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.
This week presents us with a unique opportunity to drill down a little deeper into our selection process and lay out an actual schedule you can follow, which includes the opportunity to pull off the rare back-to-back-to-back-to-back concert extravaganza. This is only possible because we can say without overstatement that some legit legends are in town. Here we go …
Thursday: Craig Finn & The Band of Forgiveness
We start our run with the man you probably know best as the lead singer of The Hold Steady. But if you haven’t gotten into his solo work yet, now is the perfect time. He brought a new batch of it to Studio Milwaukee back in April — his latest album, Always Been, which affirms yet again that Finn’s more than a singer and songwriter; he’s a storyteller. Hear some of his many tales Thursday night at the Vivarium.
Friday: Elvis Costello & The Imposters
The following night brings us another guy who knows his way around a story well sung. Costello’s been at it for damn near five decades, starting with his “definitely still holds up” 1977 debut album My Aim Is True. That particular record will get spotlight treatment at Friday’s Pabst Theater show, along with Costello’s other earlier works up through 1986’s Blood & Chocolate (plus some “other surprises,” as the show webpage promises).
Saturday: Neko Case
Someone’s gotta hook up Neko Case with some more hyphens. Here are just a few of the titles you can put in front of her name: singer, songwriter, producer, visual artist, author and musical-theater composer (she’s been working on a Thelma & Louise adaptation for almost a decade).
The first three roles have gotten the most attention lately with the recent release of Neon Grey Midnight Green, her first entirely self-produced album. Expect to hear a fair number of selections from that one during Saturday’s Pabst Theater performance, with other material from her remarkable career sprinkled in.
Sunday: Violent Femmes
What a way to put a bow on your weekend. The hometown crew’s fall tour started in New England and methodically worked its way back to Milwaukee for a two-night grand finale at the Riverside Theater. With the promise of hearing the Femmes’ first two albums in full, Saturday’s show sold out lickety-split, but there are still a few tickets remaining for the Sunday performance.
Best concerts in Milwaukee this week
- Oct. 15: Alien Ant Farm @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
- Oct. 16: Craig Finn & The Band of Forgiveness w/James Felice @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
- Oct. 16: Mason Jennings @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
- Oct. 16: Cassini Echoes, Bunk Bed, HOSTS, Dave Purcell @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.
- Oct. 16: Touchdown Jesus, Snag, Chapped Lips, Old Timer @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
- Oct. 17: Elvis Costello & The Imposters w/Charlie Sexton @ Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
- Oct. 17: Jukebox the Ghost w/Boys Go To Jupiter @ Turner Hall, 8 p.m.
- Oct. 17: Armchair Boogie & Chicken Wire Empire @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
- Oct. 17: Astrachan w/Jacob Slade, Blacktop @ Falcon Hall, 8 p.m.
- Oct. 18: Micah Emrich (album release) w/CatchClayton @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
- Oct. 18: Neko Case w/Des Demonas @ Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
- Oct. 18-19: Violent Femmes @ Riverside Theater, 8 p.m.
- Oct. 19: Peter Mulvey’s Lamplighter Series w/Katie Dahl, Kat Wodtke (of Long Mama) @ Anodyne, 7:30 p.m.
- Oct. 19: Cam Camryn (EP release) w/Maximiano, April Dejon @ Linneman’s, 7:30 p.m.
- Oct. 19: Hear Here 10th Anniversary w/Deadelijk @ The Cooperage, 12:30-11:30 p.m.
- Oct. 20: Social Cinema, Sego, Alley Eyes, Kat & The Hurricane @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
- Oct. 21: Sir Chloe w/Luzy Clue @ Turner Hall, 8 p.m.
- Oct. 21: Herbie Hancock @ Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
