Photo Credit: Olga Baczynska
Beirut
Travis Scott, John Maus, Beirut and Mike Krol highlight a busy week for Milwaukee concerts.
Thursday, Feb. 21
Tyrese w/ Ginuwine @ Miller High Life Theatre, 7:30 p.m.
Tyrese has been recording slow-jam-centric R&B since his 1998 debut, though these days he’s better known for his on-screen work, thanks to his reoccurring role as Roman Pearce, the comic relief in the Fast and Furious film franchise. He’ll share this concert with one of the great R&B hitmakers of the turn of the century, Ginuwine, whose bass-heavy “Pony” remains a party staple, even as his recent records have mined the slower vibe of softer hits like “Differences.” Along with fellow R&B singer Tank, Tyrese and Ginuwine have toured and recorded as part of the R&B supergroup TGT.
New Power Generation @ Potawatomi Hotel & Casino, 8 p.m.
Prince was known for mixing things up throughout his career, but there was one set of backing players he always came back to: The New Power Generation, his longest-serving live band. They backed the funk icon from 1990 to 2013 before rejoining him for his final studio album, 2015’s Hit n Run Phase Two. Prince served as their de facto frontman on many of their own records, and following his death in 2016 they reunited, touring in his memory.
Beirut w/ Helado Negro @ The Pabst Theater, 8 p.m.
With his expansive indie-pop project Beirut, singer-songwriter Zach Condon has documented his travels around the globe through a series of grandly composed albums that imagine a worldlier Neutral Milk Hotel. Each of his albums has retained the wandering spirit of his 2006 debut Gular Orkestar, including his newest, Gallipoli, released this month on 4AD. Named for the Italian town where its title track was written, it features some memorable Farfisa organ work from Condon, as well as his usually lavish, semi-orchestral accompaniments.
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Friday, Feb. 22
Travis Scott w/ Sheck Wes @ Fiserv Forum, 8 p.m.
In the span of just a year or so, Houston rapper Travis Scott signed deals with Epic Records, Kanye West’s GOOD Music and T.I.’s Grand Hustle label. It’s easy to see what they all heard in him. Few rappers have demonstrated a better grasp of the rap radio zeitgeist than Scott, whose pairs grippy hooks with moody, sometimes avant-garde production. That approach paid off handsomely on his 2016 sophomore album Birds in the Trap Sing McKnight, which featured collaborations with Young Thug, The Weeknd and Toro y Moi among others, and it paid off even more on this year’s Astroworld, a critical breakthrough that brought Scott even more respect. The website Uproxx crowned the album the best of 2018, claiming that it “single-handedly put to bed any notion of trap music not being a respectable music genre.” Scott cemented his star status with a controversial Super Bowl Halftime cameo, disappointing supporters of Colin Kaepernick by performing at an event many of rap’s A-listers had blacklisted.
The Hullmen w/ Man Random @ Circle A, 8 p.m.
The Milwaukee trio The Hullmen prefer their rock ’n’ roll straight forward, in the direct, confrontationally sleazy spirit of garage-punk predecessors like The Stooges and The Cramps. Their riffs drive skyward, even as their lo-fi production values keep the songs planted firmly in the mud. They’ll share this “Alive at 8” early show at Circle A with the Milwaukee pop-punk group Man Random, who will be celebrating the release of their new six-song EP Brighten Up. Recorded with Telethon’s Erik Atwell at that band’s home studio, it pairs hard emo riffs with the cheeky spirit of classic Lookout! Records acts like Screeching Weasel and early Green Day.
Things That Go Ding! @ Skylight Music Theatre, 7:30 p.m.
A decade after it was first staged as a cabaret show in the Skylight Bar & Bistro, percussionist Michael “Ding” Lorenz’s hybrid concert/theater/comedy/variety show Things That Go Ding! makes its debut on Skylight’s Cabot Theatre stage. The performance showcases Lorenz’s enormous collection of vintage and modern percussion instruments, with the help of pianist Jamie Johns and Skylight Music Theatre’s Artistic Director Ray Jivoff. Lorenz has been involved with Skylight since 1972, performing in more than 130 productions. (Runs through Sunday, March 3).
Saturday, Feb. 23
Shorewood Sayonara @ Shorewood Legion Hall, 3 p.m.
Even many neighbors probably missed the news earlier this year that Shorewood’s North Shore Legion Post #331 was up for sale. Unless you’re a regular or love fish frys, it’s an easy property to overlook. But for Milwaukee’s metal and hardcore scenes, the venue holds a special place: It was one of the few concert halls that regularly hosted all-ages shows. At this marathon concert, dubbed the Shorewood Sayonara, 11 bands whose members played shows at the Shorewood Legion hall will say farewell from 3 to 11:30 p.m. Highlights include Wings of Scarlet, Knaaves, Ara, Too Pure To Die, High Gallows, a reunion of Once For All and the first Forever is Forgotten show in 14 years. They’ve reunited with their original lineup and members are flying in from San Diego for the show.
Sunday, Feb. 24
2Cellos w/ Jon McLaughlin @ Fiserv Forum, 8 p.m.
As 2Cellos, the Croatian duo Luka Šulić and Stjepan Hauser treat the cello not only as a classical instrument, but also as a rock one—rearranging both classical standards and pop and rock staples. The group’s 2017 album Score includes memorable covers of songs from Schindler’s List, Chariots of Fire, The Godfather and, most dramatically, a medley of “Game of Thrones” music. It’s an act conceived for maximum virality, and 2Cellos have achieved that goal, clocking well more than 750 million views on YouTube.
Monday, Feb. 25
86’d: Battle of the Bartenders @ Marcus Center, 7 p.m.
Milwaukee’s bartenders are constantly declaring themselves the best or most innovative, but this event will give some of them the chance to prove it once and for all. The inaugural “86’d: Battle of the Bartenders” is a “Chopped”-style championship that pits several of the city’s most notable bartenders against each other through multiple elimination rounds. Participants include: Alex Carroll, of The Outsider and This Is It!; Michelle Hoff from Doc’s Smokehouse; Paul Oemig of Phoenix Cocktail Club; and Kevan Yenter from Easy Tyger. Judges include restauranteur Joe Bartolotta.
Wednesday, Feb. 27
John Maus w/ Apollo Vermouth @ Turner Hall Ballroom, 8 p.m.
Of all the performers recontextualizing the synth-based sounds of the 1970s and ’80s, few have achieved more acclaim that John Maus, whose intellectual posture sometimes overshadows the obvious humor in his music. Maus built his own modular synthesizers for his 2017 album Screen Memories, which he followed up with a more lighthearted companion piece last year called Addendum that makes the humor even more transparent. “Dumpster Baby” may be among the most transparently ridiculous songs he’s ever written. Credit Turner Hall Ballroom for drumming up some great local support for this show: Milwaukee ambient-pop songwriter/composer Apollo Vermouth opens.
Mike Krol w/ Steve Adamyk Band and Platinum Boys @ The Back Room at Colectivo, 8 p.m.
Milwaukee native Mike Krol prefers his garage-rock with a generous dose of quirk—it’s a safe bet that he probably listened to his share of Devo and The Thermals back in the day—but he’s also a savvy enough songwriter never to let whimsy stand in the way of a great riff. On his new, second album for Merge Records, the aptly titled Power Chords, the Los Angeles-based rocker shares some of his biggest, catchiest guitars yet. (For the completist, in 2017 Merge also compiled Krol’s first two independent records into a compilation called Mike Krol is Never Dead.)
