New Concert Announcements

It is the season for reunion tours, but will we see Milwaukee concert dates?

The Spice Girls Reunion, Led Zeppelin, and The Cure all have announced at least one show in upcoming months. Tickets have not gone on sale yet for any of them, nor will Milwaukee see any of these as I write this. It was cool seeing The Cure play the Marcus Amphitheater years ago, but "Boys Don't Cry" from a 48-year-old Robert Smith scares me a little?

Looks like the Led Zeppelin show is a total rumor which has been hot and cold for years. In the time it took me to write this entry the rumor from earlier this week was shot down by Zeppelin singer Robert Plant at a press conference. Funny.

Wicked Tickets still tough on the pocketbook!

As the Tony's are now behind us for the year, and "Spring Awakening" won the award for Best Musical, there still are a ton of people looking to see Wicked the Musical, which tells the untold story of the witches of Oz, as it tours the country and of course, continues it's stand on Broadway.

In my neck of the woods, Wicked tickets are selling like mad for the run at the Ford Center for the Performing Arts, Oriental Theatre. At this time, there isn't a final performance date.

From my experience, you may have some luck buying Wicked tickets for the Tuesday, Wednesday or Thursday performances.

Waited too long for Bon Jovi Tickets?

As the Brew City Ticket Guy, I may have not held up my end of the bargain on this Bon Jovi show at Milwaukee's Summerfest July 5. Looks like it falls under a "ya snooze, ya loose" umbrella. There are very few Bon Jovi tickets in the secondary market. People who have the tickets want to keep them; they aren't looking to make a quick buck and sell them to brokers or online on ebay or craigslist.com. These are die-hards who will see Bon Jovi no matter what!

Looks like 'no matter what' will include a quick pre-concert, pre-new-album-release, stint at rehab for Bon Jovi guitarist Richie Sambora (or as I know him, Denise Richards' first ex post-Charlie Sheen divorce).

Very few times am I at a loss for words, but when it comes to advise on buying Bon Jovi tickets, I just don't know what to say. You might be livin' on a prayer.

Country Act Brad Paisley coming to Milwaukee!

The rumors were swirling for the last month or so, with postings on pollstar.com saying country superstar Brad Paisley would be coming to town with American Idol-castoff Kellie Picker (and her new girls). Recently confirmed, Brad Paisley, Taylor Swift and Kellie Pickler will play the Marcus Amphitheater in Milwaukee on Saturday, August 25th at 7:30p.

Brad Paisley tickets go on sale through Ticketmaster on Saturday, June 23rd at 10a cst. It looks like ticket pricing is from $20-$43 before the "extra" charges.

File under, "Didya Know?"; Paisley is married to actress Kimberly Williams of "Father of the Bride" fame. Brad Paisley's last two albums (non-Christmas themed) have gone double-platinum!

Rage Against the Machine coming to Alpine Valley!

The rumors are true…Rage Against the Machine is coming to Alpine Valley on August 24! But get this—it’s their ONLY Midwest stop this summer.

The band—known for both their distinct hip-hop/funk/hard rock sound and their strong political convictions—split up back in 2000 after 9 years of performing together. The band members have reunited temporarily for a number of summer gigs and have even launched a new website--leading many people to believe the short-term reunion might be something much more permanent.

There is also a lot of speculation that the band will be making a big announcement at the concert. Some are saying they’ll release a live album taped at the Coachella Music Festival, where they performed back in April. Others are guessing they will be releasing some new studio material or perhaps announcing officially that the band will be reuniting for good.

Regardless—big Rage fans are going to want to make the trek to East Troy. Queens of the Stone Age will be opening the show.

Rage Against the Machine tickets will go on-sale Saturday, June 16 and will be available through Ticketmaster.

Concerts at Wisconsin State Fair Park

In case you weren't aware, the Wisconsin State Fair Park has made some significant improvements in recent years to their concert venues. Namely, the Miller Lite Main Stage on the Wisconsin State Fair grounds. The seating is better, making room for more quality seats for the shows, although with some of the shows aimed at the younger crowd, you may want to sit in one of the first rows on the elevated seating, to ensure they can see above whoever is in front of them, as the seats on the track are not elevated.

For this summer, the 2007 line-up includes:

Wisconsin State Fair Concert

Thursday, August 2: Doobie Brothers with Kansas

Friday, August 3: Countryfest with Gary Allan

Sunday, August 5: George Jones

Tuesday, August 7: Lonestar

Wednesday, August 8: Corbin Bleu and Drake Bell with Jordan Pruitt

Thursday, August 9: Kool & the Gang with Ruben Studdard

Friday, August 10: BoDeans with the Gufs

Saturday, August 11: Switchfoot