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, sponsored by Urban Ecology Center.
The week after Summerfest is sort of like going to an all-you-can-eat buffet for a couple weeks and then getting served a prepared meal where everything’s right there on the plate. It’s easy to say, “That’s it?” And then you realize someone got this ready just for you, and it’s damn good.
In that somewhat-pained simile, the main course for the return of Milwaukee Concert Picks is absolutely Death Cab for Cutie at the Miller High Life Theatre this Saturday.
In case you didn’t tune into 88Nine at all during the month of June (if so, shame on you), we’re pretty excited about one of our station’s core artists coming to town. It turned out they felt the same, which is how we ended up with a signed guitar and a meet-and-greet and a whole bunch of other stuff the band generously offered. As a result, a nice group of folks who donated to Radio Milwaukee in June will get much more than the typical concert experience this weekend.
Basic statistics tells us you’re likely not among those lucky individuals, but that matters not at all when it comes to how good this show is going to be. The last time Ben Gibbard brought some friends to Milwaukee, it was for the nostalgia-fueled 2024 double bill of Death Cab for Cutie and The Postal Service, both of whom stuck precisely to their respective 2003 albums.
This Saturday promises to be a much more musically inclusive affair, with the impetus behind the visit being Death Cab’s recently released and well-received I Built You a Tower. Based on recent shows, we’ll get a nice mix of new and classic at Saturday’s show, which opens its doors at 7 p.m. and includes Jay Som leading things off when music starts at 8 p.m.
We also had designs on recommending Jeff Rosenstock at Falcon Hall on Friday, but that one rightfully sold out because it’s going to be awesome seeing the enthusiastically loud punk rocker in that venue. So instead we’ll give a shout to the all-Milwaukee lineup at Cactus Club on Saturday, with Killer High Life headlining for what the band’s calling their final show.
The indie-emo-punk outfit emerged from the mean streets of Marquette University a few years ago and last August released a full-length self-titled album that sounds like it’ll be the last one we get from them. We always kept an eye open for them when putting together this list every week, so it’s only fitting we single them out for this final show. Things get rolling at 6 p.m.
Best concerts in Milwaukee this week
- July 8: Ladies Must Swing w/Ellie Jackson, Devin Drobka @ Washington Park Wednesdays, 5:30 p.m.
- July 9: Frank Gappa (release show) w/Hot Dish @ Anodyne, 7 p.m.
- July 9: Lent w/Fairy Astronaut, Hangouts @ Falcon Nest, 7:30 p.m.
- July 9: Sawdust Symphony @ The Argo, 6:30 p.m.
- July 9: David Lopez (album release) @ Jackalope Lounj, 7 p.m.
- July 10: Tall Tall Trees, TS Foss, Ladybird @ Cactus Club. 6:30 p.m.
- July 10: Dogs Run Free, Yellow Roses, Okay Omen, Brindled, Gashade @ X-Ray Arcade, 6:30 p.m.
- July 10: Jeff Rosenstock w/Good Luck (sold out) @ Falcon Hall, 8 p.m.
- July 11: Death Cab for Cutie w/Jay Som @ Miller High Life Theatre, 8 p.m.
- July 11: Killer High Life (final show), Totally Cashed, Socially Suspect, Tiny Vamp @ Cactus Club, 6 p.m.
- July 11: IshDARR @ Jackalope Lounj, 10 p.m.
- July 12: Pancho the Kidd w/Ellie Jackson, Joe Cannon @ Linneman’s, 7:30 p.m.
