Kiss at Summerfest

I see that Kiss is playing at Summerfest during Summerfest. They don't have a huge tour scheduled, so if you love this band, get down to the Marcus Amphitheater. Milwaukee Rock and Roll bands beware, Kiss is going to destroy all.

Riverside Theater Tries its Best to Make Me Hate That Venue

I lucked out when I landed 11th row tickets to see Flight of the Conchords. Yea, way back when I bought them from the Riverside Theater's online site, there was a message that the tickets were "will call only." That was no problem for me. I was happy to pick the tickets up the night of the show.

In the days leading up to the performance, there was an announcement that the tickets would be ready for pick up two hours before the show. That gave me and my friends time to eat dinner downtown, and be in the show with time to spare. It didn't end up that way.

At 5:10pm I walked over to the Riverside Theater and that's when the person at the will call window told me that we would have to come back one hour prior to the show to pick up the tickets, and "then you have to walk directly into the theater." WHAT!!!

I wanted to hand two of the tickets to my friends who got to John Hawks late, and thus were eating dinner later than we were. Now, I had to wait for them, hope that they get their food in time, force them to rush through dinner, because at 6:20pm I SEE A LINE GOING INTO THE RIVERSIDE THEATER THAT'S SO LONG, IT'S GOING TO TAKE AN HOUR TO GET IN!!!

Who runs that place? How does he/she still have their job? We got to our seats at 7:20pm, the show started at 7pm. It took 45 minutes to get into the venue. We didn't have time to buy a drink, look at the merch booth, nothing. Is that what The Riverside Theater wants? They want their patrons to NOT buy drinks, buy merch, enjoy the show? Is this some anti ticket scalper stuff? How many people will stop going to the Riverside Theater after they get jammed? Let's start with my group. That sucked. What if it was raining? Were we supposed to sit there in the rain for 45 minutes, because a ticket broker might have purchased a couple pairs of tickets, and that pissed off the Riverside Theater management? Never again.

Summerfest Shows for 2009

It's a country theme for Summerfest this year. There are three bonafide country acts scheduled at The Marcus Amphitheater. Along with that, we have a southern rock show featuring Kid Rock. Other bands coming include Chicago, Earth, Wind, and Fire, No Doubt, The Fray, and Bon Jovi. At the time of this post, I see two more spots that have yet to be filled.

Will the Milwaukee fans come out to see country show after country show? I don't think so. The side stages have yet to be scheduled. Speaking of side stage, one would think that Earth, Wind, and Fire should occupy a side stage, instead of the Marcus Amphitheater. Cheap Trick had the biggest side stage crowd I had ever seen last year. Should they be worthy of the same treatment?

Independent Idols popping up around Milwaukee

I saw this local band called the Independent Idols at Riversplash this past summer. They were on the Rosie's stage. Water Street was jammed with people, and there was I.I. playing to about fifty people in a tent that could hold 500. The stages on Water Street had huge crowds. It was sad to see this quality band playing for a few dozen people.

On another night, they were scheduled to play on Brady Street during Harley Fest in front of Mimma's Cafe. The stage was set up, but they were shut down before playing a single note. It was a permit error that kept the band from playing in front of what was sure to be hundreds of people.

This time, Independent Idols will be playing at a club called Live, next Saturday, Jan. 2nd. Will this be another near-miss, as the band is booked to play a club two days after everybody spends their cash on New Years Eve? Time will tell.

Turner Hall for gigs so small

If your band is on the rise, or on the decline, Turner Hall might be the right fit for you.
The Riverside Theater is too big for some emerging acts. The Pabst is the same. The same folks that manage both of those venues took over at Turner Hall.

It's a club that will make you feel like a star if two hundred people show up. The place is rustic, and open.

Acts like Juliana Hatfield, Alex Chilton, and Shawn Colvin perform there. One show that I would check out is .357 String Band on January 10th. Nothing is better than punk played with banjo.

Halloween is for lovers

I couldn't begin to suggest where to go and whom to see on Halloween night, but if I was forced into it, I would suggest Gwar at the Rave. That's a band that doesn't wait for Halloween to put on a great costume and spray everyone with fake blood.

Save the date for that gig, and get out there. Otherwise do the East Side thing and join the college crowd. It's a good time to take leave the car in the driveway and take a cab. You don't need Milwaukee's finest putting the cuffs over your Dracula costume.

Mobfest comes to Miramar theater

November 8th, the Miramar Theater will host MObfest. This one day event gives artists a chance to put themselves in front of industry heavyweights. There will be a paned discussion, and a select group of bands will get to perform in front of these reps. The "winner" will win some studio time.

Milwaukee Rock bands, and others will try to schmooze the record reps at a time when the industry is basically collapsing. They still need grain for the grist mill, so go on down and try your best to impress the important people.