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.
Want to escape rain-soaked Milwaukee this weekend? We can help with that — as long as your escape is of the live-music variety and not the “jump on a plane and find a beach somewhere” variety.
Our first figurative stop is Colombia, which finds its way to Cactus Club on Friday in the form of Luna Luna. The solo project of Colombian-American artist Kavvi gets sonic inspiration from both sides of that hyphen while crafting synthy pop music (with just enough of an edge) that’ll leave you feeling warm inside.
Luna Luna can boast plenty of plaudits from the likes of Rolling Stone and Variety, but it’s better to just throw on one of their recent drops and get a taste of the dreamy feel-good sounds you’ll hear Friday at Cactus Club.
The following night, we point the concert travelogue north, moving from Bay View to the Miller High Life Theatre and from Colombia to Mexico for a visit from la música norteña legends Los Tigres del Norte.
The familial fivesome led by vocalist and accordionist José Hernández have been at it for a half-century and in that time built a reputation for music that’s big enough for the biggest of screens. The band’s sound and stories are cinematic by nature, making the Miller High Life Theatre an ideal place for the brothers/cousins Hernández to play in Milwaukee.
Our last stop is just a bit farther north in our musical neighborhood — Whitefish Bay, to be precise — as much-loved Milwaukee alt/pop/rock/punk outfit Gold Steps headlines a Sunday night show at the Argo.
The quartet of Betty Mauritz, Zach Duarte, Ryan Rivas and John Pankow have dropped a series of singles over the past year-plus, including 2026 releases “Mirrored Souls” and “Jealousy.” The latter came out just in time for opening day and got an appropriately baseball-themed music video in which the band proved they’re much better suited for the stage than a stadium.
Every time Gold Steps share new music, they remind us of their MVP status in Milwaukee’s music scene. No doubt they’ll knock it out of the park at Sunday night’s 7:30 p.m. show with openers When the Sun Sets and Say What You Mean.
Best concerts in Milwaukee this week
- April 16: Sophia Corinne, Ellie Jackson, Lyle De Vitry, Mol Sullivan @ Linneman’s, 7:30 p.m.
- April 16: Allison Mahal @ The Argo, 6:30 p.m.
- April 16: Liquid City Motors, Apollo Vermouth, Donnie Echo, Language Models @ Cactus Club, 6:30 p.m.
- April 17: The Plastic Constellations, Tornavalanche, Group of the Altos @ The Cooperage, 7 p.m.
- April 17: Luna Luna, VALÉ @ Cactus Club, 6:30 p.m.
- April 17: Modern Tigers w/Resurrectionists, Shrinestone @ Linneman’s, 8 p.m.
- April 18: Ashes to Amber w/Nature TV, Seth Charleston @ Falcon Hall, 7:30 p.m.
- April 18: Los Tigres del Norte @ Miller High Life Theatre, 8 p.m.
- April 18: Spitalfield w/Park, Danny Stevens, Alley Eyes @ The Argo, 7 p.m.
- April 18: Dead Angel Disco, Steal Salvage, The Precipitators, Lobi LoBianco, Brindled @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.
- April 19: Igor & The Red Elvises, Pulpa de Guayaba, Dead Dead Swans @ X-Ray Arcade, 7 p.m.
- April 19: Gold Steps w/When The Sun Sets, Say What You Mean @ The Argo, 7:30 p.m.
- April 21: Ty Segall w/Mod Lang @ Turner Hall, 8 p.m.
- April 21: Garrett T Capps w/Derek Pritzl & The Gamble, Maximiano @ Linneman’s, 7:30 p.m.
