When they laid out their fall tour, Violent Femmes planned on finishing the loop with a grand finale in their home base of Milwaukee. That itinerary changed slightly Tuesday, as the influential acoustic-punk outfit responded to their sold-out show Oct. 18 at the Riverside Theater by adding a second performance the following night, Oct. 19.
Both concerts are billed as a special “Evening with the Violent Femmes” that features the group playing their first two albums — 1983’s self-titled Violent Femmes and 1984’s Hallowed Ground — in their entirety.
The band kept sharp over the summer with a handful of July dates that included the Montreal Jazz Festival on July 4 and a slot at Seattle’s T-Mobile Park in support of My Chemical Romance on July 11. They’ll embark on their fall run with an Oct. 3 performance at the Grand Opera House in Wilmington, Del., and hit 13 cities in all, wrapping it up with the double dates in Milwaukee.
Tickets for Violent Femmes’ show Oct. 19 at the Riverside Theater go on sale at 10 a.m. this Wednesday, Aug. 13, online via AXS and at the Pabst/Riverside box offices.
Artist bio
Violent Femmes formed in 1981 as an acoustic punk band playing on the streets of Milwaukee, with the goal of rocking harder than any other acoustic act on the planet. Their main influences at that time were Gene Vincent and the Blue Caps, and The Velvet Underground.
After being rejected for an audition by a local nightclub, the Femmes set up outside a Pretenders gig and began to play. Lead singer Chrissie Hynde asked them to open that night’s show, which gave the young band a publicity boost and caught the attention of Richard Hell, who invited the Femmes to open for him in NYC. A rave review in the New York Times eventually led to a record deal, which in turn spawned worldwide touring.
Violent Femmes’ eponymous debut album became the first and only album in Billboard history to enter the charts with a platinum certification — eight years after its release. Over the ensuing three decades, the Femmes became a mainstay of festivals, clubs and theaters in more than 20 countries worldwide.
Their raw sound and honest lyrical perspective has been cited as an influence by artists as diverse as Pink, Keith Urban, The Smiths, The Pixies, John Cusack, Mark Morris and Wim Wenders — and even MTV’s Unplugged show, although they never actually appeared on it.
More than 40 years into their careers, Violent Femmes continue to attract young audiences on tour, create lasting music and inspire people of all ages.
