What’s this? A list of shows? A list of summer shows? Yep! After what seemed to be an endless winter that gave way to a busy spring, summer is finally upon us. The season officially starts next week, and it offers no shortage of worthwhile concerts, comedy shows, and other forms of live entertainment. Not even counting the massive list of local festivals happening in and around the city, here are a handful of the standout summer shows we’re looking forward to in the next few months.
Monday, June 22
Nick Shoulders @ Falcon Hall
The timeless, tireless, and tremendously talented Nick Shoulders is breathing new life into traditional southern music with his outstanding voice (as well as his distinct yodel and top-notch whistling), guitar picking, and fiddling. About nine months removed from the release of his latest album, Refugia Blues, Shoulders will return to Milwaukee—a city that’s thankfully been on his tour itinerary regularly in recent years—to perform at Falcon Hall.
Tuesday, June 23
Tommy Stinson @ Cactus Club
It isn’t very often that a founding member of The Replacements plays an intimate show at a beloved Bay View club. But it’s happening on Tuesday, June 23. Don’t miss your opportunity to see Tommy Stinson performing at Cactus Club. Tickets and square footage are limited, so act fast.
Sunday, June 28
Milwaukee Record’s WNBA Watch Party: Minnesota vs. Dallas (w/ Genesis Renji Halftime Show)
Milwaukee Record has partnered with Cactus Club and WYNK to bring you multi-faceted WNBA watch parties. Once a month, we’re highlighting a specific game that will be shown (with sound on) at Cactus Club, both on the bar’s televisions and on a projector in the back room. There will be specials on WYNK and Pacifico (and you’ll get a ticket when purchasing either brand for a raffle that will be held after the third quarter). DJs will play music during commercial breaks. We’ve also lined up some halftime entertainment for you. Come watch the Minnesota Lynx and Dallas Wings with us and catch a free halftime performance by Emmy-nominated rapper, producer, and WNBA super fan Genesis Renji.
Monday, June 29
Sincere Engineer Acoustic Performance and In-Store Signing @ Lilliput Records
A few days after appearing at Summerfest, Sincere Engineer’s Deanna Belos will play a free all-ages in-store performance at Lilliput Records followed by a signing of the band’s new album, Probable Claws, at Lilliput Records. You can RSVP here.
Thursday, July 2
Direct Hit! + Elway, Tired Radio (solo) @ MKeUltra
Elway, the Colorado-based punk project that shares its name with a certain Hall of Fame quarterback who bested the Packers in Super Bowl XXXII (we still don’t want to talk about it!), is embarking on a summer tour that will begin right here in Milwaukee. “The Morale Is High” tour will kick off with a show at MKeUltra on Thursday, July 2. The veteran Red Scare Industries band will be preceded with a solo set by New York-based Tired Radio and followed by a rare performance by Direct Hit!, a Milwaukee outfit that’s worth the price of admission on its own.
Saturday, July 4
Sparta + War On Women @ Cactus Club
Just over a month removed from releasing its sixth studio album, Cut A Silhouette, veteran rockers Sparta will swing by Milwaukee for an intimate Independence Day outing at the cozy confines of the Cactus Club. War On Women opens.
Saturday, July 11
Death Cab For Cutie + Jay Som @ Miller High Life Theatre
In 2024, indie rock royalty Death Cab For Cutie joined forces with The Postal Service—another Ben Gibbard aural endeavor, of course—for a memorable performance at Miller High Life Theatre. On July 11, 2026, Death Cab will return to the massive Milwaukee venue in support of the band’s just-released album, I Built You A Tower. Jay Som opens.
Friday, July 17
The Strokes + Cage The Elephant, Thundercat @ American Family Insurance Amphitheater
Let’s keep this real simple: The Strokes will play Milwaukee’s American Family Insurance Amphitheater on Friday, July 17. They’ll be joined by Cage The Elephant and Thundercat. There you go. The Strokes rule. They have a new album coming out soon called Reality Awaits.
Friday, July 17 through Sunday, July 19
Godfrey @ Milwaukee Improv (5 shows!)
Beyond being an actor, TV talking head, and former 7-Up pitchman, Godfrey has been performing stand up comedy for decades. The tireless, accomplished, and pretty damn funny comedian will heat up The Improv in nearby Brookfield with a total of five performances spread over three mid-July nights.
Friday, July 17
Wavves + Bass Drum Of Death, Worlds Worst @ The Argo
Make your way to Whitefish Bay and soak up the psych-tinged indie rock sounds of Wavves, who are coming to the region a few months removed from releasing its king size deluxe album Spun. They’ll be joined at The Argo by Bass Drum Of Death and Worlds Worst.
Saturday, July 18
Death Valley Girls @ Anodyne’s Walker’s Point Roastery
So-called “L.A. mystic-rock mainstay” Death Valley Girls are no strangers to our fair city. They’ll return on Saturday, July 18 for a headlining performance at Anodyne Coffee’s Walker’s Point Roastery.
Saturday, July 18
Midwest Mudfest: Triple Threat @ The Cooperage
Adding to the allure of mud wrestling taking place on the Boone & Crockett Patio and inside the Cooperage, Midwest Mudfest will also feature live music from Chicago’s Bussy Queen Power Trip and a potent trio of Milwaukee acts including Sex Scenes, Chapped Lips, and The Cult Of Nasty.
Sunday, July 19
Dillinger Four + The Slow Death, Constant Insult, Hellcat @ X-Ray Arcade
When you’re presented with an opportunity to see Minneapolis punk greats Dillinger Four in the greater Milwaukee area, you take it! Don’t miss your chance to see D4 head up an X-Ray Arcade bill that also features The Slow Death, Constant Insult, and Hellcat.
Monday, July 27
Aimee Mann + Kimon Kirk @ Pabst Theater
The Monday immediately following her appearance at Eaux Claires festival, Aimee Mann will head east from Eau Claire to take the stage at Milwaukee’s historic Pabst Theater as part of the Grammy-winning singer-songwriter’s “Bachelor No. 2 Album Tour.” Kimon Kirk opens.
Saturday, August 8
Juvenile & The 400 Degreez Band @ The Rave / Eagles Club
Have you ever been listening to long-tenured multi-platinum NOLA rapper Juvenile (of “Back That Azz Up” fame) and thought, “Man, this would be even better if Juvenile was accompanied by a live band” to yourself? Well, you’re in luck! On Saturday August 8, Juvenile and his “400 Degreez Band” will take the stage at The Rave. Go to the State Fair a different night and check this out instead!
Thursday, August 14
Modest Mouse + Califone @ Riverside Theater
We have bad news for people who hate good news (did we do that right?). Influential indie rock vets Modest Mouse just released a new record—the excellent An Eraser And A Maze—and they’re hitting the road for a headlining tour in support of said album. Float on over to Riverside Theater to catch Modest Mouse and openers Califone on Thursday, August 14.
Friday, August 15
American Football + Afternoon Bike Ride @ Turner Hall
Despite originating in not-all-that-far-away Urbana, Illinois, American Football hasn’t exactly frequented Milwaukee. In fact, we’re pretty sure the celebrated purveyors of math rock-tinted Midwest emo has never performed in the city. That’s all going to change on Friday, August 15 when Mike Kinsella and company come to Turner Hall Ballroom to play songs from its new self-titled album and its three other (also self-titled) albums.
Friday, August 15
The Championship + Lessons @ X-Ray Arcade
Formed in 2004, The Championship was one of the bright spots in Milwaukee music for much the aughts and a portion of the 2010s before the band’s production and live outings quietly-yet-considerably slowed as new musical endeavors and other real world distractions pulled focus from the project. We’re not sure whether to call it a “reunion” or just the first performance in a long, long time, but we’re pleased to report The Championship (including some long-departed members) will be returning to the stage on Friday, August 15 to play material from its four great records at X-Ray Arcade. Lessons, a new project featuring former members of The Promise Ring, Maritime, and Decibully, will open.
Friday, August 15
Tori Amos + Bartees Strange @ Riverside Theater
The iconic and inimitable Tori Amos doesn’t make her way to Milwaukee very often. If our math is correct, her 2022 performance at Bradley Symphony Center broke a 13-year gap between Milwaukee shows. Thankfully, it won’t be another baker’s dozen of annals, as Amos is scheduled to return to town to play Milwaukee’s beautiful Riverside Theater on Friday, August 15. The great Bartees Strange will open things up.
Thursday, August 20
Gladys Knight @ Pabst Theater
Just shy of a year removed from coming to Fiserv Forum as a fourth of “The Queens” tour that also featured Patti LaBelle, Chaka Khan, and Stephanie Mills, the great and timeless Gladys Knight will return to Milwaukee to perform at Pabst Theater.
Thursday, August 20
Ron Funches @ Turner Hall
We’ve been longtime fans of the incomparable Ron Funches—recapping two previous Turner Hall appearances and interviewing him back in 2017—and, like much of the world lately, we’ve loved seeing him on the most recent season of The Traitors as one of our favorite…well, no spoilers. Despite being fans of his work in the realms of television—reality or otherwise—and his extensive TV/movie voiceover résumé (including BoJack Horseman, Adventure Time, Harley Quinn, Trolls, Inside Out 2, Bob’s Burgers, and more), we’re eagerly awaiting the opportunity to watch Funches get back on stage to do what he does best.
Friday, August 21
The 4th Annual Emmitt James Big Band BBQ @ Turner Hall
The ever-active Emmitt James is always up to something, but since the hip-hop/jazz musician moved back to his native Milwaukee from Los Angeles just over four years ago, his annual “Big Band BBQ” has pretty much been his Super Bowl. After three successful installments at Third Space Brewing, the four annual affair will bring a 20-piece band (!!!) to Turner Hall for a can’t-miss performance.
Thursday, August 28
The Copyrights + The Brokedowns, Avenues, M545 @ X-Ray Arcade
The pride of Carbondale, Illinois! The Copyrights manage to ably blend punk rock swagger and intensity with criminally catchy melodies and anthemic hooks. That combination has helped the band endure for almost 25 years. They’ll return to X-Ray Arcade for a can’t-miss Cudahy bill that also features The Brokedowns and local support from Avenues and M545.
Friday, September 11
Kacey Musgraves + Midland @ Fiserv Forum
Hot off the heels of releasing her sixth studio album, Middle Of Nowhere, Grammy-winning singer and songwriter Kacey Musgraves is embarking on an arena tour. That aptly-named “Middle Of Nowhere Tour” will bring her to Milwaukee’s Fiserv Forum on Friday, September 11. Midland will open.
Friday, September 11 through Sunday, September 13
Sam Tallent @ Milwaukee Improv (5 shows!)
Colorado comedian Sam Tallent has toured relentlessly across North America and Europe, amassed TV credits on Comedy Central and Viceland, and his debut novel (Running The Light) has garnered favorable reviews from literary critics and inspired kind words from fellow comics like Marc Maron and Ron White. Tallent—who has become something of a Milwaukee regular the past five years—will return to the region for five shows at the Milwaukee Improv in nearby Brookfield spread over three late summer nights.
Sunday, September 13
Peaches @ The Rave / Eagles Club
The irreverent, influential, and all-around iconic Peaches will come to Milwaukee on Sunday, September 13 to treat The Rave to cuts from her new album, No Lube So Rude, along with other material from her raunchy, raucous, and undeniably dance-y catalog.
Friday, September 18
Mondo Lucha! @ Turner Hall
Since starting in 2008, Mondo Lucha has brought high-flying wrestling action, burlesque dancers, and live music to its annual Turner Hall showcase. Along the way, the variety show has managed to work with renowned pro wrestlers, sell out numerous shows, and become a must-attend Milwaukee event. The beloved local variety show returns to its familiar ballroom haunt Friday, September 18!
Sunday, September 20
The Bouncing Souls + The Suicide Machines @ The Argo
Punk legends The Bouncing Souls are still at it after all these years. Not only is the seminal band—which has been active since 1989—still touring, they’re continuing to write and release new music. On Sunday, September 20, they’ll help Milwaukee (and nearby Whitefish Bay) say farewell to summer in memorable fashion when they come to The Argo in support of their months-old Born To Be album. Michigan ska-punk vets The Suicide Machines will open.