The finale weekend of 2022’s Summerfest continued to live up to its reputation as the world’s largest music festival, bringing the biggest and best names representing basically every genre to the enormous Henry Maier Festival Park in Milwaukee.

Topping that lengthy list in the American Family Insurance Amphitheater was the legendary Rod Stewart, who may be 77-years-old, but keeps right on rocking with his new album, “The Tears Of Hercules.”

The soulful belter opened with Robert Palmer’s “Addicted To Love,” complete with a cheeky homage to the iconic music video with the female members of the band strutting to the beat, followed by his own “Stay With Me,” which started a laundry list of hits that thankfully made up for a ten-year absence from the area.

Along those same lines in terms of longevity was The Marshall Tucker Band, who are currently celebrating 50 years together in the southern rock tradition and sounded stellar, chugging through the classics “Heard It In A Love Song,” “Fire On The Mountain” and “Can’t You See.”

English soul/pop act ABC just turned 40 as a band and it’s also been just as long since “The Lexicon Of Love” landed on record store shelves, which of course meant “Poison Arrow” and “The Look Of Love,” alongside other dance floor-fillers, such as “Show Me,” “(How To Be A) Millionaire” and “When Smokey Sings” with original singer Martin Fry coming across just as delightful and debonair as ever.

R&B superstars Boyz II Men were as close to perfect as humanly possible with a slightly belated 30th birthday party that was packed with bangers (“Motownphilly”), ballads (“On Bended Knee”) and interpretations of others (Sam Cooke’s “A Change Is Gonna Come”).

Though technically not aligned with a milestone birthday, quirky cult staples The Tubes tore through much of its mega-seller, “Outside Inside,” led by the chart-topper “She’s A Beauty,” though the wildly wonderful Fee Waybill and company still left time for “Talk To Ya Later” and tons of crazy costume changes.

A Flock Of Seagulls, led by founding front man Mike Score, also flew out of the 1980s and into the present with a technologically innovative synth pop style that’s surely trickled down to many of today’s electronic acts, especially when it came to MTV prototypes “Modern Love Is Automatic” and “I Ran.”

On the sunnier side of rock, Guster jangled and jammed while delivering a glimpse of its latest long player, “Look Alive,” plus several older but ageless smashes, including “Satellite,” that were packed with humor and positivity.

However, there was no finer example of indie/alternative/garage rock than the brooding Black Rebel Motorcycle Club, who gave the dedicated crowd an aggressive sample spanning its critically-lauded, experimental debut, “B.R.M.C.,” through the super-charged “Wrong Creatures.”

Pop superstar-in-the-making, JoJo, combined soul with sensuality as she confidently commanded the stage with contagious cuts from “Trying Not To Think About It,” along with prior radio dominators.

Summerfest even scored a taste of Ireland times two thanks to Gaelic Storm and The High Kings, who played individual sets that uniquely combined traditional and contemporary elements, followed by a killer double band jam to whet everyone’s appetite for a forthcoming double bill tour.

Yet it was Wisconsin’s own Skillet, fresh off the “Dominion” album, that brought it all back home with a blistering bonanza of anthems, messages and eye-popping production that attracted a “Monster” audience and served as yet another one of the many major acts that helped this entire Midwestern marathon roar back to its rightful place towards the top of the festival list.

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Click here more photos of Summerfest at Henry Maier Festival Park.

For a list of upcoming concerts at Summerfest, visit Summerfest.com.