Tuesday, March 30, 2010

Steve Martin Riverside Theater Blue Grass Show


Steve Martin is bringing his blue grass show to the Riverside Theater on April 20th. Yes, Mr. Martin is a comedian. In fact, I find that his books are very funny. Cruel Shoes comes to mind when I think of one of his better efforts. He's always played banjo, on top of being very funny. The Riverside Theater Milwaukee is a great venue for his show. I wonder if he played his comedy routine there many years ago?
The band baking him up is called the Steep Canyon Rangers. The tour starts in Detroit on April 19th. At least our friend Steve Martin will have one warm up gig before coming to the Riverside Theater.




Wednesday, March 24, 2010

Live Show at Milwaukee Bucks Games?


The Milwaukee Admirals had the Dropkick Murphys perform after their hockey game. It was a huge success. Would the Milwaukee Bucks do anything like that? Probably not.

The NBA has so much more control over what teams do as far as promotions. A minor league hockey team is not nearly as high profile as the NBA. With that being said, would Bucks Tickets sell at a faster pace if the NBA allowed the Bradley Center management to have a live band perform just after the game?

The Bucks are a small market team. Revenue streams of any kind should be explored. Not to mention, you could draw new Bucks fans if you match up the right bands to play live. Some say that it's not needed. If you ever go to an early season Bucks game, you might disagree. The seats are empty in the upper levels for games on weeknights. Why not have a band play after the game.

Wednesday, March 17, 2010

Binky Tunny Last Show | We Will Miss Them


Binky Tunny is a band that I have followed since 2005. I first saw them play at a club in Sheboygan. We were the opening act. I remember that their guitar player had purple and yellow striped pants, and Binky played a Budweiser guitar. I later found out that she was sponsored by Bud.

It seemed that once I noticed the band, they were everywhere. I saw them at a church festival, Heartbreakers, the BBC, and of course Summerfest Milwaukee. They were what you would call a working band.

I must admit that it was hard to keep up with the line up changes. In those five years, they went through two guitar players, two drummers, and four bass players. Sometimes, you would see the band with seven people on stage, other times just three. No matter, it was always fun.

According to the Binky Tunny website, this is the last show. They are releasing a CD on the same night. Par for the course that Binky would release a disk and then shut the band down. I kind of like that idea too. They are offering up something for posterity, and saying goodbye for free at the Bomb Shelter on March 27th. I love free shows. I'll miss Binky Tunny and the Farmland Chokehold.

Monday, March 15, 2010

Justin Bieber Summerfest Marcus Amphitheater June 27th

Justin Bieber will perform his three popular songs on June 27th at Summerfest. This one has me wondering what the heck is going on with the booking of Marcus Amphitheater shows. I understood the two night Petty fest. I understand the three nights of country music, seeing that the Waukesha republicans need someone to see at Summerfest. Really? Justin Bieber as a headline act?

Wednesday, March 10, 2010

Verge Festival Milwaukee June 4 and June 5 at Summerfest


It's officially titled Verge Festival. It's June 4 and 5, 2010 on the Milwaukee Summerfest grounds. The picture to the left is from the other Verge Festival that featured music, and art. Don't get confused by the two. The naming contest is over, and someone didn't check that this was already in use? Anyway.
This reasonably priced festival has already booked some of their headline acts. Who's coming? The "Preliminary Lineup" includes Three Days Grace, Eagles of Death Metal, Crash Kings, She & Him, The Wildbirds, and more.

On day #2, it's Weezer, AFI, Revision Text, and Geri X. Tickets go on sale starting this Friday. $40 gets you in for the entire weekend. Verge Fest plans to have more headline acts in the coming weeks. I suspect that only a portion of the Summerfest grounds will be open for this festival. The Marcus Amphitheater seating for this show will most certainly be used. Will a headline act fill that venue all the way to the lawn? Probably not. Will they use the M & I stage? Most likely.
There is no website for the festival just yet. The announcement came by way of the Summerfest site. With 18 total hours of festival to book, you have to think that there will be a total of 35 bands at most. This is a guess on my part.
Weezer is a band that plays the Rave on a regular basis. Buddy Holly came out what 16 years ago? There must be some bigger, or perhaps more modern headline acts to come. AFI is listed as an "alternative rock band" on Wikipedia. They have been around since 1991. I suspect that the Saturday line up will improve with some fresh musical acts. Just give those Summerfest booking agents some time. They will come through. Again, this vestival is not to be confused with the other Verge art and music festival that took place last August.

Wednesday, March 3, 2010

Tom Petty Summerfest Tickets Might Be An Easy Buy


With the Tom Petty Summerfest tickets in high demand last season, the powers that be found a solution to that by having him play two nights in a row for 2010. I doubt that this is the real reason that Petty gets two nights, it's just that he's so darn popular here in Milwaukee. He loves to play Summerfest and there are rumours that he plans his tour around the date. Tom Petty will be here on June 25 and 26.
Tom Petty's first album came out way back in 1976. The album as self titled, and peaked the U.S. charts at 55. His next album jumped another 20 spots in the charts, and then he hit double platinum with his Damn The Torpedos release in 1979. He released four albums in the 1980's, three of which cracked the top ten. He took a break between 1991 and 1999 then released Echo, which peaked at spot #10. His latest work is titled Mojo, and has yet to chart. As crazy as things can get in the music business, his highest charting single was not a Tom Petty song, but Stop Draggin' My Heart Around with Stevie Nix.