Saint Vincent Pabst Theater Milwaukee Review

St. Vincent is early in her latest tour, and supporting the new Strange Mercy album. She stopped at the Pabst Theater last night, and I wondered if a Monday in Milwaukee would mean a sparse crowd. Yes, the balcony was closed off, but by the time that her opening act finished her set, the lower level was full. The lights went out, Annie Clark came out, and the crowd cheered her on before the first note filled the theater. The band opened with Cruel, and they played songs mostly from her new disk. They diverted along the way to play three tracks from The Actor, and a cover who's title escapes me at the moment. Backing Clark was a pair of keyboard players and a drummer. This was quite different from the last tour, where we were entertained by violin, keys, and a small woodwind assortment.

Strange Mercy has at least six solid songs on it, and I had no doubt that those tunes would carry over well in a live setting. What surprised me was how much I liked the softer, deeper tracks. The song Strange Mercy came across so much better live than what I have come to know on the disk. I also loved the short and sweet interactions that she put forth between songs. She left the crowd little to dwell upon but the music, and that makes her even more mysterious as a person. Once again, a few drunk males shouted out the usual "I love you" crap, but she played it off, if acknowledging them at all.

To me, the best part of the evening was her opening number during the encore. She came out and sang The Party with just keys backing her up. She revealed to the crowd an operatic vocal power that required her to back away from the microphone when she closed out the song. I will not soon forget that moment in the evening, as that alone was worth the price of admission.

Throughout the eventing, I did feel that she was holding back a bit on her solos, but still pulled them off well enough. I don't need convincing that she's got serious guitar chops; I just wish that she would have torn the heads off of those in the orchestra pit with at least one killer solo. My concert partner wished she would have played Paris is Burning, but alas it was not to be. Perhaps next time for both items on our list.

Strange Mercy by St. Vincent | Strange Teaser Videos First

The first Strange Mercy teaser video involved young women talking directly into the camera and saying things like "Is you hair supposed to look like that?" The next video shows newborn kitties and a somewhat curious mother cat keeping an eye on the camera. Where is St. Vincent leading us? Teaser video is right. Finally, why did Annie Clark record this new album in Dallas? I'm scared.

St. Vincent Follow Up Album Titled Strange Mercy

The track list of the new St. Vincent album titled Strange Mercy reveals nothing more than words. Recorded at 4AD studio, I must say that it looks like the right environment for Ms. Clark. Milwaukee will be the third stop on the tour, and they are playing at the Pabst Theater.
As Ms. Clark had to record most of the tracks to her second album in her apartment, she was forced to keep the volume levels down. Did she restrict herself to that same quiet creativity on the new album? We will all find out on 9/13.

St. Vincent Turner Hall Milwaukee Poster

I hung the St. Vincent poster up in my office today. I can’t believe that it’s been eight months since that Turner Hall Milwaukee show. Still, it was one of the best live performances that I have seen in many years. It was even better, as my friend Jay came along. He’s a music encyclopedia.

St. Vincent Turner Hall Milwaukee Show

Wildbirds and Peacedrums opened for St. Vincent. I know that because it will be hard to forget that duo. When St. Vincent took the stage, I would guess that there were less than 750 people in the audience. I think that the size of the crowd made for a better show. The last thing that I wanted was to be sandwiched by people. I made it to the front of the stage with relative ease.

The St. Vincent poster was cheap; selling these works of art at $15 each is such a great idea. The low price made it much easier to spend extra cash on a frame.

I first saw St. Vincent on Austin City Limits in the dead of winter past. I only caught two songs, but I got hooked. A young coworker of mine saw them perform at the Pabst Theater just a few months prior. Her mention of that show stuck in my head, and when surfing the dial I stopped just in time to see them perform The Party, from the album titled Actor.

So here I am with the largest, most bare wall in my office, now the recipient of one superb poster. I await new works from St. Vincent, and hopefully another chance to see them play live once again.

Kansas and "The Symphony" Play the Pabst Theater

I asked my neighbor if she's going to play her violin for Kansas and the The Symphony. She usually gets to play at those touring shows. When The Moody Blues, or Styx come to Milwaukee, she gets the call to play the violin parts for the band. Usually she plays along with a group of ten, or up to thirty violinists. This time, if she wants to see the band, she will have to buy a Pabst Theater ticket. She did not get the call to play. When I asked her about it, her husband smirked. Apparently, everyone has been asking her about it.

Kansas will be playing with a Symphony Orchestra. The Pabst Theater is a small venue. I would expect to see the symphony at the back of the stage. They will probably put them on risers too.

Kansas should have great acoustics when they play at the Pabst Theater. The venue is almost round in nature, instead of being rectangular. Even when you sit in the balcony, you feel like you are directly above the artists on the stage. The date for that show is April 11th. Just think, you could start your day off at Miller Park, and then head over to the Pabst Theater. It's sad to think that she won't be playing the cool violin part to Dust In The Wind.

Les Paul, more guitar!

Les Paul is over 90 years old. His museum is soon to be built. He's still rocking out here in Wisconsin, starting with a show coming up on June 21st at the Pabst Theater. Les Paul, in a way, can be heard every time someone straps on an electric guitar. One of his first attempts at a guitar incorporated a rail from a train track. It didn't take much more tweaking and testing before he came upon the right formula for the electric guitar. He doesn't play too many shows, but they are well attended. Now, if you ask me, Les Paul should have a show for the Summerfest fans. That's a hometown hero that can showcase some of the best that Wisconsin has to offer. Less cover bands and more Les Paul is what I say.

Flight of the Conchords

Coming to the Pabst Theater is one of my favorite "shows." Flight of the Conchords, from HBO.

Jemaine and Bret from New Zealand are the sole members of the band named Flight of the Conchords. They struggle to find fame in New York City. Their songs are clever, hilarious, and topical. They land at the Pabst Theater on May 11th. Cheer on Jemaine and Bret as they bring the Kiwi sounds to Milwaukee.

Rilo Kiley at The Pabst Theater

Rilo Kiley comes to Milwaukee on Friday, May 23rd. It's a general admission show, so I'm fighting my way up to the first ten rows for sure. On the CD, Under The Blacklight, you will find the drummer to be playing some interesting hi-hat notes. Two former child actors are in the band: Jenny Lewis and Blake Sennett. When I listen to a Rilo Kiley CD, I hear songs that are fashioned to fit Jenny Lewis' vocal range. That's a good thing. We don't want singers trying to be something that they are not. With that, the song Dreamworld is sung by Senntt, as far as I can tell from the liner notes. Another interesting thing I hear on this disk is the bass drum. I have spent many a day in the recording studio, and I would love to know how they managed to capture the bass drum sound on the cd. It feels live, real, and mighty-good. Yes, the "B" side songs come up rather quickly, but that's ok. The world is full of B-side songs.

Jenny Lewis gets more recognition than the rest of the band. That's bound to happen. But when Sennett got his chance to shine, he certainly did. There are lots of guest musicians on this disk. The list includes Jackson Browne.

The Pabst Theater is a great venue for this show. See you at the Pabst on May 23rd.

What's up with Turner Hall?

Turner Hall's Ballroom has settled into its own now. Funny thing, I don't know ANY of the bands coming through the venue. I must be getting old. Ok, perhaps I know a couple of the names on the website, but not many. That means nothing really. Just because I don't know who the bands are at Turner Ballroom, doesn't mean that they aren't popular acts. As long as they bands keep coming, I'm sure to find a reason to go to a show at Tuner Hall Ballroom. They have the same booking manager as The Riverside and Pabst Theater. That's a plus. The Riverside management has access to touring acts that just don't fit in the larger venues, but would be a perfect match for Turner Hall.

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.

Feist the band

I picked up the Feist disk, The Reminder. Yes, the Ipod Commercial got to me. The hit song (in my opinion 1,2,3,4) is buried down half-way into the disk. You gotta love the Bacharach style horns in that tune. I don't quite understand how the label picked the order of the songs. Song #1 is pretty dark, then it picks up for a while. What's up with the experimental vocal mixes? Some of those vocal mixes took away from Feist's power. The drum mixes were solid. The kick drum was pulsing through my truck. If Feist makes it to the Pabst Theater or Riverside Theater, I'll consider making a go at attending.

Dust in the wind and Kansas brings 38

Just announced: Kansas comes to the Pabst Theater with a huge orchestra. I'll guess the demographic on that one is 45+, white, and living the 70's. Speaking of 45+ and white, Bon Jovi just announced a Bradley Center date. February 21st Bon Jovi rolls into Milwaukee. Bon Jovi could play here every month and still not satiate the thirst of their devoted female fans. I'm going to go forward in time. It's 8 degrees outside, and the ladies are lining up to see that short guy sing hits from nearly three decades back.

Ghost town in Milwaukee next Thursday

My boss has to entertain friends this coming Thursday. He asked me to search all the larger local venues for something to do. I started with The Pabst Theater and worked my way down to Shank Hall. Nothing. If he was talking about a Friday night, there are plenty of things to do. They Might Be Giants are in town. The Music of Led Zeppelin performed by the MSO on Friday and The Wallflowers are in town on Saturday night. If you are touring the country, I guess Milwaukee is the last place you want to be on a Thursday night. Speaking as a touring musician (over the years), I wanted to be in large cities on those off nights. That increased your chances of a good crowd. Ok, I found something to do on Thursday. Get a Milwaukee Admirals ticket. They actually play Houston on Thursday.

Favorite Venue in Milwaukee for shows

For those of you who have been to most of the larger venues in Milwaukee and S.E. Wisconsin, I present to you my list of venues and opinions.

Riverside Theater: I have sat all over that place and my favorite spots are center section, past the first six rows, and the first four rows in the balcony. Side sections ruin the show for me because you can see into the wings.

Milwaukee Theater: The first three sections in the center are great. The whole place is great!

Marcus Amphitheater: Trust me, move back beyond row N in the center and you will hear a better show. Side sections can be awful. Beyond the lawn, at the top can be cool too. Beer stands are up there.

Bradley Center: Skip that place unless you MUST see your all-time favorite band when they come to town. Can you say echo chamber?

Alpine Valley: Huge, it's huge, it's huge! But, if the weather is nice, the lawn can be just that. Sleep off the beers while everyone escapes the parking lot, and the show is much more fun.

The Rave: I haven't been there since 1998. I hope I never have to go there again. I used to play in that venue quite a bit, but as a paying customer, forget it. It's a trash bin.

Pabst Theater: Classy, old, but nice. I'd go there anytime for any show.

Wisconsin Music Man out.

Willie Nelson at The Pabst

On the road again....is Willie Nelson. He's here at The Pabst Theater on March 24th. A country music Icon to say the least. I think he's had that same guitar strap since 1976. He may have had tax troubles, weed issues and the like, but this guy is no polished country fake. You will only see this guy on GAC. So what's the deal, does he shave every other month? No matter, his music is what I dig. You better get down to see Willie Nelson before he retires.