Vivarium is a new live music venue on Milwaukee's lower East Side, and I saw the band Luna there in…read moreabout the third week of Vivarium's existence. Run by the Colectivo crowd, it looks just like the Back Room, high ceilings adorned with metal trusses, fake and real plants, and no soundproofing. Checking in with the app the employees were super nice! Really refreshing. If you follow live music in Milwaukee you've already heard about the talking crowds and bad sightlines from the Buffalo Nickels show and a co-worker said the same about the Charlie Paar show. We were there early so got a good spot closer to the stage, but even close up the stage could stand to be higher. Luna was sounding good but the guitarist was noting a ghost in his equipment, band members seemed to be wincing from sound issues. Something for the club to figure out. Went to watch from the back and the room sound is really good. Sightlines are horrible back there, as the stage needs to be higher. The crowd was so talkative during the whole show, my friend noted people are disengaged from the bad sightlines, so that makes sense. Stand in front of the truss with the wifi device for a better engaged crowd, good sound and better sight lines. Bar offerings are good, bathrooms are clean and stylish. A solid three stars (OK) with room for improvement.

BF and I visited Vivarium to see the band Enter the Haggis. It was the third show at the new venue,…read moreso everything is clean and nice. The interior decor appears to have been moved directly over from the Back Room at Collectivo, with the same ceiling treatment and plants - both real and faux. The bar is also pretty much the same, with mixed drinks, wine, beers and non alcoholic options. Seating at this show was all folding chairs, but the staff brought out more when they saw the size of the crowd in attendance. Perhaps it was our average collective age. There are a few loveseats and high stools along the right side of the room. It is not a fantastic acoustic space, with it's abundance of hard surfaces and no soft finishes, but it is intimate and allows you to get right up by the musicians. The bathrooms, at least the women's, are large with plenty of stalls and flattering lighting. This is a good replacement for the Back Room - essentially a carbon copy - but you have some chance of parking successfully over here as the street is less busy. There are also plenty of restaurants around for pre-show eats.

I am thrilled that The Estate made a comeback after its closure of almost two years. The vibe, the…read morecocktails, the staff, and most importantly, the musicians are all amazing and make a perfect outing with friends or a date. Have you been to Bryant's or At Random? You know that feeling of walking in to a dark moody vibe from yesteryear, knowledgeable staff who make you feel at home and cocktails that are top tier? This is also The Estate, but with the bonus component of live music (the best kind of music!). Some of my favorite acts to see here include the soulful Cameron Webb, the organ trio Righteous Rooster, the Commercialists (especially for their annual Charlie Brown Christmas) and more. Such a great variety of sound and styles. Bonus is that online ticketing is very easy and the lowest fees I have ever seen. It is not your typical ticket master / live nation extortion pricing. I highly recommend supporting this venue and their artists frequently.

Great bartenders. Consistent drinks with quality go-to drinks, quality liquor, and often an…read moreeclectic option or two. Can't beat the vibes when there is live music playing. Waitstaff keeps drinks flowing. This place is a well-oiled machine.

What a quirky, unique, and random bar nestled within the East Side! Honestly, I walked right past…read moreit multiple times after I moved to Milwaukee. But finally a friend brought me in for a drink. Very cozy bar so I usually sit out among the wild collection of dark wood tables and chairs. There is so much antique, curious, and fascinating furniture, signs, vintage decor to observe and just immerse yourself in the surprise discovery of this collection in a pub! There is usually one bartender working, but they are always friendly, quick to take your order, and friendly. This place is an adventure of a bar in the best possible way!

Patty's Pub is somewhere between an urban legend and a hidden gem. Most people only go there on St…read more Patrick's day and don't really remember it. The entrance is through a hallways patio to get to basically a big, odd house. The bar is on the left and there's a room that goes to another room on the right. The upstairs (open rarely) is similar. The bar also leads to the back of the patio. The patio is big. People were grilling and having a buffet. There's also tables on the other side of the giant fountain. There lots of plants but if you look close half of them are plastic. They have typical dive bar beer and regular drinks. It's a fun place to go. The staff is mostly older and unphased by anything.

An underrated nightclub that deserves more recognition. This club sits in the Riverwest…read moreneighborhood, but you can't tell it's there because it/ quiet from the outside. The weekends are booming. I went there with friends celebrating the bachelorette and bachelor party with the Charli XCX, Ke$ha, Chappelle Roan theme. Cover charge is cheap and so are the drinks. They offer water at the side of the bar so you don't have to wait in line to hydrate and sober up on your drive home. Decent dance floor with cool lighting. They have a separate area near the dance floor with a pool table and a Pac Man video game with a set of couches to relax in when you need a break form dancing and wanna chat with your friends. It's a great place to come for your spirit and move your body with tunes to dance to!

Mad planet NEVER disappoints. Its so fun, never had a bad time. The vibe, the 80's music, the…read morepeople. LOVE IT!

Nice place for live tunes ---featuring great upcoming acts and local staples. Little pricey on the…read morebourbon...but the vibe has me enjoying regardless. Cheers!

My brother invited me to come check out Red Leather tonight. It was my first time listening to the…read moreband, and it was my first time at Shank Hall. The service at shank hall was cool. The Concert was better than I had expected!! We will definitely be back!

Great venue! The owners were great and provided great sound and lighting that made the show!…read moreAbsolute must go if you're in the area! #90_Proof_Official.

Linneman's is an intimate music venue with divey, Riverwest charm. The husband-wife duo that own it…read moreare personable and welcoming. They host poetry readings, open mic (Wednesday nights @8pm), and live concerts (currently on the weekends). The tables are socially distanced and masks are required when you leave your seat to walk. This is a music venue/bar. To my knowledge there isn't food and the drinks are pretty standard bar drinks (i.e. not craft cocktails). That said, this place exists for the music as a sweet neighborhood staple. I enjoyed my time, love it for what it is, and the owners are so kind!

I've been going here to see who's throughout the past decade like Tosh.O, plays and music…read moreconcerts. The most recent show I've seen was the Harry Potter Sorcerer's Stone film and live music orchestra performed by the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. What a surreal experience, it was wild hearing live music as the movie played on the movie screen. They served Butter beer and popcorn to enhance the Harry Potter movie watching experience! The front facing building has been renovated which now looks more Modern. And refreshed. The inside shows the classic preserved historic look adding to the experience. Convenient service from the security bag check at the entrance, ticket checking, and concession stands! Come see a show and support the entertainment industry! Including local!

We always enjoy an evening of music at the Riverside it's a beautiful venue with amazing and…read morefriendly staff. The building is also absolutely beautiful .

This place is just beyond belief…read more First they have to pat you down before you can enter (good sign right? Must be quality clients...) You coudn't sneak a stick of gum in there if you tried. Then I was told that nobody was in VIP seating and I could sit there until it was busy,...by a bartender mind you. (it's literally some couches tacked in there with little folded "Reserved" signs in no particular order. Were the signs placed? Were they not? What makes this area so special?... Is it special?) Later their "security guy" said I had to move, which was super f***** awkard because it was just me chilling there with a beer and there were like... 5 people in the in the entire bulding AND it was already 10:50. Never seen such an uptight excuse for a high end club. Guys...I appreciate the work you put into the dance floor and the renovations...but this isn't New York! It's Oakland Ave in Milwaukee next to a Gyro resturant and a Goodwill. Just beyond weird and awkward experience. I'm not gonna be back ever again.

Now that Deadman's Carnival won't be performing here regularly, I doubt I'll find reason to come…read moreback. Since the fire and the "upgrades" the Miramar has instituted a bunch of seemingly random rules that appear only to serve as a deterrent from people actually having fun and/or enjoying themselves. When the front bar is full and people have nowhere to go--why not open the second bar? Even if you don't want a server in there, at least give people a place to go. At the box office, they seem to enjoy having large queued lines and agonizingly slow service which makes the bar situation even more irritating. $5 for coat check? Ouch. And if you're going to have a VIP tier, at least make it a VIP experience and more than just a bottle of water or a seat on a platform. Lastly, have a drink price list. A vodk and redbull shouldn't be $16 which is what we were charged. 2 PBR's at $4.50 plus a vodka and redbull and the tab was $25? Even for a double, that's a ridiculous price. But the next person who ordered a double vodka redbull was charged $12. How does that work?

An east side gem. Free popcorn, beautiful beer chalices, and a grand piano?! What more can you…read morewant! They are also open early, which is great when you need that occasional before noon beer. Cheap drinks, very divey, and the bartenders are always friendly.

Love the deuce!! Always a fun time. Friendly bartenders and interesting people. Cheap drinks and…read morealways love getting the set up. Also have darts, pool, popcorn and slot machines.

We had such an amazing time at an event at vier north! The service went above and beyond and the…read morefood was really good - definitely way above your average bar food. The French fries were some of the best ever and You gotta order the cloud bread! The only downside is they were out of Sprite!

Food was good, no doubt. Prices are pretty decent for the location. But the service was not so…read moregreat. It started out fantastic, but after we received our food, we were never checked on again and actually had to literally chase down our server to get the bill. Outside there were three tables of people, one large group who was waiting for the baseball shuttle and just drinking. Two larger tables were set up as reserved inside. They slowly filled as we ate our meal. And one other table of two came in after us. There were maybe 4 people at the bar. All this to say, it wasn't crazy busy by any stretch. We started with one server (who was really good) who took our order then we were handed off to another (who wasn't bad). When we arrived we were one of two tables inside. There were three servers on the floor and two behind the bar which was adequate for the number of people dining. Our initial server apparently was working the reserved seating, but even still, the second server never checked on us after we received our food. Also, we didn't receive our entire order. We weren't charged for the food we didn't get, but had anyone stopped by to refill water or see if we wanted more drinks, we could have asked about the missing food. So, all in all, not the worst dining experience ever, but not the best. Being ignored is never fun.