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 sponsored by Educators Credit Union.
Many of the music venues around Milwaukee have taken it upon themselves to make a positive impact on the community in ways that extend well beyond the stage. Cactus Club certainly qualifies with its year-round programming that often includes socially conscious tie-ins. This Saturday might be the quintessential example of those efforts, as the club hosts its 9th Annual Beet Street Fall Festival along with neighbors Palomino Bar and Goodkind.
The block party debuted in 2016 as a way to bring the neighborhood together around food and music while also supporting an array of community organizations. The latest installment will run from 1 to 7 p.m. Saturday on South Wentworth Avenue between Potter and Russell avenues, and will feature a music lineup that’s nine concert picks in one.
Brooklyn indie-rock outfit Habibi will anchor the headline spot, although if we had to narrow the day’s choices down to just one Milwaukee Concert Pick, we gotta go with 88Nine favorite Graham Hunt. The Milwaukee/Madison artist will go on stage right before Habibi, bringing his wonderful balance of dark-ish lyrics and bubbly, feel-good music.
The rest of the day’s entertainment starts with the Afro-Mexican sound of Milwaz Talleres, followed by post-punk trio Participants, and the Good Vibes Only Showcase hosted by Paperstacks that features MoCity, T!ny, Phif, Eli $tones and Dejah’e.
Served alongside that feast of music will be food options from Goodkind, Palomino’s snack stand, Twisted Plants, Frida’s Cocina and Xankia, plus the folks from Palomino will host Honeypie’s Great American Pie Championship.
The multimedia event will also include the Beet Street Music Video Showcase lighting up the screens in Cactus Club’s live room all day. Walk in at any time, and you’ll see a variety of music videos, documentary shorts and other content from filmmakers in Milwaukee and beyond. Meanwhile, in the great outdoors you’ll find all of the vendors and organizations listed below so you can connect with your community in all kinds of ways.
Beet Street vendors
- Aura Iris Portrait Photography
- Every1 is Your Valentine
- Hazelwood Farms
- La Revo Books
- Living Loaded
- MusicGoRound
- Punk Rock Rummage
- Rae (airbrushed tees)
- Sevan Mercy (tarot and oracle reading)
- Sturgeons Designs
- Ugly Worldwide
- Winterspring Farm
- Zelda Raygun/Always Be A Buddy
Beet Street community organizations
- 16th Street Clinic — Dept of Environmental Health & Community Wellness
- African American Round Table
- ACLU
- Bay View Historical Society
- Cathedral Center
- Community Medical Services
- Girls Rock
- Literacy Services of Wisconsin
- Lutheran Social Services: Refugee Resettlement
- Milwaukee Freedom Fund
- Milwaukee Trans and Queer Depot
- Milwaukee Public Library
- Milwaukee Riverkeeper
- Party for Socialism and Liberation
- The Phoenix (National Sober Active Community)
- Planned Parenthood
- Wisconsin Bike Federation
- Women’s Medical Fund
Best concerts in Milwaukee this week
- Oct. 3: Yard Act w/Omni @ X-Ray Arcade, 6:30 p.m.
- Oct. 3: Maya de Vitry, Jordie Lane @ Anodyne on Bruce, 7 p.m.
- Oct. 4: Pat & The Pissers, North Warren, Courtesy, Oh Well Ok @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
- Oct. 4: Marika Hackman w/Art School Girlfriend @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
- Oct. 5: Beet Street 2024 @ Cactus Club, 1 p.m.
- Oct. 5: Independent Milwaukee Songwriter Night @ Linneman’s, 7 p.m.
- Oct. 5: Mike Viola @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
- Oct. 5: Tea Service, Lily Slay, Razor Toast @ Bremen, 9 p.m.
- Oct. 6: Homeshake w/Freak Heat Waves @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
- Oct. 8: The Get Up Kids w/Smoking Popes @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
