Spring concerts
15 must-see shows in Milwaukee
We’ve had just two full months in 2015 so far, and in terms of live music options, Milwaukee is off to a great start.
Reunited and reinvigorated punk band Sleater-Kinney played its first show in town in 15 years, while exciting newcomer Hozier made his Milwaukee debut at a sold-out Riverside Theater. And after booking just three major concert tours for all of 2013, the BMO Harris Bradley Center hosted three major tours — for Fleetwood Mac, Ariana Grande and Barry Manilow — within a three-week span.
With the weather warming up, the concert options are going to multiply, to the point that we struggled to keep our annual list of picks down to 15 options this year. Some folks may scoff that such worthy contenders as Gregg Allman (March 24 and 25, Potawatomi Hotel & Casino’s Northern Lights Theater), TV on the Radio (March 24, Pabst Theater) or Noel Gallagher’s High Flying Birds (May 30, Pabst) aren’t on the list. (Some spring shows, including the Replacements and Neutral Milk Hotel gigs, were left off because they’re already sold out.)
But with this list, we attempted to make room for some smaller shows for acts you’ve never heard of. And regardless of who’s on it, the list shows that whatever you’re into — hip hop or country, teen-friendly pop or meaty alternative metal — there’s a concert happening in Milwaukee between March and May just for you.
1. Big Sean: Three months after his girlfriend Grande played a near-capacity Bradley Center, rapper and Kanye West protégé Big Sean returns to the Rave for his third May show in three years. This time he has new material from “Dark Sky Paradise,” his best-reviewed album to date, and his first to debut at No. 1 on the Billboard charts. (7:30 p.m. May 23, the Rave, 2401 W. Wisconsin Ave. $30 to $144 at the box office, (414) 3427283 and therave.com).
2. Shawn Mendes: On an Eagles Ballroom bill last year that included Fifth Harmony and headliner Austin Mahone, first opener Shawn Mendes may have elicited the loudest screams — and given his pop-flavored, singer-songwriter style reminiscent of Ed Sheeran, he stands the best chance of a career after his teen-girl fan base grows up. (7 p.m. April 15, the Rave. $32.50 to $37.50; includes a physical copy of Mendes’ debut album, “Handwritten,” out April 28.)
3. ZZ Top: The rockers with the big riffs and even bigger beards twice canceled a Milwaukee gig for health reasons last year, so even though the band makes semiregular appearances in town, the welcome this time should be especially zealous. (8 p.m. March 29, Riverside Theater, 116 W. Wisconsin Ave. $49.50 at the box office, the Pabst Theater box office, 144 E. Wells St., (414) 286-3663 and pabsttheater.org.)
4. Neil Diamond: If you’re hoping to see a classic veteran singer this spring, you’ve got several options, from Frankie Valli and the Four Seasons (April 10, Milwaukee Theatre) to Johnny Mathis (May 28, Riverside Theater). But with Neil Diamond — out on the road behind his latest album, “Melody Road” — “good times never seemed so good.” (8 p.m. April 9, BMO Harris Bradley Center, 1001 N. 4th St. $36.50 to $147 at the box office, (800) 745-3000 and ticketmaster.com)
5. Jenny Lewis: While a Rilo Kiley and Postal Service reunion may never happen again, at least Lewis fans can take solace in her solid solo material. Her latest album, the clearly personal “The Voyager,” was produced by Ryan Adams and recent album of the year Grammy winner Beck. (8 p.m. May
19, Turner Hall Ballroom, 1040 N. 4th St. $22 at the door and in advance through the Pabst Theater.)
6. Death Cab for Cutie: Speaking of Postal Service, Ben Gibbard is coming back to town with his primary band, sensitive indie-rock outfit Death Cab for Cutie. However, this will be the first show in Milwaukee without the band’s longtime guitarist and producer Chris Walla. (8:30 p.m. May 4, Riverside Theater. $35.75.)
7. Vince Gill: The Country Music Hall of Famer has more Grammys than any other male country artist in history, and if that’s not enough incentive to see him, one of his openers is Ashley Monroe, who performs in Pistol Annies with Miranda Lambert and released the highly praised solo album “Like a Rose” in 2013. (8 p.m. March 22, Milwaukee Theatre, 500 W. Kilbourn Ave. $27.50 to $72.50 at the box office and through Ticketmaster.)
8. Alabama Shakes: The soulful Shakes sold out the Pabst Theater before it even dropped its debut album in 2012, so it’s going to be sharing songs from its sophomore set, “Sound & Color,” in Milwaukee a month ahead of its release. (8 p.m. March 15, Riverside Theater. $35.)
9. Sufjan Stevens: The eccentric, acclaimed baroque pop artist plays Milwaukee behind latest album “Carrie & Lowell,” inspired by his mother (who died in 2012) and ex-stepfather and their family trips to Oregon during Stevens’ childhood. (8 p.m. April 23, Riverside Theater. $36.)
10. Buddy Guy: One of the all-time blues guitar greats turns 79 this summer, and he’s still going strong. (8 p.m. March 19 and 20, Northern Lights Theater, Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, $45 to $55 at the box office and through Ticketmaster.)
11. Foxygen: ’60s-inspired Foxygen’s last Turner set bordered on anarchy. Band leader Jonathan Rado proclaimed it “the best show I’ve ever played in my life,” and the show ended up on the Journal Sentinel’s best concerts list of 2013. (8 p.m. April 7, Turner Hall Ballroom. $15.)
12. Rhiannon Giddens: The Carolina Chocolate Drops co-founder has struck out on her own with her first solo album, the coversheavy “Tomorrow Is My Turn,” produced by T Bone Burnett, and it’s one of the bestreviewed albums of the year so far. (8 p.m. April 26, Turner Hall Ballroom. $25.)
13. La Santa Cecilia: One of the most colorful Latin rock acts of recent years, the Grammywinning Cecilia stirs an exotic assortment of styles into its sound, from cumbia to tango to soul to klezmer. (8 p.m. March 11, Shank Hall, 1434 N. Farwell Ave. $15 at the box office, (866) 468-3401 and ticketweb.com.)
14. Torche: Alternative metal heads might want to just camp out at the Rave in May, with bands like Five Finger Death Punch,
Mastodon with Clutch and Ministry all putting on shows there. But having the chance to see the critically acclaimed Torche tear up the tiny Cactus Club makes that the true must-see metal show of the spring. (9 p.m. March 15, Cactus Club, 2496 S. Wentworth Ave. $15 at the door and cactusclub.shop.ticketstoday.com.)
15. Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen: The inviting new Anodyne Roasting Coffee Co. location has been putting on shows for a little over a year now and has already found a niche with a steady string of Americana and bluegrass shows. Frank Solivan & Dirty Kitchen might be its best booking coup yet; its album “Cold Spell” was nominated for a Grammy for best bluegrass album, and it won the International Bluegrass Music Association’s instrumental group of the year award. (8 p.m. May 17, Anodyne Roasting Coffee Co., 224 W. Bruce St. $15, in advance at
brownpapertickets.com; $20 at the door.)
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