Stevie “Guitar” Miller came home to a hero’s welcome in Milwaukee last night at Summerfest and again demonstrated why he, like co-headliner Joe Cocker, belongs in the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame.

Looking delighted and dapper, Miller is one of the rare rock and roll megastars who can walk down the street wearing a pair of shades and go unrecognized.

Although his fame and fortune derived from the many albums of pop-rock hits, Miller’s blues roots came through loud and clear at the Marcus Amphitheater. Along those lines, he recently added the brilliant vocalist Sonny Charles to the band, which added a whole new dimension to their performance. Mid-show Miller yielded the lead vocals to Charles for a few classic blues covers, including Bo Diddley’s “You Pretty Thing.”

That said, the hits from Miller’s gargantuan catalog were also in abundance. In stellar fashion, the band delivered an extended “Fly Like an Eagle”, the song (and album) that catapulted him to international superstar status. The 3-song run that closed the set darted from blistering to mellow to get-up-and-boogie with “Keep on Rockin’ Me”, “The Joker” and “Jet Airliner”.

But wait…there’s more. After coming back on stage and asking for requests, Miller launched into my personal favorite, “Serenade”, before bringing the show home with scorching renditions of “Take the Money and Run” and “Jungle Love”.

It was one of those magical Summerfest nights that I wish could have gone on forever.