Before Farm Aid: 4 memorable moments in the history of Milwaukee stadium shows

When Neil Young, Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, Dave Matthews, and a host of other artists and bands come together Saturday at Miller Park for Farm Aid, it won’t just be an important moment for our nation’s farmers, but also for Milwaukee’s stadium-rock heritage. It’s been a while since our city has hosted a concert at one of our large outdoor sports arenas. (The last one was Bon Jovi at Miller Park back in 2005.) But Farm Aid should finally get us back into the swing of pre-show tailgating, echo-y sound systems, and pandering for cheap applause via between-song Brewers references. To get ready for the big show, The A.V. Club looks back at four memorable moments from past Milwaukee stadium shows.

1. County Stadium is rocked by the freaky late-’60s sounds of Bob Hope
By the end of the ’60s, youth culture had coalesced around large gatherings centered on the enjoyment of easy sex, easier drugs, and mind-blowing rock ’n’ roll from the likes of Jimi Hendrix and The Who. In Milwaukee, the tribes gathered for events like the Midwest Rock Festival, which took place at State Fair Park on July 25-27, 1969 on a flatbed trailer in front of the racetrack grandstand, and featured Led Zeppelin, the MC5, Joe Cocker, and Jethro Tull, among other groups. A few days earlier and just down the street, that acidhead radical known as Bob Hope packed County Stadium for two shows as a Summerfest headliner, no doubt bringing down the house with cutting-edge humor that pushed social mores to the very brink of the middle. Hope actually was coming off doing two dates at the stadium the previous year, but he returned to town just to make sure he fully stuck it to the man with his controversial and outspoken support of the USO.

2. The Rolling Stones blow up a big penis
By 1975, the Stones were already in the early stages of their protracted artistic and cultural decline. But the world’s greatest rock ’n’ roll band wasn’t about to go down without a fight, juicing up its “Tour Of The Americas” with stage theatrics inspired by young turks like Elton John and Kiss. The biggest star of the 29-city jaunt was “Tired Grandfather,” a giant inflatable penis that Mick Jagger rode like Slim Pickens straddling a nuclear bomb at the end of Dr. Strangelove. When the band arrived at County Stadium on June 8, 1975, Tired Grandfather set a standard for oversized pricks at the venue that was exceeded only by Gary Sheffield in the late ’80s. (Also noteworthy at this show is the opening act, a country-rock group called the Eagles that was on the verge of releasing its most popular album, Hotel California. Somewhere, a baby boomer’s head just exploded.)

3. “If you play Dark Side Of The Moon the night of a full moon, it, like, totally synchs up, man!”
County Stadium was a frequent stop in the late ’70s for Pink Floyd, who played Milwaukee in ’75 and ’77. (The Roger Waters-less version of Floyd also played the stadium in ’87.) Some trippy shit was reported during the band’s ’75 show, which was marred by heavy downpours that soaked the crowd and group members with multiple inches of rain. But the wet conditions only enhanced the show, according to guitar tech Phil Taylor, who said in a 1997 interview that “Echoes” was “fantastic, because the crowd were all soaked, but suddenly they could see the band properly, and because the stage was so wet, the dry ice looked better than ever.” Fans also claim that the clouds parted to reveal a full moon just as the band sang the line, “I’ll see you on the dark side of the moon.” Dude.

4. Tens of thousands of local kids lose their (concert) virginity to ’N Sync
If you did a poll of Milwaukee women between the ages of 18 and 24 and asked them what their first concert was, we bet ’N Sync’s “PopOdyssey” tour stop on June 26, 2001 would top the list. ’N Sync sashayed into Miller Park as the most popular boy band of all-time, and 2001’s “PopOdyssey” was one of the group’s biggest tours. The tour was so big, in fact, that it was extended into 2002, finally wrapping up nearly a year after it started. ’N Sync knew enough to leave on top, as this ended up being the group’s final round of live shows. Sorry ladies!