Bucks book Foo Fighters show for new arena
Milwaukee Bucks execs have booked a third act for their new $524 million arena: the Foo Fighters.
Dave Grohl and company are coming to Milwaukee Oct. 17. Tickets, priced between $49 and $99, are available beginning at 9 a.m. Friday by calling (800) 745-3000, (866) 448-7849 or visiting
Formed by Grohl in 1994 following the death of his Nirvana bandmate Kurt Cobain, Foo Fighters has become one of the biggest rock acts in the world.
It last played Milwaukee as a Summerfest headliner in 2012. Foo Fighters released "Sonic Highways" in 2014, produced by Viroqua native Butch Vig, which was complemented by a making-of HBO series that spotlighted famous studios where the band recorded.
Last year, the band released its ninth studio album, "Concrete & Gold," its second to reach the top spot on the Billboard 200.
It's been three months since there's been any concert news related to the forthcoming Bucks arena, tentatively named the Wisconsin Entertainment and Sports Center.
In October, Adam Levine's pop rock band Maroon 5 announced a Sept. 16 show there, with Julia Michaels opening. Comedian Jim Gaffigan has a show scheduled for Sept. 22.
Last fall, the arena's general manager Raj Saha said a grand opening act would be announced by early 2018. Saha also said he planned to hire a fulltime talent buyer by early 2018.
Taxpayers are spending $250 million on the new arena, which is expected to open this August or early September.
The Foo Fighters is playing two shows at Wrigley Field in July, making the Milwaukee date a bit of a surprise. Acts that play multiple dates at a Chicago stadium don't tend to play Milwaukee during the same tour.
But concert industry experts have said that the arena will benefit from a honeymoon period. The building's also been designed to be more optimal for tours, with six enclosed loading docks and two-thirds of the seats in the lower bowl, which will likely lead to higher ticket prices and grosses compared with the Bucks' current arena, the BMO Harris Bradley Center, where the majority of seats are higher up.