebody Loves You,' as his own voice soared into a falsetto roar.
'I love Milwaukee,' Arthur said, noting it was his first visit to town. Hopefully it's not the last.
— Erik Ernst,
Special to the Journal Sentinel
Chris Stapleton at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater
If you wanted to be mean about it, you could call Chris Stapleton's return Summerfest appearance a demotion.
Last year the breakout country traditionalist was co-headlining the Marcus Amphitheater (now known as the American Family Insurance Amphitheater). On Wednesday, he was an opener for Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers.
But Stapleton comes off like the kind of low key guy who's just content to get a gig. That's not surprising considering his primary trade was songwriting (for Adele, George Strait, Tim McGraw and others) before his debut solo album 'Traveller' became a surprise blockbuster in 2015.
Aside from a sung band introduction (in which he called his wife and backing vocalist Morgane 'the beauty that tames this beast'), Stapleton was always in service of the songs Wednesday. His soulful voice conveyed the devastation of 'Death Row' without ever slipping into showboating, and his blues guitar solos — for 'Midnight Train to Memphis,' 'Outlaw State of Mind' and others — were relatively compact.
You could still hear the superb technique though, even if Stapleton was a pretty stagnant stage presence. He'd never confess to this, but perhaps he was humbly trying to impress a certain rock legend backstage.
— Piet Levy
RELATED: Share your Summerfest memories
RELATED: Live coverage from Summerfest 2107
RELATED: Summerfest 2017 interactive schedule
And now, here are the things we weren't so keen on Wednesday.
It says I only have 10GB free on MacOS which is not true as I'm only using less than 90GB of storage on my MacOS currently.Previously, I managed to allocate a larger partition size for Windows (about 120GB+) than the maximum size Boot Camp is allocating to me right now. 
I'm currently have about 167GB of available storage on my 256GB Macbook Pro, however the Boot Camp software is only allowing me to allocate a maximum of 97GB for the Windows software (153GB on MacOS) even though I have adequate available storage to create a larger partition size for the Windows software. I have to uninstall the Windows partition soon after as I need more storage on my MacOS at that time. Right now, I need more storage on my Windows so I would appreciate if someone could provide a solution to this issue.
T-Pain at the Uline Warehouse
T-Pain fans are no strangers to waiting. He released the first single from his new album 'Stoicville' in November 2014; we're still waiting for said album to materialize. In the meantime, his collaboration with Lil Wayne, 'T-Wayne,' came out in May (the duo recorded it in 2009). Nevertheless, the Uline Warehouse headliner emerged promptly at 10:02 p.m. Wednesday, seemingly ready to party.
The crowd was a bit slow to get energized, but 'Buy U a Drank (Shawty Snappin')' did the trick. Then, there was the first of several pauses in the music; a few times the stage went completely dark and there would be no sound whatsoever for a full minute or so. Those are long minutes for a young Summerfest crowd, which had started thinning shortly after this set began.
The man is as famous for his umpteen chart-topping features as for anything, but it was his own hits that got the crowd dancing the hardest. 'Can't Stand It' elicited squeals of approval thanks to its 'Put you in the mansion/somewhere in Wisconsin' lyric, and 'I'm 'n Luv (Wit a Stripper)' was perhaps the most surreal sing-along of the night.
The funny thing about Auto-tune, of which T-Pain is the undisputed Peter Frampton, is that it sounds prerecorded even when it's live, which inherently sapped some of the excitement of the performance. It's not the only trick up T-Pain's sleeve, but all together they didn't add up to much magic.
— Cal Roach,
Special to the Journal Sentinel
Gnash at the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage
Before he arrived on the U.S. Cellular Connection Stage Wednesday night, Gnash had his D.J. warm the crowd with a 15-minute set of familiar club-thumping hits from DJ Khaled, Future, Kendrick Lamar, Childish Gambino and Migos.
It was an interesting choice as the Los Angeles-based singer and producer (real name Garrett Nash) is known for laid back, ambience-infused pop tracks like the opening 'Lonely Again' and the sauntering 'Daydreams,' which lulled the crowd back to a slow sway.
'What's good, Milwaukee?' Gnash said, as he slinked onto the stage. To their credit, the audience members screamed when he appeared and sashayed with their arms in the air when the summery island grooves of 'Something' carried the musician's rolling rapped lyrics. But when he urged the crowd to dance and sing after a sloppily sung introduction to Imad Royal's 'Bad 4 U,' a track in which he was featured, only half the crowd obliged while the rest seemed to be checking their phones.
Gnash didn't seem to mind, or even notice, calling the crowd 'beautiful' as he obliged the scattered indifference.
— Erik Ernst
Everybody loves Willie Nelson.
We realize that's an obvious statement — but it was made even more obvious Saturday night at Nashville's Bridgestone Arena, during the all-star tribute concert 'Willie: Life & Songs Of An American Outlaw.'
Autotune Online
More than 2 dozen acts — almost uniformly huge names in country, rock and Americana — shared the stage to play their favorite songs by Nelson, and several of them got to do so with the man himself.
It's no small feat to stand out among a crowd that includes Chris Stapleton, Alison Krauss, George Strait, Dave Matthews, Sheryl Crow, Kris Kristofferson, John Mellencamp, Lee Ann Womack, Eric Church, Jimmy Buffett, Emmylou Harris, The Avett Brothers, Jack Johnson — man, it's hard to know where to stop — and others.
But throughout the night, there were performances that were more than just a really good cover. They were moments that truly did justice to an iconic 'outlaw.' Spoiler alert: a bunch of the best moments came from Nelson himself.
Chris Stapleton, “Whiskey River”
The mood was electric from the moment the stage lights turned on, revealing Stapleton at center stage. His soulful take on Nelson’s 1978 hit was a prime showcase for his voice, of course, but the rollicking tune also flexed the muscles of a stacked house band, with Jamey Johnson, Don Was, Mickey Raphael, Paul Franklin and Amanda Shires among their ranks.
Margo Price and Bobby Bare: “Mammas Don’t Let Your Babies Grow Up to Be Cowboys”
Free Autotune
She also provided fiery backup for Steve Earle, but Price’s finest moment came when she took on Willie and Waylon’s classic cover, giving it an inspired spin as a “Mamma” herself. Bonus points for bringing Country Music Hall of Famer Bare along to belt out the chorus.
Lukas and Micah Nelson: “Time of the Preacher”
Nelson’s two youngest children have followed their dad into the music business, but unsurprisingly, they don’t make a habit of performing his songs on stage. That made their medley at Saturday’s show a rare, touching treat, and their lineage couldn’t have been clearer when they harmonized on “Time of the Preacher” from the classic “Red Headed Stranger” album.
Jason Isbell: “Milk Cow Blues”
“Willie Nelson loves the blues,” the Americana giant told the crowd. “And I love Willie Nelson.”
Stands to reason, then, that Isbell loves the blues. He made that clear in the ensuing five minutes, presiding over the tune in that same cool, meter-breaking way Willie has, whether he’s singing the blues or a ballad. He also got to whip out the kind of classic blues solo you don’t tend to hear at his own shows, along with turns from pedal steel master Paul Franklin and 400 Unit bandmate Amanda Shires.
Lyle Lovett: “My Heroes Have Always Been Cowboys”
The Texas native was truly in his element Saturday night, and was greeted with a standing ovation before strumming and singing his way through Nelson’s 1980 chart-topper.
Alison Krauss: “Angel Flying Too Close to the Ground”
Saturday’s show was taped for TV, which naturally led to a number of stops and starts, and then in turn led to a lot of loud conversations and trips to the beer stand for fans. But you’d be hard-pressed to find an empty seat when Krauss began her stunning (surprise, surprise) rendition of Nelson’s 1981 chart-topper. The room was brought to a whisper — aside from all the whistles and cheers that greeted bluegrass great’s voice, ringing pristinely across the arena floor.
Jamey Johnson - “Georgia on my Mind”
In terms of artists who’ve truly picked up Nelson’s torch, perhaps no one deserved to be on the bill more than Jamey Johnson. He paid tribute to his hero with with one of his most famed covers - a Hoagy Carmichael composition that both Nelson and Ray Charles made their own. Johnson’s spin was a worthy, reverent one, too.
Norah Jones and the Little Willies: “Remember Me/ I Gotta Get Drunk”
The acclaimed singer-songwriter (and Nelson collaborator) had apparently been preparing for this gig since 2001, when she first formed the “Little Willies” band in tribute to Nelson. Their two songs were an all-too-brief celebration of the country legend’s jazzy side.
Jack Johnson: “Willie Got Me Stoned And Took All My Money”
Embracing the idea of country music being “three chords and the truth,” Johnson treated the crowd to a goofy three-chord song based on a real experience: the time Nelson invited him to his house to play poker. Just look at the song title, and you’ll know how one that turned out.
Willie Nelson and Dave Matthews: “Crazy”
Two singular croons intertwined on what might be Nelson’s most beloved composition. Matthews seemed a little sheepish about “dressing up” for the show - which in his world, apparently, is wearing a blazer - while Nelson threw his coat on the ground right before they played.
Willie Nelson and Emmylou Harris: “Pancho and Lefty”
Right after taking the stage, Harris asked the crowd a rhetorical question: “Are we not all blessed to be living in the time of Willie?”
Her harmony vocal soared during her duet with Nelson - on a Townes Van Zandt tune he recorded with Merle Haggard in 1983.
Kris Kristofferson, Willie Nelson and Eric Church: “Me and Bobby McGee”
Only one artist gets to come to a Willie Nelson tribute concert and play their own famous song, and that’s Kris Kristofferson. His performance of his signature tune — with Nelson’s harmonizing — was a celebration of their lifelong friendship, and a genuine thrill for the packed house.
Willie Nelson, Chris Stapleton and Derek Trucks: “Always On My Mind”
Few other moments delivered chills quite like when the band held back long enough for these words to echo across the arena: 'Maybe I didn't treat you quite as good as I should have.' The powerhouse Stapleton was the perfect choice to pick things up at the second verse.
Willie Nelson and George Strait: “Sing One With Willie”
It’s hard to believe, but before Saturday’s show, these two giants of Texas country music had never performed together (“Other than rehearsal today,” Strait joked onstage). That was made abundantly, amusingly clear with this brand-new, original tune, wherein the “King of Country” laments, “I ain’t never got to sing one with Willie.”
Eventually, Nelson took the final verse: “I think it’s great to finally sing one with Strait, and our fans will all love it, I know.”
Willie Nelson and cast: “Will the Circle Be Unbroken/I’ll Fly Away/Roll Me Up and Smoke Me When I Die”
You could have set your watch to the show’s planned encore: an all-star sing-along of 'On the Road Again,' which we suppose made for good TV.
But at the end of that tune, something raw and real happened: Nelson started strumming his guitar and leading the dozens of musicians onstage into 'Will The Circle Be Unbroken?' That gave way to a truly angelic 'I'll Fly Away,' and we're not sure we've ever heard the house at Bridgestone sound more like a choir. It was a beautiful finish, but Nelson wasn't done.
“Can you handle one more?” he asked, before wrapping things up with 'Roll Me Up And Smoke Me When I Die.'
Coming soon to TV
'Willie: Life & Songs Of An American Outlaw' was filmed and recorded. Organizers say it will be seen as 'a major broadcast special' on A&E network later this year.