Welcome to November: Here's what's going on over the next 30 or so days in Milwaukee
There's a lot going on this month. Let us help you decide what to do.
Bruce Springsteen And The E Street Band
Welcome to November, a month for feasting on food and live entertainment in Milwaukee. Outside of Summerfest, you won’t find a more active month this year for great shows. There’s so much going on that you’re going to want to plan ahead. Here are some things to look out for.
They’re gettin’ the band back together!
One of the most anticipated shows of the fall has to be The Jesus Lizard Nov. 24 at Turner Hall—especially here in Milwaukee, where you can’t throw a rock without hitting at least three bands influenced by the highly combustible sounds created by David Yow and company. Will The Jesus Lizard be as crazy as it ever was, or will middle age tame its members? Such questions don’t apply to the other big reunion gig this month, The Cranberries Nov. 27 at Riverside Theater. The tour comes on the heels of lead singer Dolores O’Riordan’s second solo record, No Baggage, which came out in August. Apparently “baggage” does not include the previously defunct band she’s best known for.
Classic rockers sticking to the hits
One of the more interesting recent developments in the classic-rock touring business has been the chance to see albums played in their entirety in a live setting. Sometimes the results aren’t terribly compelling—see: The Cult playing 1985’s decent-but-by-no-means-landmark Love—but this month a couple of genuinely great records will get the in-concert treatment. Steely Dan brings its 1977 masterpiece Aja and its underrated predecessor The Royal Scam to Riverside Theater Nov. 13-14, in order to remind baby boomers how soulless they were in their late 20 and early 30s. The following night, Bruce Springsteen will perform “greatest rock album of all time” candidate Born To Run Nov. 15 at the Bradley Center, from “Thunder Road” up through “Jungleland.”
Hey man, is that freedom rock? Well, turn it up, man!
Say what you want about hippies, but it’s a good idea to keep them entertained lest you want roving gangs of dreadlocked white guys playing Hacky Sack in city streets. Fortunately, there’s plenty of stuff going on this month to keep the stoner in your life occupied. While The Black Crowes' latest, Before The Frost…, is merely okay in the same way every Black Crowes record since 1994 is merely okay, the band is always a killer live act, as it should demonstrate Nov. 7 at Riverside Theater. One of our favorite hippies in the world, Todd Snider, will bring his wise-acre folkie act Nov. 14 to Shank Hall behind this year's great The Excitement Plan. Later in the month, a jam-rock brouhaha could be in the works on Nov. 20, when the Medeski Martin & Wood show at the Rave/Eagles Club squares off against Widespread Panic at Riverside Theater. Of course, Widespread Panic is also playing Nov. 21 and 22 at the Riverside, so let’s not let this conflict harsh our mellow, okay?
Giggles and shits (or perhaps just a little pee on your underage female companion)
Speaking of conflicts, the biggest for comedy fans this month comes on Nov. 6, when Jerry Seinfeld at Riverside Theater squares off against Broken Lizard at Turner Hall. Not that the shows are directed at exactly the same demographics (or salary brackets), but it’s too bad that we’ll have to choose between a stand-up legend and an up-and-coming sketch-comedy group. One guy who takes a backseat to nobody in the comedy department—intentional or otherwise—is R. Kelly, who comes Nov. 15 to Milwaukee Theatre. While Kells isn’t really a comedian, Trapped In The Closet is funnier than anything Seinfeld or Broken Lizard have ever done. And we won’t even mention the videos he’s only “allegedly” made.
Other notable shows: J. Tillman, White Rabbits, The Fiery Furnaces, Brendan Benson/Cory Chisel, Dinosaur Jr., John Fogerty, Mason Jennings, Camera Obscura, Lamb Of God, MSTRKRFT, Trampled By Turtles, David Cook, Justin Bieber, Rob Zombie, A.A. Bondy, Sam Roberts Band, 3 Inches Of Blood/Saviours
