This Week in Milwaukee: Nov. 9-15, 2023

Here are the Milwaukee events we are looking forward to coming up this week.

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Margarita Fest 2023 at Tripoli Shrine Center, Milwaukee Theater Week, two nights of Zach Pietrini, Veterans for Peace – Armistice Day event at Milwaukee City Hall, Guitars for Vets at The Bend, Brad Mehldau Trio and more—This Week in Milwaukee!

Thursday, Nov. 9

Grace Weber ft. B~Free, Klassik and Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra - Milwaukee Theater Week concert @ Pabst Theater, 7:30 p.m.

Grammy-award winning artist Grace Weber with openers B-Free and Klassik, and a special collaboration with the students of Milwaukee Youth Symphony Orchestra, kick off Milwaukee Theater Week. From Nov. 9–19, Milwaukee’s performing arts groups and entertainment venues will aim to raise awareness of Milwaukee’s world-class performing arts scene while encouraging visitors to take advantage of discounts and incentives through the inaugural Milwaukee Theater Week. More info here: visitmilwaukee.org/mke-theater-district/events/mke-theater-week.

Friday, Nov. 10

Zach Pietrini @ Var Gallery, 7 p.m. (also Saturday)

As Zach Pietrini winds down a Midwest tour, he plays a pair of shows at Var Gallery. Friday finds the singer-songwriter performing solo with guest Paperback Hero. Saturday Pietrini performs with his band. Back in 2019 he released an EP thanks to the generosity of a fan who enabled a Denver recording session: shepherdexpress.com/music/local-music/zach-pietrini-gets-a-little-help-from-a-fan.

Guitars for Vets w/Chris Kroeze and Jesse Tyler Frewerd @ The Bend (125 N Main St., West Bend), 7:45

In 2015, Chris Kroeze began a busy stretch of playing over 175 shows a year and creating a large and loyal fan following. That popularity soared in 2018, when he appeared on NBC’s “The Voice,” making it all the way to the finals in a runner-up finish. His vocal and guitar skills, combined with a small-town charm, led to Kroeze to become the most streamed artist in the show’s history.

Opener Milwaukee-based singer-songwriter and veteran Jesse Frewerd will release his new song “Soldier Coming Home” on Veteran's Day.

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Jessica Vosk: My Golden Age @ Sharon Lynne Wilson Center, 8 p.m.

Jessica Vosk is a celebrated singer and actress known for her electrifying performance on Broadway as Elphaba in Wicked, as well as her starring roles in Fiddler on the Roof and Finding Neverland.She made her Carnegie Hall debut in November 2021 in a sold-out solo show and had a triumphant return in 2022 to headline “Get Happy: A Judy Garland Centennial Celebration.” 

My Golden Age is an evening of music and stories and features works from Andrew Lloyd Weber to Stephen Sondheim to Leonard Cohen while paying homage to the likes of Barbra Streisand, Bette Midler and Judy Garland.

Saturday, Nov. 11

Margarita Fest 2023 @ Tripoli Shrine Center, 2 p.m. 

It's Margarita Madness in Milwaukee! The Shepherd Express is hosting the 6th Annual Margarita Fest on Saturday, Nov. 11 at the Tripoli Shrine Center. 

Come on out and sample from Milwaukee’s best margarita-makers and vote on your favorite margarita! We'll crown a winner at the end of the night! Try the best margaritas in town while dancing to a mariachi band with our partners at Fred Astaire Dance Studio and fill up with some of the best food trucks in town.

VIP Guests receive early access to the event (2 to 3 p.m.), glasses, and complimentary drink trays to conveniently carry multiple samples at once. Tickets info here: shepherdtickets.com/events/142144593/margarita-fest.

The Chapelle Show Ft. Wave Chapelle w/Micah Emrich x Duwayne, Emmitt James, & dak duBois @ The Cooperage, 7 p.m.

The Cooperage presents a full night of entertainment ranging from hip-hop artist and Milwaukee Bucks musical ambassador Wave Chapelle, genre benders Micah Emrich x Duwayne and Emmitt James, to dak duBois’ funk-driven jammy overtones.

Jeff Tweedy @ Pabst Theater, 7 p.m.

Wilco frontman Jeff Tweedy returns with his third book, World Within a Song: Music that Changed My Life and Life that Changed My Music. The book is a reflection on fifty songs that have enhanced his own craft and impacted the way he remembers his past. The conversation on the transportive power of music will include a few acoustic performances.

Greg Cartwright and the Good Nights w/ Sugar Stems @ Cactus Club, 10 p.m.

While the matinee benefit show for Lee Olson is sold out, Greg Cartwright (The Reigning Sound, Compulsive Gamblers) pulls a double shift with this late show. Back in 2006 Cartwright was in town to produce an album by locals The Goodnight Loving. Here is as good a night as any to see what the garage-soul record maven has up his southpaw sleeve. Dusty Medical Records label mates Sugar Stems open.

Sunday, Nov. 12

Nuncrackers @ Milwaukee Rep, through Jan. 7

“Christmas time is nunsense time.” So goes the opening number to the delightfully wacky, ferociously funny and high-energy celebrationNuncrackers. Everything that can go wrong, does. (shepherdexpress.com/culture/theater/ferociously-funny-nuncrackers-at-stackner-cabaret) And that makes the zany antics all the more delightful for the audience: power outages, stolen presents, mixed-up Christmas songs (“Here We Come-a Waffle-ing”) last minute replacements for the Sugar Plum Fairy. You get the idea. But it’s so much funnier to see onstage, given this highly talented cast.

 Monday, Nov. 13

Women Pulling at The Threads of Social Discourse @ Jewish Museum Milwaukee, through Dec. 31

The inspiration behind “Women Pulling at the Threads” arises from the gendered history of textile and fiber art, traditionally categorized as “women’s work.” Historically, these methods were employed for crafting practical household items, often sidelining the artistic potential they harbored.

This exhibit strives to overturn such assumptions by showcasing the ability of textile and fiber art to communicate potent messages about present-day social and political matters.

Tuesday, Nov. 14

Brad Mehldau Trio @ Bradley Symphony Center, 7:30 p.m.

One of the most lyrical and intimate voices of contemporary jazz piano, Brad Mehldau has forged a unique path, which embodies the essence of jazz exploration, classical romanticism and pop allure. His forays into melding musical idioms, in both trio (with Larry Grenadier on bass and Jeff Ballard on drums) and solo settings, has seen brilliant re-workings of songs by songwriters like The Beatles, Cole Porter, Radiohead, Paul Simon, Gershwin and Nick Drake; alongside the ever evolving breath of his own significant catalogue of original compositions. With his self-proclaimed affection for popular music and classical training, “Mehldau is the most influential jazz pianist of the last 20 years” (The New York Times).

Wednesday, Nov. 15

Jackopierce @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.

Jack O'Neill and Cary Pierce, the “Jack O” and “Pierce” who make up the duo Jackopierce, are celebrating 30 years of making music. Formed in 1988 in Dallas as theater students at SMU, the duo steadily made a name for themselves, especially with two of their signature tracks, “Vineyard” and their version of the classic “Please Come to Boston.” They released 10 studio albums, two for major label A&M.