Outside of big concert halls like The Rave, Milwaukee’s lack of all-ages venues leave angst-fueled suburban pop-punk teenagers with nowhere to see their favorite bands. This year was especially bad for those all-inclusive music clubs, as two smaller DIY spaces, The Borg Ward and Lucky Cat, were both shut down. Add in last year’s shuttering of Cocoon Room and Milwaukee has lost three dedicated all-ages venues in quick succession and no other establishment has stepped up to replace them.
That makes touring festivals like Warped Tour so important to the city’s musical landscape. It offers an oasis for younger music fans to see what they’ve been missing in one fell swoop and also acts as a one-stop shop to pick up fashion necessities like buttons, stickers and t-shirts.
Warped Tour returns to Henry W. Maier Festival Park, 200 N. Harbor Dr., on Tuesday, July 26 for an entire day of punk music filled more than 70 bands across seven stages, including Good Charlotte, New Found Glory, Waka Flocka Flame and 3OH!3. Doors open at 11 a.m.
The festival, which somewhat poetically turned 21 this year, finds itself at a crossroads, faced with the difficult task of blending the old and new. As an attempt to please adults that grew up spending their summers at Warped Tour while also bringing in a new generation of fans, remnants of pop punks past share the stage with future stars. Bands like Less Than Jake, Sum 41 and Yellowcard satisfy the nostalgic old folks, while up-and-comers like The Heirs, Against The Current, The Maine and Masked Intruder represent the new guard. That balance is a crucial factor in keeping the festival alive. The full stage guide is available here. Tickets can be bought at the box office or are available for advance purchase here.
Sunny Day Real Estate frontman at Shank Hall
As an alternative to Warped Tour, the heart-on-sleeve frontman of defunct first-wave emo pioneers Sunny Day Real Estate plays Shank Hall, 1434 N. Farwell Ave., on Tuesday, July 26, as well. Jeremy Enigk hasn’t released an album since 2009’s OK Bear, but the singer successfully crowd-sourced the necessary funds for a forthcoming record—one incentive for donating was a handwritten lyric sheet.
Video of the Week
NO/NO’s debut full-length Sound and Light is a revelatory experience. Awash in synthesizers and reverb-laden vocals, the album brims with bright tones and even brighter hues—the feeling conjures a late-night Riverwest dance party in a basement lined with streamers and Christmas lights. Directed by Surgeons in Heat bassist Ryan Reeve, the colorful music video for single “Television” doubles down on those neon-tinged aesthetics and delivers a vibe that’s equal parts intricate headphone music and unstoppable pump-up jam.
This Week in Live Music
Tuesday, July 26: Warped Tour at Henry W. Maier Festival Park, 11 a.m. ($36.75) – (200 N. Harbor Dr., VansWarpedTour.com)
BØRNS with Lewis Del Mar and Beau at the Pabst Theater, 8 p.m. ($18 advance; $20 door) – (144 E. Wells St., PabstTheater.org)
Also: Jeremy Enigk with Into It. Over It. (solo acoustic) at Shank Hall, 8 p.m. ($20) – (1434 N. Farwell Ave., ShankHall.com)
And: Halsey with Oh Wonder at The Rave, 7:30 p.m. ($37-$42) – (2401 W. Wisconsin Ave., TheRave.com)
And: Fivy with Chakara Blu and Offsite at Cactus Club, 8 p.m. ($5) – (2496 S. Wentworth Ave., CactusClubMilwaukee.com)
And: Sidekick with The Brain and Holy Shit! at High Dive, 10 p.m. (FREE) – (701 E. Center St., HighDiveMKE.com)
Wednesday, July 27: The Baseball Project with The Wooldridge Brothers at Walker’s Point Anodyne Coffee, 8 p.m. ($15) – (224 W. Bruce St., AnodyneCoffee.com)
Thursday, July 28: Ra Ra Riot with Paper Holland at Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m. ($18) – (1032 N. 4th St., PabstTheater.org)
Also: Marc Cohn at the Pabst Theater, 8 p.m. ($29.50) – (144 E. Wells St., PabstTheater.org)
Friday, July 29: The Mosleys with The Cow Ponies at Linneman’s Riverwest Inn, 8 p.m. ($8) – (1001 E. Locust St., Linnemans.com)
Also: Mic Kellogg with Pizzle, Queen Tut and El Shareef at Cactus Club, 9 p.m. ($7) – (2496 S. Wentworth Ave., CactusClubMilwaukee.com)
And: The DUIs with All the Wine, Annalise Curtin at Kochanski’s Beer Hall, 8 p.m. ($5) – (1920 S. 37th St., Beer-Hall.com)
Saturday, July 30: Twenty One Pilots with MUTEMATH and Chef’Special at BMO Harris Pavilion, 7 p.m. (SOLD OUT) – (200 N. Harbor Dr., PabstTheater.org)
Also: D2G with Ashley Laschelle, D.Son, Christal Luster, Mr. Talented, AR Wesley and Yung Satori at Riverwest Public House, 8 p.m. ($5 advance; $10 door) – (815 E. Locust St., RiverwestPublicHouse.WordPress.com)
And: Brady Street Festival featuring Devil Met Contention, The Pukes, New Boyz Club, Hayward Williams and more, 11 a.m. (FREE) – (Brady Street between Van Buren Street and Farwell Avenue, BradyStreet.org/documents/20-brady-st-festival-)
Sunday, July 31: Body Futures with OUT, Hungry Man and Petrillo at Cactus Club, 9 p.m. – (2496 S. Wentworth Ave., CactusClubMilwaukee.com)
