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 the Urban Ecology Center.
We’re in live-music overload this week, so let’s get right to the shows that could keep you blissfully busy across the area.
Thursday night brings Orville Peck to Landmark Credit Union Live for his “Man Turned Mule Tour,” named after his donkey-horse-hybrid-titled new album. The masked musician sat down with 88Nine music director Erin Wolf ahead of the show to reveal quite a bit (aside from his face, of course), including his tight connection to Milwaukee and how Dolly Parton set him on the road to country-music stardom.
That same evening is your first chance to catch 88Nine favorite Brigitte Calls Me Baby at the Vivarium — and your only chance if you haven’t grabbed tickets yet. The Chicago group was originally slated for just Friday, but the show sold out so quickly that a Thursday performance got added to the schedule. This is one of those bands whose music is made for the stage, and to have two opportunities to experience it is pretty awesome.
For those without tickets to Brigitte’s sold-out Friday show, that night presents another option in Brother Ali at The Argo up in Whitefish Bay. We talked a lot about the international hip-hop artist during our most recent membership drive, and for good reason. The Madison native made his mark in Minneapolis with 2007 album The Undisputed Truth and has become a respected community activist, in addition to a skilled M.C. He’ll bring those skills to The Argo stage Friday night for a show that starts at 8 p.m.
Saturday’s slate is highlighted by the double shot of Better Than Ezra with one of our favorite local artists, Brett Newski, at the Pabst Theater for an 8 p.m. show. Then, on Sunday, you can turn your attention a half-mile away to Turner Hall Ballroom and another excellent two-fer bill: Kurt Vile & The Violators with openers Twisted Teens.
We wrap up the seven-day stretch next Tuesday with an extra special team-up that brings together Andrew Bird and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra at the Riverside Theater. The celebrated multi-instrumentalist decided to add even more talented musicians to this tour, which features a 20th anniversary celebration of his album The Mysterious Production of Eggs. The night will include a suite of other fan-favorite songs from his career, but the real treat is being able to enjoy them alongside one of the absolute jewels of our city’s arts scene.
Best concerts in Milwaukee this week
- Nov. 4: Shallowater w/Snag @ The Argo, 8 p.m.
- Nov. 4: Oldtimer, Rightwards, Oh Well Okay, Rainbow Cobra @ Cactus Club, 7:30 p.m.
- Nov. 5: Orville Peck w/Abbie Callahan @ Landmark Credit Union Live, 8 p.m.
- Nov. 5: Dent May, Moonglow @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
- Nov. 5: The Panoptics @ Jackalope Lounj, 7 p.m.
- Nov. 5-6: Brigitte Calls Me Baby w/Common People @ Vivarium, 7 p.m.
- Nov. 6: Trippie Redd w/K Suave, BalloutDaDon, Gigi Holland, Goldie @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
- Nov. 6: Brother Ali @ The Argo, 8 p.m.
- Nov. 6-8: Goose @ Miller High Life Theatre, 7:30 p.m.
- Nov. 7: Better Than Ezra w/Brett Newski @ Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
- Nov. 7: Axis: Sova, Brindled, Royal Jelly @ Cactus Club, 6:30 p.m.
- Nov. 7: Teddy Thompson @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
- Nov. 8: Kurt Vile & The Violators w/Twisted Teens @ Turner Hall, 8 p.m.
- Nov. 8: Bill Callahan w/Rick Maguire (of Pile) @ The Argo, 8 p.m.
- Nov. 8: Ethan Marc Band w/Sheebie, Jesse Garwood, Adam Blackwood @ Falcon Nest, 7:30 p.m.
- Nov. 8: Certainly So w/Bowvee @ The Argo, 8 p.m.
- Nov. 9: The Animeros, Los Mitoteros @ Cactus Club, 7 p.m.
- Nov. 10: Andrew Bird w/the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra @ Riverside Theater, 8 p.m.
