Like a Harley in Heat

Could the Harley-Davidson 105th Anniversary Celebration have been any better?

Tens of thousands of people from across the country and around the world converged on Milwaukee for the party.

Other than the traffic snarls, the long lines, and the enormous crowds, there wasn't much to complain about.

The weather was beautiful - warm sunny days and mild nights.

The parade of thousands and thousands of bikes, with all the incredible sights and sounds, was spectacular as always.







Event organizers got the entertainment right this time, with popular acts on the many stages on the Summerfest grounds and Bruce Springsteen headlining at the Veterans Park location, dubbed Roadhouse at the Lakefront. No offense to Elton John, but that decision for the 100th anniversary was a blunder of epic proportions.

And as Dave Tianen put it in his review for the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Two American icons - Bruce Springsteen and Harley Davidson - met at an intersection called Magic Saturday at Veteran's Park.

This was probably the most anticipated Milwaukee concert of the year. Extravagant expectations often unfold in moderate payoffs. On Saturday night, Bruce Springsteen lived up to every measure of his considerable legend.

...As everyone seems to understand there is a natural affinity between Springsteen and the Harley brotherhood. They share a restless love of freedom, and a devotion to the core values in American life. Saturday all those elements came together in one of the most special nights in Milwaukee concert history.

More, from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel:

Many Harley riders rated the celebration a huge success, although some complained about the way crowds were handled at the Springsteen concert and other music venues.

At the Springsteen show: “They basically dropped the gates, and there was a big mass of humanity that kind of pushed over people who had already marked their spots. All of a sudden, what they thought were their seats became pretty tough to defend,” Jarvis said.

He added: “We were in a little bit of that situation, but honestly I have come to expect when you have that many people together you have to know how to stay mobile and flexible . . . because the crowd is always going to win.”

Before Springsteen’s set began, concert security guards surprised fans by allowing open access to a large area near the stage that had been reserved for people who had obtained wristbands.

The H.O.G. party at Miller Park ran out of water and beer, according to some people who attended the event Thursday.

“It was pretty hot, and the lines were just unbelievable. . . . We left after only an hour because the lines were too long,” said Veronica Duncan, a Harley rider from Suffolk, Va.

Nothing is perfect, but the 105th anniversary celebration was a nearly perfect way to spend the last days of summer.