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.
The only thing we love more than live music is live music at an irresistible price point. So, with our budgeting hat on, we heartily recommend a pair of shows that’ll let you walk through the door in exchange for a mere sawbuck. The only drawback is that both happen this Saturday, so be prepared for a tough choice about where to drop your hard-earned 10 bucks.
First up courtesy of its 8 p.m. start time is the Vivarium’s One-Year Anniversary Party featuring Immortal Girlfriend, Caley Conway and Holy Pinto. We gave this concert some love earlier this week, so head over to that story if you want all the details. But here’s the short version: three excellent Milwaukee artists, tickets giveaways and other goodies, and proceeds going to the Friendship Circle of Wisconsin’s SafeTALK Suicide Prevent Tour.
Update (Feb. 21): Immortal Girlfriend had to bow out of the lineup and has been replaced by The Erotic Adventures of The Static Chicken.
Starting just a little later Saturday night (9 p.m. doors, 9:30 p.m. music) is the Psychedelic Rodeo at Mad Planet. Milwaukee jam-rock group Modern Joey have been leading this recurring series as part of their residency at the Center Street venue, and the upcoming installment has some serious muscle behind it.
In the second slot on the event poster are the endless energy reserves of Diet Lite, so right there you can be sure this will not be a “mailing it in” kind of show. You also get the “funk-lovin’” Sugar Lads imported straight from Winona, Minn., and the spin-abilities of Greyhound.
With the start times of our two concert picks just far enough apart and their locations less than two miles from each other, you could conceivably hustle and catch some of both shows Saturday night. Best of all: You could do it with nothing more than a $20 bill in your pocket.
Best concerts in Milwaukee this week
- Feb. 20: ATLYS w/Violet Wilder @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.
- Feb. 21: Adorner, Motherwind, Whiskey & The Devil @ Linneman’s, 8 p.m.
- Feb. 21: Ladybird, Bronco, Justin Witte Trio, The Cult of Nasty @ The Cooperage, 10 p.m.
- Feb. 22: Modern Joey, Diet Lite, Sugar Lads, Greyhound @ Mad Planet, 9 p.m.
- Feb. 22: One-Year Anniversary Party w/The Erotic Adventures of The Static Chicken, Caley Conway, Holy Pinto @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
- Feb. 22: Kelsy Karter & The Heroines, Ace Monroe, Sunday Cruise, DJ Kelly Aiglon @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
- Feb. 24: Ron Pope w/Andrea von Kampen @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
