Jerry F#cking Cantrell Brightens Milwaukee

The Rave/Eagles Club Venue

This venue was built from 1925 through 1926 and opened in 1927, originally the Wisconsin home for the Fraternal Order of Eagles, located at 2401 W. Wisconsin Avenue in Milwaukee. The architecture style is Mediterranean Revival, has seven different levels, and literally home to eight different performance spaces. The different spaces can host from 400 to 4,000. The different stages range from inside the largest hall known as the Eagles Ballroom, which includes a tremendous surrounding balcony with limited seating, to a basement venue now known as the Eagles Hall.

Then there is The Rave which is on the main level, below the Eagles Ballroom, also with balcony seating. There are also a few lounges with bars and smaller stages. This venue has been used for a variety of functions including ballroom dancing, weddings, graduations, wrestling matches, an athletic club (there is an unused pool in the basement), and plenty of concerts. Historically it seems almost every touring musician performed here, from Bob Dylan to Buddy Holly. There are times when the venue features different concerts on the same night, and that can make things really confusing for those new to the venue. Thankfully the staff is always helpful to guide guests to where they need to go. There are also plenty of folklore stories about this venue being haunted. If you are ever attending a show in this building, and you do not have reserved balcony seating, plan to stand for the entire show. Some of the best concerts I have seen here include The Hu, The Wailers, Black Label Society, Shinedown, Alice in Chains, Soundgarden, STP, Riley Green, and Jerry F#cking Cantrell.

https://www.therave.com/main.asp

Brightens Milwaukee with a hell of a show

Jerry Cantrell released Brighten, his most recent album, in early November 2021. Those of us in Milwaukee had to wait until 03/22/23 for this show to route to town, and let me tell you, we were beyond ready as we were sure to yell “Jerry F#cking Cantrell” as soon as he walked onstage! I have no idea how we compare to fans at other tour stops, but what I do know is Jerry knows how much we love him in Milwaukee. The majority of fans I observed were so familiar with the song lyrics they sang along or at least mouthed the lyrics to themselves and each other, with ages ranging from long-time grunge fans to younger fans who might not have even been alive in 1990 when Alice In Chains first released “We Die Young.”

“Atone” from Brighten was the opening song and the crowd erupted again while rockin’ along with the band. Next up, off Degradation Trip was “Psychotic Break” and the crowd was still rolling right along when suddenly Jerry and his band went to “Them Bones,” written by Jerry and found on the Alice In Chains Dirt album.

Was it possible for the crowd to get even more into this show? Why yes, yes we did when we realized “We Die Young,” from the very first Alice In Chains album, Facelift, followed next.

Jerry’s debut solo album Boggy Depot, released in 1998 was represented by his performance of “Cut You In” and “My Song” and they played both with real precision. As I panned the crowd around me, I was able to tell I was surrounded by fans who still listen to this album as we easily knew the lyrics.

Back to Brighten with “Siren Song” and then we really showed solidarity with Jerry and his band when he started his fantastic riffs to “Check My Brain,” a song he wrote and can be found on the Alice In Chains Black Gives Way To Blue album. The crowd was all smiles while still singing back to Jerry and his band.

Suddenly we hear Jerry and his band cover a little bit of Scorpions’ “Animal Magnetism” as an intro to “Between” from Boggy Depot, and it worked like a charm as far as we were concerned.

Then they served us “Angel Eyes” from Degradation Trip followed by “No Excuses,” from Alice In Chains Jar of Flies album (another fantastic song written by Jerry). Once again I was thinking about what an incredible songwriter and musician Jerry really is, and how I could no longer decide if Jerry and this band or Jerry and Alice In Chains could be favored over the other. Really, I decided I do not have to pick a favorite between the two, as they are both extremely talented, and incredibly entertaining, and there is no denying I am a tremendous fan of Jerry F#cking Cantrell.

Back to Brighten with “Had to Know,” then Jerry’s “A Job To Do” from the John Wick: Chapter 2 soundtrack was next.

Then so many of us lost our minds with delight just as we heard the drums and first few guitar licks of “Man In the Box” (back to Alice In Chains’ debut album Facelift), as we were sure to sing this to each other and back to Jerry while also wearing huge ass grins. Again, not thinking this could possibly get any better than the epic place Jerry and this band already put us in, I found myself lifted even higher with “Would?” from the Singles soundtrack. I realized how much purposeful thought Jerry placed in creating this setlist as this song is his tribute to the late Andrew Wood of Mother Love Bone.

Who has a five-song Encore? Jerry F#cking Cantrell, that’s who!

Jerry and his band returned to the stage and what an encore that began with the instrumental “Whale & Wasp” from Jar of Flies, a beautiful warm-up before the title track from Brighten, and what started out as Bad Company’s “Bad Company” that turned into “Sea of Sorrow” from Facelift. We would be fools to not have expected “Rooster” which Jerry wrote as an empathic tribute to his father (I cannot recall what year it was when Jerry’s father was on tour with Alice In Chains, at this very venue, when Jerry brought his father on stage for all of us to meet, a memory I don’t think I will ever forget because it was incredibly sentimental and those of us in attendance felt like we knew Jerry’s father because of the song).

The last song of the night was the cover of Elton John and Bernie Taupin’s “Goodbye” from Brighten. I really cannot think of a better concert I have seen so far in 2023, and there is no way I was alone with this thought as I saw only incredibly happy people leaving after this concert was over.

Click Here for the Full Gallery of the Evening!

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Jerry Cantrell Band
Jerry Cantrell (guitar/vocals)
Tyler Bates (guitar)
Greg Puciato (vocals)
George Adrian (bass)
Gil Sharone (drums)
Michael Rozon (pedal steel)
Lola Colette (keyboard)

Jerry Cantrell SetList
Atone
Psychotic Break
Them Bones (AIC)
We Die Young (AIC)
Cut You In
My Song
Siren Song
Check My Brain (AIC)
Animal Magnetism (intro)/Between (Scorpions/Cantrell)
Angel Eyes
No Excuses (AIC)
Had to Know
A Job to Do
Man In The Box (AIC)
Would? (AIC)
Encore
Whale & Wasp (AIC)
Brighten
Bad Company (intro)/Sea of Sorrow (Bad Company/AIC)
Rooster (AIC)
Goodbye (Elton John & Bernie Taupin)