Roughly 45 minutes before his first-ever Summerfest set began Wednesday afternoon at the Miller Lite Oasis, singer-songwriter Pat McGee walked onstage to tweak the sound of his acoustic guitar and vocal microphone.

Upon returning to his dressing room and proclaimed: "That's a pretty big stage for a solo acoustic show."

A lesser talent may have been swallowed up by the size of the venue and the fact that most of the crowd in front of the stage was "camping out" to get seats for Jason Aldean's headlining set.

McGee, a 36-year-old Virginia native who fronts the Pat McGee Band, didn't have a problem. After playing close to 250 shows a year for more than a decade, he knows how to handle win over an audience.

"One fan at a time," he joked to a man in the crowd during a 75-minute set that spanned seven albums.

At many of his solo shows, McGee will leave the stage and climb into the middle of the audience -- or on top of the bar -- and perform a song without amplification. "It's a totally different vibe," he said before the show. "The exact opposite of the setting today."

With heartfelt, melodic songs like "Must Have Been Love" and the crowd-pleasing "Rebecca," McGee quickly bonded with the crowd.

McGee, who has toured with bands like Fleetwood Mac, Counting Crows, Wallflowers and others, connected with fans when he played "Come Back Home," a song that he wrote about a military couple apart for long stretches of time. The song took on new meaning when Pat McGee Band drummer Chris Williams died suddenly. A year later, Williams' younger brother, Blake, was killed while on patrol in Iraq.

The set wasn't downcast, though. McGee sprinkled in upbeat songs and some witty stage banter, including a funny story about the time he accidently sat on Willie Nelson's "fragrant" jean jacket.

"This is my first time at Summerfest," he said. "I've heard a lot about it." Later, McGee glanced at the SkyGlider and proclaimed "This is the first gig I've played with a ski lift."

McGee told the crowd "I'm playing in Chicago tomorrow night if you feel like going there." A smattering of applause turned more raucous when he added, "I'm thinking about blowing it off to stay here for a few days."

Summerfest has tried to book McGee's band for several years, but the dates always conflicted with a show at Wolf Trap, a venue outside of Washington, D.C.

"If have me out again next year, I'll bring the whole band," McGee said.