June 8, 2021 | 10:41pm ET
Summerfest has announced Dave Chappelle is closing out its second weekend, making him the first comedian to headline the Milwaukee festival’s main stage. He will appear at the American Family Insurance Amphitheater on September 11th.
The venue first opened as the Marcus Amphitheatre in 1987 and underwent a $53 million renovation last year. There hasn’t been a standup comedy headliner throughout its entire 34-year history.
Tickets for Chappelle’s headlining performance go on sale on June 11th at Ticketmaster. They also include admission to Summerfest for the day of the show. However, people who already have day passes are required to purchase additional tickets to attend Chappelle’s set.
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While Chappelle is the first comedian to headline the amphitheater, he isn’t the first comedian to headline the festival. As the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel points out, Bob Hope was one of the festival’s first big headliners when he performed in 1969 at County Stadium. One year later, the festival moved to its current location of Maier Festival Park.
Summerfest 2021 takes place over three consecutive weekends (Sept. 1st-4th, 9th-11th, and 16th-18th). It was initially announced with an eclectic group of headliners led by Miley Cyrus, Dave Matthews Band, Jonas Brothers, Chance the Rapper, Chris Stapleton with Sheryl Crow, and Zac Brown Band.
More recently, Guns N’ Roses was announced as the festival closer on September 18th. In addition, “The Hella Mega Tour” featuring Green Day, Weezer, and Fall Out Boy will headline the opening night on September 1st, while Megan Thee Stallion will debut and headline on September 16th.
Last week, Chappelle teamed up with Third Man Records to release a vinyl of his 8:46 special. While the limited edition is sold out, you can still pre-order the standard black vinyl, which will ship out to customers on October 29th.