Click Here to listen to Dan's complete preview of Day 1 of the Big Gig

Click Here for the official schedule for Day 1 at Summerfest.com

After nearly a full year of waiting, Summerfest 2008 is finally here.  How do we get our Summerfest on, you ask?  With a full preview of each day's headliners plus a look at a sleeper pick worth getting to the grounds early for.

Read more of the story below this series of links.

Summerfest Coverage:
• Big Gig "Ready To Go"
• Dan O'Donnell's Music Preview: Day 1
• Don't Leave Valuables Visible at Park-and-Rides
• Milwaukee Bucks' "World's Largest Draft Party" at Summerfest

The Basics:
When? 
• Today through Sunday, July 6, 12:00 p.m. to 12:00 a.m.
How much? 
• Weekdays before 4:00 p.m.: $8
• Weekdays after 4:00 p.m. and weekends: $15
• Seniors 60+ and children under 10: $3
• Children two and younger: free
• Print instant tickets
• Create Your Concert Itinerary
Getting there:
• MCTS Flyers and Shuttles

Marcus Amphitheater:  What better way to kick off a legendary music festival than with a music legend?  Stevie Wonder is signed, sealed, delivered and yours sarting at 7:00.  The 26-time Grammy winner has more than 40 years of hits, from "Superstition" to "Sir Duke," "For Once in My Life" to "I Just Called to Say I Love You" and everything in between.

Miller Lite Oasis:  Country superstar LeAnn RImes is a late fill-in for Europop star Paolo Nutini, but fans probably won't mind at all.  By the time this overachiever was 24 years old, she had sold over 37 million albums on the strength of massive hit singles like "How Do I Live" and "Can't Fight the Moonlight."  She'll rock the lakefront moonlight at 9:00.

Briggs & Stratton Big Backyard:  Take one talented rapper-singer, one hit-making producer, add a sly basketball pun, and you've got Gnarls Barkley--a collaboration both R&B and mainstream pop audiences are going "Crazy" for.  They have a propensity for wearing outlandish themed costumes during their frenetic live performances, so don't be surprised to see them dressed as tennis players or Star Wars characters when they take the stage at 11:00.  Meanwhile, Eric Burdon and the Animals turn the Backyard into the "House of the Rising Sun" at 6:00.

Harley-Davidson Road House:  Mosey on over at 11:00 for Little Big Town, a band who has had successes little and big during their 10-year run.  Their second album went platinum and featured back-to-back Top 10 hits on the country charts, but fans are more into their impressive four-part harmonies and ace guitar work.

Zippo Rock Stage:  Let the bodies hit the floor!  Let the bodies hit the floor!  Let the.....oops, sorry.  Macabre though it may be, you've got to admit that it's catchy.  Drowning Pool recovered from the untimely death of lead singer Dave Williams six years ago to claim their place as alt-metal heavyweights.  The mosh pit forms at 11:00.  You can collect your missing teeth after the show. 

Potawotami Bingo Casino Stage:  They're a little bit country and a little bit rock 'n' roll, but Cowboy Mouth is all business when they take the stage, tearing into fan favorites like "Jenny Says" and "How Do You Tell Someone" with a ferocity that has earned them new legions of supporters since they played dozens of benefits for their hometown New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina.  They rock out at 11:00.

M & I Bank Classic Rock Stage:  Come on, whenever you hear "Jeremiah was a bullfrog!" on your car radio, you've just got to crank it up.  Three Dog Night's classic anthem is just that good.  "He was a good friend of mine!"  See?  Even I'm singing along as I write this.  Take the road to Shambala, or at least the Classic Rock Stage and catch these rock legends at 9:00.

U.S. Cellular Connection Stage:  They may be best known to mainstream audiences for providing the theme song for Malcom in the Middle, but They Might Be Giants are, well, giants in the indie world.  They formed in 1982 and since then have had a steady stream of nerd rock classics, including "Anna Ng," "Don't Let's Start," and memorable covers of "Particle Man" and "Istanbul (Not Constantinople)."  The sublime silliness starts at 11:00.

And for tonight's sleeper pick, head to the Zippo Rock Stage at 6:00 for Nonpoint.  They gained nationwide attention by covering Phil Collins' "In the Air Tonight" in the Miami Vice remake and can bang their heads with the best of them.