Tagged Show Review

Watch Andrew W.K. sing a life-affirming ode to Milwaukee, “I Love Milwaukee, Wisconsin”

October 21, 2017

Friday night's Andrew W.K. show at The Rave was more than a show. It was a party (of course), but it was also a life-affirming celebration of all that is good and positive in the world, a world that too often s...

Herbie Hancock shows no signs of slowing down at Pabst Theater

Cal Roach

October 21, 2017

One of Earth's most influential musicians played Milwaukee for the first time in ages on Friday night. Jazz aficionados may have been expecting merely an opportunity to cross Herbie Hancock off their bucket lis...

Dead Cross and Secret Chiefs 3 bring hardcore, shared history to Turner Hall

Cal Roach

September 18, 2017

If you're like a lot of Twin Peaks fans, you spent months out of this year in breathless anticipation of the return of FBI Special Agent Dale Cooper, who was right there in front of your eyes yet also not there...

Chris Thile and Brad Mehldau bring fun and feelings to the Wilson Center

Josh Hoppert

September 15, 2017

Thursday night, ahead of an appearance by Chris Thile and Brad Mehldau at the Sharon Lynne Wilson Center for the Arts, the center's Grand Hall was packed for pre-show drinks and a pre-show performance by The OK...

Jay Som kind of wonderful in The Back Room @ Colectivo

Tyler Maas

September 14, 2017

Wednesday night, thousands of indie rock enthusiasts flocked to Pabst Theater to take in a sold-out performance by stage veterans, Spoon. Meanwhile, a couple hundred people converged in the comparably more cozy...

Yes (or one version of Yes, at least) plays to the diehards at Riverside Theater

Cal Roach

September 11, 2017

Yes fans are in a rare but not unheard-of predicament that chiefly plagues the aging prog-rock community: There are currently two touring versions of Yes. The seminal English outfit has been in existence in one...

Beck played Milwaukee for the first time in 20 years and it was almost too perfect

Matt Wild

August 17, 2017

Some fun facts: An entire generation of music fans has come of age since Beck last played Milwaukee in 1997. The city has built a ton of new shit, the country has elected three different presidents, and the end...

I saw a Rock and Roll Hall of Fame legend for $20 at the Racine Zoo

Caleb Westphal

August 11, 2017

During the 1960s, Stax Records of Memphis was at the forefront of American soul music, possibly only being eclipsed by Berry Gordy's Motown. Otis Redding and Sam & Dave were the biggest artists to come from...

Rancid and Dropkick Murphys bring grown-up punk to BMO Harris Pavilion

Dan Agacki

August 10, 2017

Sometimes, to amuse yourself on the drive to work, you call into radio stations to win concert tickets. Sometimes you're caller number five and you actually win the tickets. And so I found myself, maxed out on ...

Three Riverwest basement bands played 7 Mile Fair, and it was just as weird as you’d expect

Lauren Keene

August 9, 2017

Hailed as "Wisconsin's Largest Flea Market," the elusive 7 Mile Fair is one of the few places where you can buy live birds, bootleg Beats by Dre, fresh produce, fidget spinners, pork rinds…you get it. Located i...

The Killers exceed expectations at sold-out Milwaukee show

Lauren Keene

August 3, 2017

During MTV's final era of actually showing music on television, people of a certain age were exposed to countless mid-aughts top 40 hits. Various morning music video showcases like AMTV, Music Mix, and Morning ...

Ahead of new album, Primus plays one for the diehards at The Rave

Cal Roach

August 2, 2017

The news dropped on Monday that Primus will be releasing a new album next month. Titled The Desaturating Seven, it will be the first album by the band's classic lineup (bassist/vocalist Les Claypool, guitarist ...

Ryan Adams dives into back catalog, mixes old with new at Riverside Theater

Dan Agacki

August 1, 2017

Ryan Adams is one of the most prolific songwriters of our time. The only person who has cranked out albums at a more furious pace is Guided By Voices' Robert Pollard. Adams' latest full length, Prisoner, is a s...

The Guess Who brings classic rock to Fontana, Wisconsin

Lauren Keene

July 17, 2017

It's hard to imagine that legendary rock critic Lester Bangs would be hanging out with 15-year-old kids and encouraging them to write for Rolling Stone and follow a fictional band obviously inspired by Led Zepp...

The Shins brought Summerfest 50 to a close and it was kind of perfect

Matt Wild

July 10, 2017

There's something bittersweet about the final day of Summerfest. Vendors are packing away mountains of fresh roasted nuts, patrons are desperately stumbling around like its closing time, and the final serviceab...

Nelson, Dylan, Crow, more bring wild-and-wooly Outlaw Music Festival to Summerfest

Cal Roach

July 10, 2017

With Summerfest trying to brand itself a "national" music festival, allow us to point out a few differences that separate the Big Gig from all of its ostensible counterparts:relatively clean, plentiful re...

Huey Lewis And The News enchant Summerfest fans with timeless talent and charisma

Lauren Keene

July 8, 2017

For its 50th edition, Summerfest treated music history nerds to a mini museum located inside the festival grounds. The Summerfest 50 historical exhibit is jam-packed with fun facts about the festival's longtime...

T-Pain’s Summerfest set was some killer, some filler, but still a good time

Lauren Keene

July 6, 2017

"Every generation is afraid of the music that comes from the next," says Lindsay Weir in the second episode of Freaks And Geeks. She's discussing the Sex Pistols with her parents, who are appalled by the idea o...

Car Seat Headrest delivers inconsistent performance at Johnson Controls stage

Lauren Keene

July 3, 2017

In the 2001 film Legally Blonde, future lawyer Elle Woods makes it her goal to help nail technician Paulette snag her dream guy. Albeit quirky, Paulette is cute and charming. She lacks the confidence that she n...

Ludacris headlines a rap paradise Sunday at Summerfest

Cal Roach

July 3, 2017

The first Sunday of Summerfest featured a bit of nasty weather during the afternoon hours and then cleared up beautifully in time for the evening sets. Many patrons were in the middle of a long holiday weekend,...