Top Milwaukee concerts this week: Hanson, Lil Pump, Chevelle, George Winston and more
HANSON
Style: Pleasing pop rock with a dollop of soul and plenty of brotherly love
Backstory: The Oklahoma siblings ranged in ages from 11 to 16 when their silly but irresistible single "MMMBop" became a massive hit in 1997. Safe to say many assumed Hanson would be a one-hit wonder — and technically, "MMMBop" was one of Hanson's only two top 10 hits on the Billboard Hot 100 — but Hanson has maintained a devout following for 20 years.
Why you should go?: Listen past the earworm and "MMMBop" is actually a pretty mature song about how life comes and goes in a flash. Greater maturity and sensitivity have continued across a solid pop rock discography amounting to eight full-length studio albums, including a new holiday album "Finally It's Christmas," which likely will make a showing at what concert sponsor WMYX-FM (99.1) is calling "The Mistletoe Show."
Time and place:8 p.m. Wednesday, Riverside Theater, 116 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Price: $39.50 at the box office, the Pabst Theater box office (144 E. Wells St.), (414) 286-3663 and pabsttheater.org.
— Piet Levy,
plevy@journalsentinel.com
CHEVELLE
Style: Metal for broody headbanging.
Backstory: If the term “alternative metal” once provoked infighting among aggressive heavy-metal fans, Chicago-area alt-metal trio Chevelle began in sibling harmony with three Loeffler brothers. After bassist Joe Loeffler left the band in 2005, a brother-in-law, Dean Bernadini, replaced him.
Why you should go: “The North Corridor,” Chevelle’s eighth studio LP, came out in 2016 and delved back into the angry darkness of efforts like 2004’s “This Type of Thinking (Could Do Us In).” The consistent intelligence of the band and its resemblance to Tool were also there, and all these elements will be in furious motion in concert.
Openers: The show, part of the annual Not So Silent Night series from WHQG-FM (102.9), also features 10 Years, a Tennessee post-grunge group, and Los Angeles riff-makers Aeges.
Time and place: 8 p.m. Saturday, the Rave, 2401 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Price: $32.50 to $42.50 at the box office, (414) 342-7283 and therave.com.
— Jon M. Gilbertson,
Special to the Journal Sentinel
DRIVIN N CRYIN
Style: Southern and Midwestern rock ‘n’ roll.
Backstory: Formed in Atlanta 32 years ago, Drivin N Cryin tried to ignore trend unsteadiness that, from the mid-1980s to the mid-1990s, shifted mainstream rock from hair metal to rootsier stuff to grunge and beyond. Kevn (no “i”) Kinney’s gutsy voice and the band’s determination carried DNC across those changes and created minor hits like 1991’s “Fly Me Courageous.”
Why you should go: Kinney is a Milwaukee boy and usually swings back here during the holiday season; he usually also provides the sense that any fan can be part of his family for the evening. A 2017 Darius Rucker cover of Drivin N Cryin’s “Straight to Hell” and a 2010 series of EPs, the latter showcasing the band’s eccentric variety, should feed into the performance.
Opener: Lovespark, previously heard and seen from West Allis to Rockford, Ill.
Time and place: 8 p.m. Saturday, Shank Hall, 1434 N. Farwell Ave.
Price:$20 at the box office, (866) 468-3401 and ticketweb.com.
— Jon M. Gilbertson
LIL PUMP
Style: Hardcore hip-hop that’s not so serious as all that.
Backstory: “Lil Pump” is a middling MC name, especially when compared to “Gazzy Garcia,” reportedly the real name of this Miami rhymer. He hasn’t had time to consider that, however: his career didn’t really start until last year (2016), when his colleague Smokepurpp asked him to freestyle over a track and put the results on the music-sharing site SoundCloud.
Why you should go: Follow-up tracks like “Boss” and “D Rose” have helped Pump rack up tens of millions of streams for a barebones, blown-speaker hip-hop style actually designated “SoundCloud rap.” Amid claims to pack pistols, get it on with everyone else’s girl and smoke copious amounts of dope, Pump does epitomize the subgenre’s shrugging playfulness.
Time and place:8 p.m. Tuesday, the Rave.
Price:$27 to $32.
— Jon M. Gilbertson
GEORGE WINSTON
Style: Adult-contemporary relaxation with sinew.
Backstory: Inspired by the Doors to play organ and by “Fats” Waller to play stride piano, Michigan-born keyboardist Winston has long been adept at soaking up one influence after another. He’s squeezed those influences back into works that, from 1980’s “Autumn” to this year’s “Spring Carousel,” carry the New Age classification very lightly.
Why you should go: Winston can roll out a rendition of “Riders on the Storm” or step through one of his own jazz-classical compositions, yet the dates of these two shows make it likely he’ll be pushing his interest in fellow pianist Vince Guaraldi — the man who composed indelibly for “A Charlie Brown Christmas” — toward generally and well-played festive, wintry selections.
Time and place:7:30 p.m. Tuesday and Wednesday, Wilson Center at Vogel Hall, Marcus Center for the Performing Arts, 929 N. Water St.
Price: $38 at the box office, (800) 745-3000 and ticketmaster.com.
— Jon M. Gilbertson
LOCAL SHOW SPOTLIGHT
HOLIDAY SPECIAL: 8 p.m. Saturday, Anodyne Coffee Roasting Company, 224 W. Bruce St. $8. Pop-rock band Testa Rosa leads a night of Christmas singalongs.
— Piet Levy