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.
It’s Valentine’s Day this Saturday. And whether you choose to embrace the most Hallmark-y aspects of the holiday or find a more meaningful way to spread the love, we want to use this installment of Milwaukee Concert PIcks to ensure you have some warm fuzzies to look forward to. Here are four shows to fill your Saturday:
Cactus Club hits the more yearning and pining aspect of V-Day with its Lonely Hearts Honkytonk. This is the fourth year that the venerated Bay View venue has given wallowers, ironic holiday celebrants and general music fans a place to go on Cupid’s big day, and the lineup is a formidable one:
- Derek Pritzl & The Gamble
- Long Mama
- Simon Cropp & His All-Star Band
- Gina Cornejo
- Shameless Country MILF
In addition to what’s happening on stage, you’ll have a chance to take home prizes through event-appropriate activities like FML Bingo, giving you the opportunity to turn life’s little foibles into swag. Tickets for the 5:30 p.m. show are $15 in advance and $20 at the door.
There’s a tinge of sadness attached to our second Saturday reco happening at the Cooperage. Groove Theory: A Valentine’s Day Tribute to D’Angelo honors the neo-soul icon who left an indelible legacy when he died last October, with Milwaukee’s own Brew City Soul performing alongside some of the city’s best vocalists to deliver a powerfully romantic setlist.
If you’re down to soundtrack your night with “Lady,” “Cruisin’” and more from D’Angelo’s catalog, doors open at 7 p.m., with the music starting an hour later.
Flying all the way to the fun end of the spectrum brings us to Linneman’s 14th (or XIV, if you’re a Roman numeral person) “All Messed Up” event. The premise is simple: take a bunch of Milwaukee’s excellent musicians and randomly group them into bands to see what they can create.
Because so many artists want in, the joyfully jumbled tunes are split into two nights of eight bands each, with delightful names like Cannibal Sand Witches, Jenna St. Quoi and Robot Disco Annihilation. It’s $5 at the door, which opens at 7 p.m. Friday and Saturday, with music starting at 8 p.m.
Finally, if you’re looking to emo up your Valentine’s Day, you’ll want to point yourself toward Cudahy and the Very Famous X-Ray Arcade’s lovingly crafted lineup of Tiny Vamp, Sunday Cruise, Mourning Star, Aergo and Poolish. Tickets for the 6:30 p.m. show will be available at the door for a mere $15, and proceeds will go to the Midwest Immigration Bond Fund.
Best concerts in Milwaukee this week
- Feb. 11: Frantic Repair, Our Vanity, Sky Pine Drive, Radio Caroline @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
- Feb. 11: Motion City Soundtrack w/Say Anything, Sincere Engineer @ The Rave, 7 p.m.
- Feb. 12: NewFound Road @ The Argo, 8 p.m
- Feb. 12: Chili, Soulercoaster, Ann Marie & the Fever Dreams @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.
- Feb. 12: Maybe Next Time w/Brain Density, Woraz @ Falcon Hall, 7 p.m.
- Feb. 13: Summer Salt w/Boyscott, Wabie @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
- Feb. 13: Oogwé reunion show w/Frantic Repair, Dilettante, Forktail and a secret fifth set @ Falcon Hall, 7 p.m.
- Feb. 13-14: All Messed Up XIV (night 1 and night 2) @ Linneman’s, 8 p.m.
- Feb. 14: Fourth Annual Lonely Hearts Honkytonk @ Cactus Club, 5:30 p.m.
- Feb. 14: Tiny Vamp, Sunday Cruise, Mourning Star, Aergo, Poolish @ X-Ray Arcade, 6:30 p.m.
- Feb. 14: A Valentine’s Day Tribute to D’Angelo feat. Brew City Soul @ The Cooperage, 7 p.m.
- Feb. 15: The Last Revel w/Dead, Dead Swans @ Vivarium, 8 p.m.
- Feb. 15: Shane Smith & The Saints w/Ken Pomeroy @ Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
