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.
So … Labor Day Weekend. Here we are! Lucky for you, less time to labor means more time for concerts, especially ones that seal in those golden summer memories.
This Thursday, we give you a FREE one in our very own space for the next installment of Live at Radio Milwaukee — but with a super-special twist. We decided to let our summer interns share their fave local artists with us and make a night of it. Bowvee, Rainbow Cobra and 5pm To Nowhere will play back-to-back-to-back, with doors opening at 6 p.m. for an earlier show, plus food on hand from Frida’s Cocina.
If you need to emit a little musical scream at the end of a long week, Annie Clark has got you covered. She can shred with the best of them, and I can attest because I’ve seen her play live in recent years and know that to be in attendance at a St. Vincent show is to get a visceral, guitar-heavy experience. All Born Screaming, her latest album, ups that vibe; it’s St. Vincent with the lid off.
This is her only Midwest headlining appearance this summer, so catch while catch can when St. Vincent plays the Rave / Eagles Club this Thursday with Gustaf opening.
The following night is a chance to celebrate the Harvest Moon very early (it’s technically Oct. 6), as Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts serenade fans at the BMO Pavilion on Friday. Even though the moon will still be waxing full at this point, the “Love Earth World Tour” promises to be a magical experience as Young and Co. dish out classics and new stuff alike. Be ready for some certain jams, and bring a jacket just in case. No matter how warm the jams are, it’s starting to get chilly by that lake!
Finally, If you want something local and festive (and punky), celebrate Dirtnap Records’ 25th anniversary with Dirtnap Fest at X-Ray Arcade all weekend. What is Dirtnap Records, you ask? Ken Cheppaikode formed the label in Seattle and shifted to nearby Portland before migrating to Milwaukee in recent years.
Some pretty fun bands from the city are on the label — and also the fest’s bill, which includes Direct Hit!, Phylums, Chinese Telephones, Betsy Borst of The Sugar Stems and Fox Face (for a reunion set). You already can’t go wrong, but then there’s the bonus of Wisconsin and national acts like Dusk, Marked Men, Nervosas, Mean Jeans, The Ergs!, Mind Spiders and Drakulas (featuring members of Rise Against and Gwar).
Twenty-five years is a long time to be doing anything and more than warrants a three-day celebration. Be part of it at Dirtnap Fest this Friday, Saturday and Sunday at X-Ray Arcade.
Best concerts in Milwaukee this week
- Aug. 27: Summer of Soul w/Septeto Charambo, Gego y Nony, DJ Kenny Perez @ Marcus Performing Arts Center
- Aug. 27: Washington Park Wednesdays w/Shonn Hinton, Long Line Riders @ Washington Park Bandshell, 6 p.m.
- Aug. 27: Capital Soirée, Alley Eyes, Known Moons @ X-Ray Arcade, 8 p.m.
- Aug. 28: Live at Radio Milwaukee w/Rainbow Cobra, Bowvee, 5PM To Nowhere @ Radio Milwaukee, 6 p.m.
- Aug. 28: St. Vincent w/Gustaf @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
- Aug. 28: Tyler Ramsey w/T. Hardy Morris @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
- Aug. 28: Natalie Sue & The Steed (EP-release show) w/Derek Pritzl, Valley Fox @ Cactus Club, 6 p.m.
- Aug. 29: Neil Young & The Chrome Hearts @ BMO Pavilion, 7:30 p.m.
- Aug. 29: Ben Mulwana w/Wattle & Daub @ Anodyne, 7:30 p.m.
- Aug. 29: Summer Jam feat. Hot Like Mars, Modern Joey, Shadeseeker @ The Cooperage, 7 p.m.
- Aug. 29-31: Dirtnap Fest (day one, day two, day three) @ X-Ray Arcade
- Aug. 30: Deftones w/Phantogram, The Barbarians of California @ Fiserv Forum
- Aug. 30: Strangelander w/King Courteen @ Vivarium
- Aug. 30: Lindsay Anderson w/Nathaniel Heuer @ Jazz Gallery Center For The Arts, 7 p.m.
- Aug. 30: Well + Good, The Night Painters, EFH @ Anodyne, 7:30 p.m.
- Aug. 30: Wonderful Bluffer w/Rainbow Cobra, Venturer @ Linneman’s, 8 p.m.
