Plenty of big shows are headed Milwaukee’s way (just check out the first two months at the Fiserv Forum), but few will delight EDM fans more than not one, but two electronic festivals coming next month. The inaugural Jawbreaker Festival is set for October 27 and 28 at the Wisconsin Center, and will feature heavy hitters like Zedd, Odesza, Louis The Child, Milwaukee’s own RCKT PWR and Crystal Knives, and more. Then, on October 28, Freaky Deaky fest will return to Milwaukee and set up shop at The Rave. The lineup for that show has yet to be announced.
Now for someone who probably isn’t delighted by the news: David Halbrooks, a former assistant city attorney who got really bent out of shape about last year’s Freaky Deaky fest.
Halbrooks, who specializes in code enforcement (and who is currently representing “notorious Milwaukee landlord” Elijah Mohammad Rashaed) had some choice words about last year’s shindig, which was held at the Wisconsin Center. In multiple letters to the downtown convention center, Halbrooks wrote:
“People die at EDM events. People die because of drug use. EDM may appear to be music events to you and me. They are not. They exist for one main reason, to accentuate the drug-use experience.”
“Trust me, you do not have anyone in your organization who knows anything about putting on one of these events. If you did, I know you wouldn’t be doing an EDM event at all.”
“At least I can say I tried to save this person’s life. I’m not going to stop. I’ll help ‘dead kids’ parents,’ by turning over all my research to them and prosecutors.”
“The event went on without any major issues,” notes the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel.
Halbrooks’ crusade against electronic music dates back more than 25 years. In 1992, he brought charges against 910 people who were busted at Milwaukee’s infamous Halloween “Grave Rave.” Those charges were later dropped.
(EDIT: Halbrooks was also involved in this year’s Miramar Theatre licensing dispute. Back in 2005, he was among the lobbyists who fought to keep a House of Blues out of Milwaukee.)
Death and drugs and the drug-use experience notwithstanding, Jawbreaker tickets are available now. Freaky Deaky tickets have yet to go on sale.