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 depths of December are, generously, a less-than-ideal time to pick up your entire life and move to the Midwest — let alone Minneapolis, the northernmost “big” city in the Midwest. So when Samia swapped the warmer climes of L.A. and Nashville for the Twin Cities at the end of last year, she proved we can take her at her word when she says she loves being here.
As Midwesterners, we also owe our new neighbor a warm welcome. In this case, a casserole or Tupperware of fresh-baked cookies feel out of place. Fortunately, you can show your cordiality and get an excellent night of live music in the process by catching her at Turner Hall Ballroom this Thursday.
Samia’s new album, Bloodless, sees her dig down to new depths as an artist while keeping the music top notch. Bubblegum pop, this is not. As she told 88Nine music director Erin Wolf just a few weeks ago, “I feel like a lot of my identity was just something I built to meet a list of criteria from that imaginary, figment man. I just wanted to set out on a journey to get back to the self that might exist in a vacuum underneath all that.”
Considering how Bloodless turned out, we should be glad Samia turned inward and shared what she found in the most outward way possible. You can show your appreciation by catching her at Turner Hall this Thursday with opener Raffaella.
Before we get to this week’s list of all our top concerts, we’ve got two bonus picks for you. Friday night at the Riverside Theater, Thee Sacred Souls will bring their “Live for You” tour to town, marking their first appearance in Milwaukee since 2022. Our Kenny Perez was fortunate enough to be in Austin a year later for SXSW and saw the trio put on “one of the most remarkable performances of the festival.” The dude knows what he’s talking about, so drop by the Riverside for what’s sure to be a soulful night of music.
Speaking of Kenny, he put together another solid evening of sounds a couple days earlier for our Pride Kickoff events happening Wednesday night at Radio Milwaukee. DJ Femme Noir, auntie and Roxie Beane will help us start the month right, with Coco Monet serving as our dazzling host.
Best Milwaukee concerts this week
- June 4: Caroline Rose w/DJ Libra BOGO @ Cactus Club, 8 p.m.
- June 5: Caroline Rose w/DJ Kelly Aiglon @ Cactus Club, 8 p.m.
- June 5: Samia w/Raffaella @ Turner Hall, 8 p.m.
- June 6: Hanna Simone, Shell Bells, Line @ Anodyne, 7:30 p.m.
- June 6: Thee Sacred Souls w/Tré Burt @ Riverside Theater, 8 p.m.
- June 6: The Hallelujah Ward (record release) w/Caley Conway, Foreign Leisure Records, DJ Josh Modell @ Cactus Club, 5:30 p.m.
- June 6: Oh Well OK (album release) w/Bug Moment, Shoobie @ Linneman’s, 8 p.m.
- June 7: Blind Pilot w/Zach Pietrini @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
- June 7: Video Sex Priest w/Chrystal Gales @ Linneman’s, 8 p.m.
- June 8: Mei Semones, John Roseboro @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
- June 8: Eliza & The Delusionals, Grace Gardner, Rat Bath, Tiny Vamp @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.
- June 10: The Kooks w/lovelytheband @ Turner Hall, 8 p.m.
- June 10: Ben Harper & The Innocent Criminals @ Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
