This week on Tap'd In, we're looking ahead to December and some of the biggest concerts coming to Milwaukee. Usually December is a little bit of a downtime for concerts -- artists tend to wind down touring around the holidays -- but this year there are quite a few shows worth looking forward to, including three notable ones on the same night. Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit (with openers Strand of Oaks) are playing the Riverside Theater on Dec. 2, the same night that James Taylor and Jackson Browne play Fiserv Forum. That same night Stewart Copeland of The Police will also perform with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra at their new home, the Bradley Symphony Center.
For me there's one concert that stands out above all the others thing month: Snail Mail's Dec. 7 show at Turner Hall Ballroom. The band's acclaimed new album "Valentine" shows just how much band leader Lindsey Jordan has grown as a songwriter -- it's a compact, bracing little indie-rock record that leaves a huge impression, and a big step up from the group's already very enjoyable debut album "Lush." Snail Mail seems likely to be an in-demand festival headliner in 2022, so this is a chance to catch them at a more intimate venue first.
Also on this week's show, we discuss Kings of Leon and The Lumineers (both of whom are coming to The Rave as part of FM 102.1's Big Snow Shows), Dawes and Rick Springfield. We also pay respects to Milwaukee musician Mike Hoffmann, who died unexpectedly last month at age 67. He left an enormous mark on the city's music scene, which will honor him with a tribute concert at The Cooperage in December.
Hear us talk about all that on this week's episode below.