As live music returned following the pandemic shutdown, a very particular approach to putting on a concert emerged: the full performance of a beloved album. Wednesday brought another of those nostalgia-fueled experiences as The Lemonheads announced a Turner Hall Ballroom show that will feature not one but two of their best-known LPs.
The concert Sept. 22 in Milwaukee is part of what’s being called the “It’s a Shame About Come On Feel” tour, named after albums It’s a Shame About Ray and Come on Feel the Lemonheads, which came out in 1992 and 1993, respectively. Personally, I connected a bit more with Car Button Cloth, but it seems I’ll have to wait for that one.
Formed by Evan Dando in 1986, The Lemonheads needed a couple years before busting out — first with their cover of “Mrs. Robinson,” the popularity of which they capitalized on by bolting onto the end of an It’s a Shame About Ray reissue. Come on Feel the Lemonheads followed quickly on its predecessor and helped push Dando and company to greater fame, helped by the album’s most successful single, “Into Your Arms.”
After seeking help for addiction issues, Dando performed solo and with various supporting musicians under The Lemonheads banner, which will sit at the top of the Sept. 22 show at Turner Hall Ballroom. If you want to catch the live version of both albums performed back to back in their entirety, tickets go on sale to the general public starting at 10 a.m. this Friday, June 28, online and at the Pabst/Riverside box offices.
