Thursday, March 3
Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band @ BMO Harris Bradley Center, 7:30 p.m.
Few artists of his generation carry more good will than Bruce Springsteen. That’s in part because Springsteen refuses to coast on legacy, as remarkable as that legacy is (his run of records from 1973’s Greetings from Asbury Park, N.J. through 1984’s hit-loaded Born in the U.S.A. remains one of the most impressive of any American recording artist). Springsteen continues to release a new album every few years, and many of them have been excellent, including 2005’s Devils & Dust and 2012’s rollicking Wrecking Ball, but more than anything it’s his concerts that continue to endear him to fans. They’re the stuff of legends, long, setlist-free marathons that keep building and building, delivering one fan favorite after another. He may be in his mid-60s, but the perennially youthful Springsteen is giving some of the best performances of his career.
Kacey Musgraves Country & Western Rhinestone Revue w/ The Cactus Blossoms @ The Riverside Theater, 7:30 p.m.
It seems fateful that Kacey Musgraves grew up not all that far from the part of East Texas where Miranda Lambert was raised, since Musgraves would go on to write a hit for Lambert (“Mama’s Broken Heart”) and garner plenty of comparisons to that country star as she became a star in her own right. After three commercially ignored independent albums, Musgraves finally released her breakthrough record in 2013, Same Trailer Different Park, an endearingly wide-eyed country album with a quaint, traditionalist streak. It earned plenty of acclaim even from publications that don’t cover much commercial country music, including Spin and Rolling Stone, which ranked the disc as one of 2013’s albums of the year. It also took home two big Grammy awards the following year, including one for best country album. Last year she released her similarly acclaimed follow-up Pageant Material, which was also nominated for a best country album Grammy.
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Friday, March 4
Gramatik w/ Jai Wolf and Brasstracks @ The Rave, 8 p.m.
Slovenian electronic artist Denis Jašarević, who performs under the stage name Gramatik, grew up on ’90s hip-hop, and was especially inspired by the crisp, jazzy beats of producers like DJ Premier and RZA. That’s not all that unique for a modern dubstep artist—most of them have at least some hip-hop in their DNA—but Gramatik distinguishes himself with his live shows, which on recent tours have included a live bassist, a sax player and a trumpeter, in addition to a kinetic visual display. The live-band setup helps him capture the thick, funky sound of his recent recorded output, including his 2014 free release The Age of Reason.
Saturday, March 5
Thoughts for Food Benefit Concert @ multiple Racine venues, 7:30 p.m.-2 a.m.
More than a dozen venues around Racine will host live music as part of the city’s 24th annual Thoughts For Food benefit for the Racine County Food Bank. A $15 ticket with two non-perishable food items ($10 in advance) gets you admission to every venue, and the vast lineup covers a variety of genres, including classic rock, blues, jazz, folk and metal—there’s even a Frank Sinatra/Dean Martin tribute act at The Racine Yacht Club, for those who are feeling swanky. No need to bring a car; four shuttle buses will transport patrons between venues.
“A Prairie Home Companion” with Garrison Keillor @ Milwaukee Theatre, 4:45 p.m.
An old favorite of the NPR crowd, “A Prairie Home Companion” host Garrison Keillor has spent the last 40 years illustrating the idiosyncrasies of life in the Midwest, whether it be via the fictional Lake Wobegon or through the character of Guy Noir, “private eye,” one of his more popular radio roles. He’s been on the air so long that it’s hard to imagine public radio without him, but now he’s preparing to pass the torch. This year, mandolinist Chris Thile will take over hosting duties for the retiring Keillor, who is being gradually phased out of the program he created. That means this appearance will be the last time Keillor hosts a recording of the show in Milwaukee, so see him while you can.
Kathleen Madigan @ The Pabst Theater, 7 and 9:30 p.m.
In a comedy scene where the breakout stars tend to be young, loud, crass, male or—more often than not—all of the above, Missouri stand-up Kathleen Madigan has managed to build a profile without being any of those things: She’s a low-key middle-aged woman with an understated, conversational style, and a gift for gently funny tales about her eccentric family in the spirit of David Sedaris. Frequent appearances on “The Tonight Show” have helped her build an audience, as did dual stints on “Last Comic Standing,” where she first competed in 2004 before returning as a talent scout. Madigan will be filming a new comedy special at these appearances at the Pabst Theater. You can read our interview with her at shepherdexpress.com.
Sunday, March 6
Rockabilly Chili @ MSOE Kern Center, 11 a.m.-4 p.m.
Each year there are dozens of chili cook-offs hosted around the city, many of them at local bars, and most of them pretty good. They all pale in comparison, however, to WMSE’s annual Rockabilly Chili contest, the station’s largest annual fundraiser and one of the largest chili celebrations in the Midwest. This year’s event features chili from nearly 50 area restaurants, including plenty of veggie options, as well as children’s activities, chili pepper races and music from the Kevin Fayte Rock Trio. The local hot sauce purveyors at Man’s Best Friend have created a special hot sauce for the event, too. It’s called La Salsa De Los Muertos (Salsa of the Dead) and is made from tequila-infused cherries. Remember to bring two non-perishable goods to donate to the Hunger Task Force and you’ll get two extra chili sampling tickets.
Monday, March 7
UFO w/ Steve Grimm @ Shank Hall, 8 p.m.
One of UFO’s best-known members, guitarist Michael Schenker, also of Scorpions, may have left the mothership a long time ago, but the seminal British hard-rock institution often cited as one of the forefathers of heavy metal has carried on, touring, re-releasing their classic albums and recording some new ones that have energized old fans. In 2009 they celebrated their 40th anniversary with the album The Visitor, and they’ve released a couple of new records since, including last year’s Chris Tsangarides-produced A Conspiracy of Stars.
Wednesday, March 9
Experience Hendrix @ The Riverside Theater, 8 p.m.
Though he’s remembered most as a rock icon, Jimi Hendrix had a profound influence on the blues as well. As a result, each year some of the biggest names in blues group together to form the most overqualified Jimi Hendrix cover band possible for the Experience Hendrix Tour. This year’s tour features next-generation blues icons Jonny Lang and Kenny Wayne Shepherd, the legendary Buddy Guy, Zakk Wylde, Dweezil Zappa, Eric Johnson, Noah Hunt and Ana Popovic, among others who will be joined by Jimi Hendrix Experience bassist Billy Cox. In various permutations, they’ll blaze through Hendrix’s signature songs, like “Purple Haze,” “Little Wing” and “The Wind Cries Mary.” (Also Thursday, March 10)
