Top Ten Stages From a Drummer's Perspective

As a drummer of 26 years, I have walked across so many stages here in Milwaukee and beyond. Some stages have been just a few inches off the ground, tucked away in a corner. Other stages have been so large that I got lonely while playing away, say at a summer festival. I want to take a moment to reflect upon my top ten favorite stages in Milwaukee (And a few extras.) Be advised, this top ten list does not mean that they are the ten BEST stages, just my top ten.

The Lost Dutchman's Mine 1983: I have to pick that one because it was my first club gig, and my first actual stage. The Lost Dutchman's mine was a club that looked like an actual mine. There was a groovy conversation pit, booths tucked into the walls, and fake support beams in narrow halls. The stage was a rotting pile of crap in the corner of the largest room of the bar. The lighting was red upon red. That red light helped to highlight the dirt colored walls. When I set foot in the very corner of the stage, I fell through a rotting plank. Still, it was a great place to play two note punk rock.

Teddy's on Farwell:

The stage was big, the club had lights, the second floor was used as a giant band room, and you felt like a rock star when you played there. The stage was at least three feet off the ground, and it was solid. That meant no swaying cymbal stands, and no wandering bass drums. This was before the fire, and change in ownership. Today, the stage faces to the west, and the club has a different name and feel. I can't say that I enjoy it anymore.

Zippo Rock Stage at Summerfest:

This was not the largest stage I have ever played on, but it's close. If you want to feel like a superstar, that stage will do the trick. Everything about the Zippo stage says "pro." All you have to do is get 2000 of your closest friends to fill the bleachers in front of the stage, and you are set. One year when we played there, we were a total of seven band mates with four belly dancers. There was room to spare. On another occasion, it was just the four of us, and I felt like I was miles away from my band. That's when you just have to play it up for the crowd, and hope that you come across as a guy having a great time, all alone on that big drum riser.

Trieste "Beer Hall" Italy, just west of Slovenia:

This was by far the largest stage I have ever played on. This "beer hall" was just west of the Italy/Slovenia border, close to Trieste. The venue was enormous, and included at least 50 heavy wooden picnic tables with matching benches. The stage was easily eight feet off the ground, and 70 feet wide. My band was a three piece rock outfit. We looked like dots to the folks on the other end of the building.

The Eagles Club:

We were one of the very first bands to play at the Eagles Club. That was back in 1986. For the next ten years, I would find myself on that stage every few months. Yes, the power went dead during some shows, and many times the mix was horrid. The club is large, and if you are lucky, you get to open for a national touring band. (This was before the days of pay to play at the Rave.)

The "35 House" basement:

I built my own riser at the "35 House." We had many house parties there. It was a huge basement, and our home base. Who could ask for more?

The Crystal Palace Ballroom:

This is another huge venue on Milwaukee's south side. At the height of my punk band's popularity, we found ourselves on the bill with bands like the Circle Jerks, DRI, and more. The Crystal Ballroom was not as big as the Rave ballroom, but it has better acoustics. The neighborhood didn't like the punk kids coming around, but that was in the 1980's. The new order was firmly established by then. They still have shows, but I must admit that I haven't been there in years.

The BBC on Farwell:

Yea, there is a support beam right in the middle of the stage. Yes, the stage is low and not square, but something about that place makes me happy. When I play there, the staff treats us like kings, and the fans are always in a good mood.

Miramar Theater:

The stage is perfect for large and small shows. If a small crowd shows up, move the gear to the front of the stage. If you have a big gig, move everything back. Load out is easy, there is a room for the bands to hang out, and the manager is a great guy. Milwaukee needs more Miramar Theaters.

The Pits, Kortrijk Belgium:

This stage was the smallest I think I have ever played on, and a show I always looked forward to when touring Europe. It's in a tiny bar, where the urinals are in plain view of the patrons as they enter and leave the club. They cover the windows with foam, and the P.A. system is run from behind the bar. The stage is so short that there is no elbow room for the drummer. It doesn't matter. The management treats you to a great meal before you play, and the tiny club fills up easily. The shows start early, so you get a chance to party after the gig ends.

If anyone wants to add to this "top ten" leave a comment.

Peter Murphy was a Pleasant Surprise

My friend Paul is in town from Pennsylvania. He's here for six weeks, and we are catching up on things. I was the second in line for an invitation to see Peter Murphy at The Rave in Milwaukee. We had a deal. He bought The Rave tickets, and I paid for a few drinks while there. Believe me, a couple of drinks at the Rave, and I had my ticket price covered.

There was no opening act for the show, and it seemed like the road crew was in no hurry to get the show started. I overheard a bartender say "are we having a show tonight or not?" It was that laid back. By the time Peter Murphy went on, there were no more than 350 fans in the crowd. No matter, the people that came out on a Sunday night were very happy to see him.

Some fans felt that his performance in Milwaukee was the best they have seen in years. I must say that as the night went on, I was amazed by his energy on stage. He worked the crowd, but more impressive was how he worked his voice. The guy hit the notes all night long. I might have heard one sour note, but it was nothing worth complaining about.

Another great thing was the mix at the Rave. How rare is it to go to that venue and actually hear everything clearly. This would be the first time in many years for me. Killing Joke comes to mind as the worst mix I had ever heard there. It was so bad at Killing Joke, that I thought it was another band altogether. It was so good at Peter Murphy that I pulled out my ear plugs for a few songs, just to get a full blast. His band was tight, and workmanlike.

What I liked best about the Peter Murphy show was his lack of pretension. The man just called it like it is. He skipped songs, added others, and even sang a couple cover tunes. As I was thinking that this guy is like a gritty David Bowie, he starts to sing Space Oddity.

His band was playing their last North American show on this tour, and Peter Murphy had the entire crew come out and take a bow. That was a nice touch. They work just as hard as the band, so why not give them props.

As the lights went up and the crowd cleared out, I ran a friend who we walked to her car. We got the usual aggressive demands for cigarettes when we got to our car, and after paying off the street hustlers with tobacco, we drove over to the Sugar Cane on Forest Home. Crazy, that Sugar Cane.

Gwar on Halloween

What a great show to go see on Halloween. Gwar will be coming to the Rave on Oct. 31st. I got sprayed with fake blood at that same venue, from that same band back in 1988. Gwar is a visual buffet to say the least. Costume after costume, cool licks, great music is all Gwar, all the time.

We played a show in Janesville last year. A dude came up to the stage and he was covered in paint. He had been to Gwar that same night, and he looked quited burned out. He still rocked hard at my show, but clearly, the first act he saw that night took the most out of him.

Imagine the costumes, the people, the fun at The Rave this Friday night. If you can't think of anything to do this weekend, you are already part of the undead. Be safe, and have fun.

Bob Dylan not playing the Rave this time.

The fans of Bob Dylan are happy to know that he is not playing at the Rave this time. He's has played there a number of times, and it is just not the best venue for his style and sound.

This time, he's playing in an old theater. That should make the show more acoustically favorable. When the house is full at The Rave, it is still an echo chamber. A co-worker commented on the fact that it is very rare when a band can get a good sound at the Rave.

For an artist like Dylan, I think it's better to have a place where the sound is absorbed by cloth seats, carpets, and an incline that can kill the echo. Dylan's catalogue is so enormous, that one could only guess which songs he will be playing on the night of November 6th.

I also think that most of the folks at the show will be above the age of 40. At least Bob shaved the pencil moustache. That hair thing was not appealing to me. Old guys should not try to pull off the stylish thin mustache. Grow the thing out first, and then see if it works. Sorry for the delay in any posts, I have been very busy doing my real job.

What to do after Summerfest

The Rave is a perfect venue for shows like the following event. Boys Like Girls, Good Charlotte, Metro Station, and The Maine will all perform on Wednesday, July 09, 2008 at 7pm. It's called The Soundtrack Of Your Summer. Words to describe this show: Pop Punk, Hooks, Melodic, garage band. If you are 12, or if you know someone who is 12, you may find this to be the best show of the year. It starts at the kid-friendly time of 7pm.

Good Charlotte was getting some major airplay back in 2002 with the song Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous. This hit song came to life in year four of the band's history. They were everywhere. MTV honored them with video of the year for said hit song. Aaron Escolopio, their original drummer decided to join Wakefild just before this CD was recorded. Various drummers picked up the slack, and contributed to the CD that went triple platinum.

Good Charlotte suffered from the third album blues with the release Chronicles of Life and Death. My guess is the album tanked when they decided to add strings, keyboards, and adult themes to their songs. It still boggles the mind as to how many bands depart from a solid formula on album number three, and go on to offend their fan base.

No worries, Good Morning Revival came on strong in 2007, and with some great Itunes promo, the cd started off in the top ten in many countries.

This event could have sold enough Marcus Amphitheater tickets if it were 2003, but the years have passed, and it's now a rave sized show.

The classic metal show Megadeath at The Rave

Megadeath plays the Rave on May 7th. Dave Mustaine, the red haired metal maniac will perform in the ballroom to what I am sure will be a large audience. Various musicians have come and gone, but Dave remains the face of Megadeath. Peace Sells, but Who's Buying set the tone in 1986. At first, that album was a small budget and poorly mixed effort. After signing on with a major label, that album was remixed and released. It sold over one million copies. It is now considered to be a landmark thrash metal album. I didn't know that Megadeath was a recipient of the Doris Day Music Award, for their speaking out against canned hunts. Dave Mustaine got sober in the early 1990's. They broke up for a short time in 2004, but reformed in 2004 and have not looked back. Tickets for the Rave show are still available at the time of this posting, but I'm confident that it will come close to a sellout.

Party on!

Jonas Brothers announced for Summerfest

The last night of Summerfest, the Jonas Brothers hope to fill the Marcus Amphitheater. I'm not kidding when I say "hope to fill". Can the Jonas Brothers even fill half the venue? Are you freaking kidding me? The Jonas Brothers "perform" at Summerfest, and they aren't at a side stage? What is Summerfest thinking? Yes, they sold out the Rave, but that's what, 4000 tickets? The Marcus Amphitheater seats 23,000. Marcus Amphitheater tickets will be easy to come by on that night. What a poor way to end the Summerfest run.

Mars Volta the new disk, will they come to Milwaukee

Mars Volta comes out with a disk in late January. I don't think that they have the following to play an Alpine Vally type of venue, but I think that it would be great to see them in the open air on some hot summer night. Their prog styling lights it up. I would think that Mars Volta would play The Rave again, if they come to Milwaukee this year. The picture above is not Mars Volta, they are just some Rock and Roll band.

Who would you like to see at...

Do celebrities draw too much attention when they show up at a show? I guess that it depends on the show, the size of the venue, such as a Bradley Center or Rave and how much of a distraction that person may be. I would certainly be distracted if a pro athlete showed up. Consider first their size. Many of them are tall and huge. They might stick out. Say for example, what if Donald Driver of The Green Bay Packers showed up at Points East last Saturday night. He'd be the biggest guy in the club. How does a band compete with that? That's why I'm all for the celebrity zone at a club. They get to relax, and the distractions are few.

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.

The Rave review

A comment on my blog (who reads my blog??) prompted me to quote someone who describes a show at The Rave (in Milwaukee) to a T. Pure torture
This is a quote of Citysearch
09/23/2006 Posted by whatmeworry2
Eagles ballroom has the worst sound of any venue [I have] been in. It's a big oval room with all hard surfaces, so it's like being in a big echo chamber. You have to stand near the back wall to have tolerable sound. The Rave has OK sound, but the night I was there, it was easily 90 degrees inside, no ventilation, no AC. Granted, this the day after a heat wave, but the low the night before was in the 60's. Open a window already! Both venues offer little seating, pack you in like cattle, and charge $6 for a beer. For some shows to get people in they give out passes: buy two drinks up front and get in "free". They charge $20 for the two drinks. I pity the person that buys two tickets to a show here, pays the ticketmaster extortion fees, parking, and two drinks. For two people, you're looking at $100 to see a c-list band.

I think this guy has it on the money. My guitar player used his "free" two drink minimum tickets to see a "d" list band and spent $80 on the drinks in total. Are you feeling me? Good luck to Turner Hall!

Turner Hall opens tonight.

Dear God, please help make Turner Hall a success. I don't normally ask you to do harm to any person, place or thing, but Milwaukee needs Turner Hall. We need more venues to take that size crowd. Think of it as a Rave venue downtown, with the backing of Pabst and Riverside theater style management? I also heard that a few local bands had shows there. If you can't fill that place up, it would feel pretty silly to stand there amongst 17 fans in a very large, cool looking hall. Back to Turner Hall's line up. To open the new venue, Josh Rouse, his band & Maria Taylor from Azure Ray will start the ball rolling. All tickets just $15 bucks.

Another local venue, Turner Hall

Milwaukee Turner Hall is now booking shows. The same guy who runs the Riverside theater is running Turner Hall. I suspect he's trying to compete with the Rave market. Turner Hall is not huge. At least this venue is in a good location. Don't get me wrong, The Rave is a cool place visually, but it's an echo chamber and (in my opinion) a fire trap. Here's to you Turner Hall. I hope some great bands take advantage of the new venue.

Switching Venues at the last minute

I think that venue switching can really screw up people's seating arrangements. According to the twin cities tickets blog, Lyle Lovitt switched venues at the last minute, and 30 of the first row fans would have to be moved to another row. How is that fair? Sometimes, you see that happen at The Rave, where a band is moved from The Eagle's Club room to The Rave. That is easy since there are no seats in The Rave. But when you lose an assigned seat, what are you going to do?

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.