Milwaukee’s concert scene has a lot going on, so we look at the shows coming up to find the ones you’ll look back on and be glad you went. Then we add them to our weekly Milwaukee Concert Picks.
We’re getting into that part of the concert calendar where it’ll be pretty tough not to just pick one of Milwaukee’s many festivals that take over the streets when the weather is at its best. So why resist?
Making it even easier to give into the urge this week is the return of The Locust Street Festival of Music and Art. Approaching its 50th birthday, the event is thankfully back to being an annual affair after its near collapse on the heels of the pandemic. This year’s installment envelops Riverwest from 11:30 a.m. to 11 p.m. this Sunday, June 9, packing every minute with — as the name suggests — music and art, along with food, drinks and local vendors of all sorts.
The day begins, of course, with the Locust Street Beer run that pushes local athletes to their limits courtesy of a grueling 1.6-mile course featuring four Lakefront Brewery beverage stops: Nessun Dorma, Riverwest Pizza, Falcon Bowl and Seven Swans Creperie. I mean, just look at the toll this arduous undertaking exerts on all who dare challenge it.
If you’re one of the brave souls who registered in advance, you can pick up your packet at Black Husky between 4 and 7 p.m. this Friday. If you’re going with the day-of registration, that happens at the start line located at Booth and Locust from 10 to 11 a.m.
With the Beer Run out of the way, everyone can turn their attention to the multitude of options available to occupy their Sunday. One is the many vendors that will set up shop, with a heavy focus on local artisans and small businesses. The event’s neighborhood feel is perhaps most prevalent here, as the street turns into an extension of the storefronts and restaurants found throughout Riverwest.
Then there’s the music, which is the thrust of this feature after all. You can choose from seven stages and really can’t go wrong with any of them. But since we’re supposed to pick something, we’ll steer you toward the Lakefront Brewery Stage because it features quite a few bands we’ve welcomed into our Walker’s Point studios: Cozy Danger at 1:45 p.m., Rat Bath at 4:30 p.m. and Bug Moment at 5:45 p.m.
You can find the full music schedule for all the stages immediately below, general information about the Locust Street Festival on the event’s website and our other concert picks toward the bottom of this page.
Locust Street Festival music lineup
Black Husky/Milwaukee Record Stage
- Noon — Mortgage Freeman
- 1:15 p.m. — Jesse James MKE
- 2:30 p.m. — Funeral Mountain
- 3:30 p.m. — Bluegrass All-Stars
- 4:45 p.m. — Cellarman Rob
- 5:00 p.m. — The MilBillies
- 6:15 p.m. — Cellarman Rob
- 6:30 p.m. — Alex Wilson Band
Guitars for Vets Stage
- 11 a.m. — DJ Dave
- 11:30 a.m. — Beer Run Start
- Noon — DJ Dave
- 1 p.m. — Key of Evil
- 2 p.m. — Scott Cveko
- 3 p.m. — Robert Witch
- 5 p.m. — Element
- 6 p.m. — Guitty
- 7 p.m. — Bellends
KRS/Lush Popcorn Stage
- 11:30 a.m. — DJ Mr. Martin
- Noon — Mighty Ms. Erica and the Sound Production
- 2 p.m. — JD Rankin’ & The Solomon Royals
- 4 p.m. — Brew City Soul
- 6 p.m. — DJ Bizzon
Lakefront Brewery Stage
- 12:30 p.m. — Lovanova
- 1:45 p.m. — Cozy Danger
- 3 p.m. — Chapped Lips
- 4:30 p.m. — Rat Bath
- 5:45 p.m. — Bug Moment
- 7 p.m. — Sugar Stems
Linneman’s Outdoor Stage
- 11:30 a.m. — Rock-A-Dials
- 1 p.m. — Bourbon Jockeys
- 2:30 p.m. — Deadelijk
- 4:30 p.m. — Strangelander
- 6:30 p.m. — De La Buena
Linneman’s Indoor Stage
- Noon — Faded Places
- 1:30 p.m. — Wisconsin Space Program
- 3 p.m. — Rainbow Cobra
- 4:30 p.m. — Fightin’ Bob
- 6 p.m. — The Taxmen
- 8:15 p.m. — The Erotic Adventures of the Static Chicken
Tracks Stage
- 12:30 p.m. — The Living Johnsons
- 1:30 p.m. — Okay Omen
- 2:30 p.m. — Lake Drive
- 3 p.m. — Comedy Hour
- 5 p.m. — Sex Scenes
- 6 p.m. — Super Secret Headliner
Best Milwaukee concerts this week
- June 5: Tunic, Shoobie, The Nile Club @ X-Ray Arcade, 7 p.m.
- June 6-8: PrideFest 2024 @ Henry Maier Festival Park
- June 7: Daniel Rey & The Revenirs w/Bellends, Eric Hagen @ Linneman’s, 7:30 p.m.
- June 8: Collections of Colonies of Bees w/Immortal Girlfriend, Exit Statements @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
- June 8: T-Pain’s Wiscansin Fest @ The Rave
- June 9: “I Should Know This …” w/Dori Zori @ The Cooperage, 7 p.m.
- June 11: Free Throw, Slow Joy, Excuse Me Who Are You? @ X-Ray Arcade, 7:30 p.m.
