CONCERT REVIEW: Thievery Corporation & Immortal Girlfriend (The Pabst Theater, Milwaukee)

Longstanding trip hop staples Thievery Corporation deploy a host of guest vocalists to fully realize their multi-layered sound during an engrossing set at the Pabst Theater.

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CONCERT REVIEW: Joe Jackson (The Pabst Theater, Milwaukee)

While still making time for new material, Joe Jackson looks back on four decades worth of hits and cult classics with a career-spanning retrospective at the Pabst.

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CONCERT REVIEW: The Wailers (The Pabst Theater, Milwaukee)

The surviving Wailers, along with some solid new recruits, celebrate Bob Marley's birthday in style with a soulful, warmhearted tribute show at the Pabst Theater.

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CONCERT REVIEW: They Might Be Giants (The Pabst Theater, Milwaukee)

They Might Be Giants bring over three decades worth of their kooky alternative rock to the Pabst Theater, up to and including their typically eccentric new album I Like Fun.

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CONCERT REVIEW: Future Islands & Milo (The Pabst Theater, Milwaukee)

Fresh of the release of their new album, The Far Field, Baltimore Synthpop sensations Future Islands bring a slow-burn set of dramatic, ethereal sounds to the Pabst Theatre.

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CONCERT REVIEW: John Carpenter (The Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee)

Legendary genre director John Carpenter makes his Milwaukee debut as a touring musician, much to the delight of his extremely passionate, soundtrack-loving fans.

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CONCERT REVIEW: Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear & Trapper Schoepp (The Back Room/Colectivo, Milwaukee)

Kansas City mother-son duo Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear take over "the Back Room", a new joint venture by the Pabst Theatre Foundation and Colectivo Coffee.

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CONCERT REVIEW: Beach House & Jessica Pratt (The Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee)

On tour behind their brand new Sub Pop release, Depression Cherry, Baltimore dream pop duo Beach House pull into the Pabst for an enjoyably mellow Monday night show.

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CONCERT REVIEW: Belle and Sebastian & Courtney Barnett (The Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee)

It's unfortunate that for some Belle and Sebastian will always be filed under the dubious category of "sad bastard music", in part because the long-standing Scottish outfit never really deserved their oppressive reputation for twee navel-gazing, but mostly because their recent output, admittedly sparse since 2006's The Life Pursuit, has been better suited for the dance floor than lonely bedroom contemplation. Yet while a mid-career change of pace should be expected from any group that sticks around as long as they have, the remarkable thing about this particular case is how organic it's felt from beginning to end. Instead of enduring a period of painful trend-hopping, Stuart Murdoch and company have had little trouble keeping pace with the indie-pop crowd they helped create, as evidenced by this upbeat Friday-night performance at the Pabst.

Warming up the crowd, an appropriately large one considering they haven't played Milwaukee in quite some time, was Australian artist Courtney Barnett, still fresh off the release of her debut studio album Sometimes I Sit and Think, and Sometimes I Just Sit. Her brand of likable, sun-drenched indie rock, propelled by some quirky, stream-of-consciousness lyrics, seemed to sit well with the audience, but at the same time didn't appear to have left anyone all that excited. Belle and Sebastian, on the other hand, had to do little more than walk onstage, silhouetted in miniature by an enormously projected video introduction, before they had everyone's undivided attention. The set that followed rewarded it, seamlessly blending both recent and classic material in a way that demonstrated the similarities between the two rather than their differences.

In addition to showing off several numbers from their new Girls in Peacetime Want to Dance, including lead-off single "The Party Line" and the catchy "Perfect Couples", the band, backed by a string section and additional singers, also delved deep into their back catalog. Most anything uptempo proved fair game, such as "I'm a Cuckoo" from 2003's Dear Catastrophe Waitress or The Life Pursuit's "Sukie in the Graveyard", but 1998's The Boy with the Arab Strap received some special, and much-appreciated, attention. Overall the show offered little to complain about, either in terms of substance or showmanship, but was especially impressive in its elegant balance of old and new. By now most listeners have probably decided where they stand with Belle and Sebastian, but a lively performance like this could hardly be considered depressing.

CONCERT REVIEW: Todd Rundgren (The Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee)

In popular music, there are a handful of different career arcs that artists tend to follow, stories that seem to repeat themselves time after time, and Todd Rundgren fits into precisely none of them, instead carving out a unique path that’s led him through a little bit of everything. He’s equally noteworthy as both a producer, with classics albums from Grand Funk Railroad, New York Dolls and XTC among his many credits, and a performer, dabbling in diverse genres from power pop to prog, and while he never quite achieved the same level of lasting mega-fame as some of his contemporaries, he’s remained remarkably prolific, releasing his 25th studio album, Global, just this month, and still enjoys a rabidly loyal following, who eagerly packed into the Pabst Theatre tonight to experience it live.

Considering the Runt’s mercurial reputation, it was difficult to know what to predict walking in, and the first surprise came when Dâm-Funk, the Stones Throw Records electro-boogie maestro that was publicized as the tour’s incongruous warm-up act, provided less of an opening set and more of an opening song, a version of his throwback slow jam “I Wanna Thank You for (Steppin into My Life)” awkwardly reworked to introduce Rundgren, who emerged with two dancers in tow and launched into “Evrybody”, Global’s lead-off track. The song, a dissection of modern life complete with Miley Cyrus name-check, is one of the record’s more conventional rockers and afterwards he seldom picked up a guitar again, leaving it to one-man band Dâm-Funk to provide the electronic textures that make up most of the rest of the album.

Rundgren’s current taste for EDM produces some truly strange results, an uneasy mix of new wave hooks, big beats and the boundless, quasi-spiritual positivity of rave that can either tip in favor of well-crafted pop, like the funky “Skyscraper”, or cringe-worthy message songs, as with the ponderous “Holyland”. There was also, of course, a handful of oldies for the die-hards (mostly middle-aged ladies, mostly dancing in the aisles), including the stylistically appropriate Utopia cut “Secret Society” as well as a medley of his 70s solo classics, like “Can We Still Be Friends” and “Hello It’s Me”, all updated with Global’s retro-futurist sheen. If altogether uneven, there were certainly moments of inspiration throughout the exhaustive two-hour show, and if it’s a curious direction for his career to take, well, what else would you expect?

CONCERT REVIEW: Interpol & Hundred Waters (The Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee)

Once again back in the good graces of critics and the public alike, Interpol justifies the recently renewed hyped with a strong, sold-out show at the Pabst Theatre.

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CONCERT REVIEW: Bob Odenkirk (The Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee)

Comedy legend Bob Odenkirk reinvents the run-of-the-mill book tour as a big, busy stage show in support of his new collection of humorous essays, A Load of Hooey.

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CONCERT REVIEW: Erasure (The Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee)

In addition to their expansive roster of past hits, venerable synthpop duo Erasure shows off songs from their brand new studio album, The Violet Flame, at the Pabst Theatre. 

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CONCERT REVIEW: The War on Drugs & Califone (The Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee)

Touring behind their new album, Lost in the Dream, acclaimed Philadelphia band the War on Drugs stops by the Pabst for an agreeable, but ultimately unimpressive, set.

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CONCERT REVIEW: Sylvan Esso & Dosh (The Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee)

Highly buzzed-about duo Sylvan Esso delivers a solid set to a packed house at the Pabst Theatre, but still ends up falling a bit short of justifying the outsized hype.

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CONCERT REVIEW: Jeff Tweedy (The Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee)

Despite having to deal with an overly affectionate crowd, Jeff Tweedy delivers an engrossing set of new material slotted alongside some acoustic Wilco classics.

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CONCERT REVIEW: Tracy Morgan (The Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee)

Notorious standup comedian and former Saturday Night Live cast member Tracy Morgan brings his uproariously smutty "Turn It Funny" tour to the Pabst Theatre.

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COMEDY REVIEW: David Sedaris (The Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee)

Though a bit like a bookstore appearance writ large, an evening with author and radio personality David Sedaris proves enlightening and, even better, extremely funny.  

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COMEDY REVIEW: Cinematic Titanic (The Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee)

Mystery Science Theater 3000 fans turn out in full force to bid farewell to the show's direct descendant, Cinematic Titanic, as the troupe hits the road one last time.

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COMEDY REVIEW: Marc Maron (The Pabst Theatre, Milwaukee)

Comedian and noted podcaster Marc Maron brings his acerbic, exasperated brand of stand up to the Pabst; hilarity ensues.

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