Brews and Beats: Milwaukee’s Guide to the Best Concert Venues

When it comes to live music, Milwaukee is a gem. As the largest metro area in Wisconsin, the city serves as a major stop in the Midwest for tours of all sizes. Concerts in Milwaukee range from stadium and arena tours to smaller, more intimate shows at historic venues — some of which date all the way back to the 19th century.

Below, we’ve rounded up four of the can’t-miss live music and entertainment venues in Milwaukee.

Fiserv Forum

Address: 1111 Vel R. Phillips Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53203

Box office hours: Show days: 12:00 p.m. (or 3 hours prior to the show, whichever is earliest) to approx. 1 hour into the show; Saturdays: 12:00 p.m. to 4:00 p.m.

Located right in the heart of downtown Milwaukee, Fiserv Forum has been the home court of the NBA’s Milwaukee Bucks since it first opened in 2018. The multi-purpose arena holds 18,000 fans when stars like Ariana Grande, Jonas Brothers, John Mayer and Tim McGraw come to town on tour.

American Family Field

Address: 1 Brewers Way, Milwaukee, WI 53214

Box office hours: Monday to Friday: 9:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Saturdays: 9:00 a.m. to 3:00 p.m.; extended hours for special events

American Family opened in 2001 to replace the now-demolished Milwaukee County Stadium as the home of MLB’s Milwaukee Brewers. The stadium boasts a retractable roof, a capacity of nearly 42,000 and has recently seen everyone from P!nk and Billy Joel to Morgan Wallen and George Strait take over the venue.

The Pabst Theater

Address: 144 E Wells St., Milwaukee, WI 53202

Box office hours: Tuesday to Friday: 12:00 p.m. to 6:00 p.m.; Show days: 2 hours prior to show time

As the fourth-oldest operating theater in America, the famous Pabst Theater first opened in 1895 and has seen artistic greats like the pianist Sergei Rachmaninoff, Russian prima ballerina Anna Pavlova and Academy Award winner Laurence Olivier perform on its stage. The traditional proscenium theater seats 1,339 attendees and has more recently been the venue for performances by Lucinda Williams, Grace Potter and Andy Grammer. Fun fact: the Pabst also contains a historic organ designed by M.P. Möller that provided accompaniment for movies in the silent film era.

Riverside Theater

 

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Address: 116 W Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee, WI 53203

Box office hours: Open only on show days starting at 12:00 p.m.

Just blocks away from Fiserv Forum, Riverside Theater is a concert hall on the banks of the Milwaukee River. The 2,450-seat venue opened to the public in 1928 and was designed by architects Charles Kirchhoff and Thomas Rose — who also designed New York City’s Palace Theater. Comedians including Trevor Noah, Chevy Chase and Randy Rainbow have all recently hit the stage at the Riverside, and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra regularly performs there as well.

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