Thursday, December 27, 2007

Slowing Down for the holidays

I must admit that I have been busy watching the Green Bay Packers. More so than keeping on top of the Wisconsin music scene. We have seen a lull in the concert announcements too. Looking forward, we have a Billy Joel Milwaukee show, Van Halen, Trans Siberian Orchestra and more. 2008 in Milwaukee is shaping up nicely.

Thursday, December 20, 2007

WWVHD What Would Van Halen Do?


Van Halen's last tour stop is Milwaukee Wisconsin. Their tour wraps up on April 7th at The Bradley Center. Now, does the band pull out all the stops for their last show? Does Van Halen tick off the days on the tour calendar, look at Milwaukee, and think screw it, I'm done. This all comes about because the Van Halen tour was extended. I suspect that the band had planned to extend this tour based on ticket sales. Sales were good, so the band added dates, and Milwaukee was one of them. If you have nothing left to give, why not leave everything on the Bradley Center stage. I'm going to get an upper level ticket and watch the spectacle.

Tuesday, December 18, 2007

Goo Goo dolls on ice


January 5th, The Goo Goo Dolls play before the Milwaukee Admirals game. This is a get-butts-in-the-seats promotion that the Bradley Center does at regular intervals. I think it works well. The Goo Goo dolls will be playing in front of kids that have never seen them before. The Bradley Center sets up a stage on one end most times, but since this show is before the game, one can wonder if they will set up the stage on center ice? Considering the way that The Milwaukee Bucks are playing, the Dolls could stick around for that game too?


Monday, December 17, 2007

Hannah Montana, is that a real person?


It's one of those shows where I feel obligated to post. Hannah Montana will be at the Bradley Center on January 13th. Her CD is a whopping $16.90. The face value of the show is reasonable. The Bradley Center held 1000 tickets aside for fans. Thank goodness for the Jackie Coogan law. Otherwise, Miley's cash might be burned up before she turns 18. That is if Disney corp. actually pays her a fair wage for this dreck.


Monday, December 10, 2007

Rain at The Riverside Theater


Sunday, March 2nd @ 8pm The Riverside Theater you will find the show Rain. As I write this post, The Beatles are playing on the radio. Ok, I don't want to seem jaded, but here goes: If you put on mop top wigs you are not The Beatles. If you put on marching band uniforms and round wire rim glasses, you are not The Beatles. If you play their songs note for note, broadcast video footage, have pretty lights, etc...you are still not The Beatles. I'm not a huge nostalgia fan. Don't get me wrong, I love seeing old bands. They have to be the real thing though. I have seen Gary Numan play many times. His only hit in America was back in 1981. Still, I'm watching Gary Numan, not some guy dressed up like Gary Numan. Same goes for Emerson, Lake, and Palmer. When the band "3" played at Billy's Old Mill, I was watching Keith Emerson, and Carl Palmer. Sorry you Beatles fans, I just can't accept this event. Once you put fakes up on a stage, you have lost me. To quote Mark Lewis of Rain " The five members of Rain, each a huge Beatle fan himself, use the Beatles' albums like textbooks, constantly referring to them to ensure the songs performed live include every harmony, vocal tone, chord inversion, hand clap, cowbell, string arrangement - even possible good. That's why Rain's music meets the expectations of audiences who know the Beatles' music subconsciously." If the members of Rain were good enough to impress Beatles fans with their renditions of the real Beatles without the wigs and lights, then I would give them their due. If the musicians were actually themselves, not dressed up as a look-alike AND sound-alike band, I would have no problem with Rain. This picture isn't Rain, but you get my point. Looking back is fine. Living in the past is not fine.

Friday, December 7, 2007

Billy Joel at The Bradley Center


Piano Man Billy Joel comes to The Bradley Center on March 2nd, 2008. This makes the third baby boomer show for The Bradley Center in 2008. Billy Joel fancies himself a "Rock" musician. That's a stretch. He's a pop singer. Sorry Billy, you have a string of hits longer than Wisconsin Avenue, but they are all pop songs, or piano ballads. My wife saw Billy Joel at the Marcus Amphitheater a very long time ago. She went because her friend begged her. That friend drank too much at the show. At the end of the night, that friend walked face first into a bus door. It was not good. Back to BJ. He has an angry look about him when he sings. I wonder if he smiles when he's at home. Will BJ sell out? I think so.

Tuesday, December 4, 2007

Asia at the Pabst Theater




Asia comes to the Pabst Theater on April 23rd. I happen to like Yes, and ELP, but I do not like Asia. Perhaps it was the time, but Asia doesn't seem to have the qualities of Yes or ELP. Heat of the Moment is a perfect example. It's weak. At least they had a place in the movie 40 Year Old Virgin. If you want to see Carl Palmer, check him out in the Carl Palmer Band. He's down to earth, the band is super tight, and you get to hear ELP tunes in a new light.