The introduction of Miley Cryus’ 2013 chart-topper “We Can’t Stop” blared from the speakers as approximately 18,000 fans sang along with great amplitude. The crowd roared as Cyrus emerged from the back of the smoke-filled stage, with her hair teased in an ’80s-inspired mullet.
Cyrus took the stage on Friday night on Summerfest’s third and final weekend. The show in the new American Family Insurance Amphitheater was nearly sold-out, but according to concert-goers, Summerfest staff was not prepared for the intensity of Cryus’ fans.
Before Cyrus’ performance, there was an orderly line for the general admission pit that began at 5 a.m. Friday morning outside of the South Gate Entrance. The line wrapped down to the Brigg’s and Stratton Big Backyard stage at 6 p.m. when gates were scheduled to open.
When guards were beginning to prepare to open the gates, fans broke out of line and swarmed the ticket-scanning booths. Verbal altercations broke out between attendees and the Summerfest crowd management staff was not pleased.
“I will not scan anybody’s ticket if you keep shoving,” yelled an anonymous member of Summerfest’s crowd management team.
Anna Bromberger, 21, was at the Summerfest grounds for her second time seeing Miley Cyrus, the first being a Hannah Montana concert at the now-demolished Bradley Center in 2008.
Once Bromberger’s tickets were scanned for the Friday show, she recounted a group of five crowd management members that blocked fans up a slope into the amphitheater. People were screaming as they were getting shoved and stepped on from behind.
“They were standing there with their arms out, taking five steps at a time,” Bromberger said. “We were being herded like cattle. People were literally mooing.”
After about 15 minutes of the chaos, the group of fans slowly shuffled to their general admission pit spots.
Cyrus performed her hits ranging from “The Climb” from Disney Channel’s 2009 film Hannah Montana: The Movie, to songs such as “WTF Do I Know” and “Midnight Sky” from her 2020 album “Plastic Hearts.”
After bringing special guest Wiz Khalifa to the stage to help her perform “23” from her “Bangerz” era, Cyrus got candid with the audience. She revealed that she thought she was going to have a panic attack after the first handful of songs.
“Like everyone else, for the last year and a half I have been locked away and isolating,” Cyrus said. “Being on stage used to feel like home, and it doesn’t anymore because of how much time I spent at home locked away.”
She continued with her Disney-days hits, “7 things”, “See You Again” and “Party in the U.S.A”. All the while, Cyrus interacted heavily with her die-hard fans in the front row that had been waiting in line for hours.
Katy Fleming, 19, was another fan that had waited extensively. She discussed issues that she had with Summerfest crowd management during the show.
“There was this guy who was going on people’s shoulders,” Fleming said. “Instead of telling him what to do, [the worker] was just standing there in our way and blocking everyone’s view. If you’re going to control the crowd, then control the crowd instead of being in our way.”
Despite issues regarding the Summerfest crowd control team, both Bromberger and Fleming said the show was the best concert that they had ever been to.
“Overall, I would say it was really fun,” Bromberger said. “The concert itself was unreal. It was definitely the best show I have ever been to in my life.”
Cyrus agreed, in a Hannah Montana shirt that was thrown onstage by a fan, as she left the stage saying, “Best concert ever!”