The top events from Fiserv Forum’s blockbuster of a first year 3. The Giannis MVP celebration (July 14, 2019)
It cost $524 million to build the Milwaukee Bucks’ Fiserv Forum.
In its first year, the city, and the team, really got their money’s worth.
Since its grand opening Aug. 26, 2018, the arena hosted an impressive 32 concerts. For some context, the Bradley Center, the Bucks’ home court for the past 30 years, never had more than 18 concerts in a single calendar year.
Those 32 concerts don’t include four comedy shows — a quantity never held at the Bradley in a 12-month period — nor do they include family or sporting events or Marquette basketball.
And then there were the Bucks, which had a dynamite first year in their new digs, with the best record in the league during the regular season, led by MVP Giannis Antetokounmpo and NBA Coach of the Year Mike Budenholzer.
Fiserv Forum’s second year of operation could be even more momentous, with a highly anticipated Bucks season, at least 11 concerts planned this fall, plus the Democratic National Convention in July.
But before all that happens, let’s look back at the most significant concerts and games that happened during Fiserv Forum’s first year.
5. The Killers and Violent Femmes (Sept. 4, 2018)
You can only make a first impression once, and the Bucks made sure it was a good one. Fittingly, one of Milwaukee’s most accomplished bands, Violent Femmes, was the first act to perform in the building, with the Killers stuffing their set with hits and special touches, like Alice Cooper riffing off his famous Milwaukee scene from “Wayne’s World” during an opening video introduction, and a “Laverne & Shirley” theme song cover with the Femmes for the finale. As good as the show was, though, the building itself was the star, wowing with sharp acoustics, handsome interior design and not a bad seat in the place.
4. Justin Timberlake (Sept. 21, 2018)
Fiserv Forum’s first 30 days of operation featured comedians Kevin Hart and Jim Gaffigan and pop-radio staple Maroon 5. But the most significant booking of the month, if not Fiserv Forum’s first 12 months, was Justin Timberlake, who returned to Milwaukee for the first time in 15 years, with a dazzling stage set-up, and Timberlake’s sharp showmanship to match — although the concert’s most memorable moment has to be the diehard Packers fan’s toast to “the greatest football team on planet Earth.” One fan was even considerate enough to give Timberlake a Packers jersey onesie for his son Silas.
It didn’t happen precisely inside Fiserv Forum, but it seemed half of Milwaukee turned out to be part of a celebration for Giannis Antetokounmpo, back in town for the first time since he was named the 2019 NBA MVP in late June. With a new signature Nike shoe to his name, Giannis nonetheless emphasized the excitement to come. “I work my butt off every single day. I do it for you guys, I do it for my team, I do it for my teammates,” he said. The event took place on the plaza outside the building that has been termed “Deer District,” which has risen to prominence right alongside the arena itself as a hot spot for big events, including TNT’s pregame and postgame broadcasts during the Eastern Conference Finals.
2. Metallica (Oct. 16, 2018)
Fiserv Forum will probably never have a five-day stretch like the one from last October, with Foo Fighters, the Eagles and Twenty One Pilots all coming through, and the Bucks kicking off their inaugural Fiserv Forum season. It all began with Metallica illustrating why they’re the mightiest band in metal history, rocking hard from a small, boxing ring-style stage in the center of the floor, freeing up every inch possible for fans to pack the place, and creating a concert attendance record at the arena that’s going to be pretty hard to top. (Foo Fighters’ Dave Grohl and Taylor Hawkins were also in Milwaukee a day early to check out the rock gods.)
1. Game 5 of the Eastern Conference Semifinals (May 8, 2019)
After a regular season that lacked much drama as the Bucks soared their way to 60 wins and the playoffs, the first true stress test came in the team’s conference-semifinal series with Boston, when the Bucks dropped Game 1, 112-90. But Milwaukee won the next four games, capped off with a resounding Game 5 victory, 116-91, that gave Milwaukee fans their first visit to the conference finals since 2001. It was a representation of the Bucks at their best and an affirming moment for the presence of the 2018-’19 Bucks team in history. It also came with an entertaining dose of vengeance, with the famous words of ESPN personality Paul Pierce played on the video board immediately after the win — his doubts that the Bucks had a chance after suffering a Game 1 loss.
For more of the top events of Fiserv Forum’s first year, go to jsonline.com/ entertainment.
Contact Piet Levy at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.
Contact JR Radcliffe at jradcliffe@ gannett.com or @JRRadcliffe on Twitter.