Bay View
Bay View is one of Milwaukee's densest neighborhoods for live music, with multiple independent venues concentrated around S. Kinnickinnic Avenue and the surrounding streets. Cactus Club, on S. Wentworth Ave., is a queer-owned, artist-run venue known for indie and underground acts. It converted to a live music venue in 1996 and holds around 200 people, with a reputation for catching soon-to-be-signed acts before they move to larger stages. A dedicated back-room stage keeps the bar and the show physically separate. The calendar covers indie rock, punk, metal, hip-hop, experimental sets, and DJ nights. Club Garibaldi has been around since 1907 and operates as a music venue on weekend nights and a classic corner tavern the rest of the week. Bon Iver, Valerie June, and Tommy Stinson have played there. The back room offers a low stage, crisp sound, and clear sightlines suited to indie rock, punk, Americana, hip-hop, and stand-up. Outdoors, Humboldt Park hosts Chill on the Hill, a free weekly summer concert series featuring live local music and food trucks on Tuesday evenings. A separate jazz series tied to the Bay View Jazz Fest runs every other Thursday night at the park. Sugar Maple is a craft-beer bar on S. Delaware Ave. that also hosts live music. The Backyard, Highbury Pub, and Twisted Path Distillery are additional music-programming spots in the neighborhood, though specific booking details for those three were not available at time of writing.
Venues13
- Burnhearts
- Cactus Club2496 S Wentworth Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207
- Club Garibaldi2501 S Superior St, Milwaukee
- Humboldt Park3000 S Howell Ave, Milwaukee, WI 53207
- Humboldt Park Band Shell
- LuLu Cafe & Bar
- South Shore Farmers' Market2900 S Shore Dr, Milwaukee
- South Shore Park2900 S Shore Dr, Milwaukee
- The Backyard2155 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee
- The Highbury Pub2322 S Kinnickinnic Ave, Milwaukee
- The Sugar Maple441 E Lincoln Ave, Milwaukee
- Twisted Path Distillery2018 S 1st St, Milwaukee
- Wiggle Room
Upcoming shows15
Tomorrow · Friday, September 4 · 1 show
Saturday, September 5 · 2 shows
South Shore Farmers' Market: Patty & Craig
Folk / Americana
Sunday, September 6 · 1 show
Saturday, September 12 · 1 show
@ SUGAR MAPLE: Pleasantries · Snooze · Go Hang
Fire up your calculator and head over to Sugar Maple for some math rock!
Sunday, September 20 · 1 show
Frogwater
Pop · Folk / Americana · Country
Friday, September 25 · 1 show
Saturday, September 26 · 1 show
The Appleseed Cast w/ The Casket Lottery
Post-rock · Emo · Indie rock
Sunday, September 27 · 1 show
Sunday, October 4 · 1 show
Friday, October 9 · 1 show
Dana and Alden
Indie · Jazz fusion · Neo-soul
Thursday, November 5 · 1 show
Dent May
Indie pop · Singer-songwriter · Acoustic
Thursday, November 19 · 2 shows
Squirrel Flower w/ Sour Widows
Lo-fi · Indie folk · Dream pop
