We came to the Miller High Life Theatre for a concert this weekend and it was wonderful! Such a…read moregorgeous exterior. The interor is both in and out of the actual theater. A classy ambiance as soon as you stepped inside. The views from both the front and way up in the balcony are fantastic, great lighting and the sound quality was excellent compared to other venues in Milwaukee. No reverb. They also have screens if you're higher up and need a better view as well. The staff are incredibly helpful with directing you to your seat, knowledgeable about what is going on and really friendly. Great, fast concessions and drinks. They also keep the entire venue, concessions area and restrooms clean. We'll keep watching for upcoming shows because this venue beats out many of the others in Milwaukee hands down! Will definitely return.

I recently caught my first show at the Miller High Life Theatre. It's a medium sized theater…read more(seating for 4000ish) and we were there on a snowy eve for the Cirque performance of Twas the night.. Parking near the theater is plentiful with street parking and a parking garage right across the street. A word of warning--when we parked in the parking garage, there was the show we were there for and a Bucks game that evening as well which resulted in $30 parking fee. That said, it was money well spent to be able to park inside and right across the street during a snowstorm. Once we got to the theater, there was no waiting at will-call and we were able to get our tickets in a snap. The line to get in also moved quickly and there ushers waiting to direct us to our seats. All the workers made the experience easy and were friendly to boot. Our seats were on the left side in row L and no complaints about the view from there at all. Due to the storm (and possibly the economy) the theater was only about a third full so we had plenty of room to spread out. The stage is large and the sound was great throughout. I wouldn't hesitate to see another show here. Get to it!

I went to The Argo last night with a girl friend for dinner, cocktails, and karaoke. I love the…read moreteal couches in the dining area and the dim lighting. We both ordered salads, I had the Mixed Greens with steak and my friend had the Smashed Cucumber Salad with steak. We both really enjoyed our dinner! And my friend loved the Yucata Try This cocktail, she said it was sweet and refreshing but not overly sweet. After dinner, we went upstairs for karaoke. The owners are usually always there and they are so kind and welcoming. We enjoyed singing on stage and had a fun night!

We stopped here for an event and swung by at the downstairs bar to catch up afterwards…read more They had live music going and the restaurant was doing well with a mix of families, couples, etc. While the menu is a little pricey, the ambiance is great. We grabbed some drinks (wine, beer, bourbon) and fries with wings. The fries were good if not a little overly salty but perfect for what you'd like with drinks. Heard the espresso martini was not worth the price tag and the pineapple was a bit off-putting in it. Staff were friendly and quick to grab anything we needed. We also asked after checking out the venue space and were able to get a quick tour from one of the managers. Very cool space with a lot of events going on.

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.

It was my first time at this venue and the seats were comfortable enough to enjoy a show…read more It is well located in the downtown area, close to restaurants like Vagabond. The staff was welcoming. The drinks at their bar were good. I just wished I had located the coat check beforehand. The space was limited with my winter jacket on my lap. Tip: Locate the coat check!

Intimate theater is so different from full stage productions. Seeing Million Dollar Quartet in…read morethis venue was perfect, from the sound to the seating. This is a big energy show and the music and performances filled the theater and allowed us to fully immerse in the storyline. This was the last night of this production so we were allowed to take photos after the program, when the cast and director took questions from the audience. This was a nice way to hear from the actors themselves and also share the audience's feedback on the production. And the review is GREAT! The ticket pricing is appropriate, parking is readily available in the area and restaurants are plentiful in the theater district. The choice of MDQ in this intimate setting was brilliant. Not all shows can be done well in this setting but this program was spectacular and we left feeling fully entertained. There are no bad seats. We were in the balcony and it made for full view of the stage and all the activities. The main floor does the same. There is an elevator for accessibility.

If I were a couple decades younger, this would be a five star place. At my age, it's just too…read moreuncomfortable (have to stand the whole show), too loud (not when there isn't a show, then it's too quiet), and too sticky (it's a dive bar, a big dive bar with live music). If you're under 60, you don't need this review. If you're a musician, it's a good venue if you play loud music. Whoever you are, you should wear hearing protection, it's OSHA violating, ear damaging loud at any show here. I came here on an unusual night, a Broadway rock n roll musical was playing. It was a big flop on Broadway, but this local performance group really pulled it off, largely because the musicians were great, the acting was superb, and I was able to sit down. Seriously, make sure you bring and wear hearing protection.

My bands Blame it On Cain and the Middle play here a fair amount - it is like the CBGB of…read moreMilwaukee. Come see local live orig. music in a place that is built for Rock and Roll!

What the heck is Varsity Theater? Its a small venue - maybe seats for 500 - that was home to the…read moremandatory History class all Marquette freshmen had to take. We all sat alphabetically - Brian Rasmussen sat in the row in front of me and Jim Rogan sat next to me - and if we weren't in those exact seats we were marked absent and penalized. The girls on the 8th floor of Schroeder Hall would play a drinking game involving Trivial Pursuit. If you got a question that was at all relative to the contents of the class, the whole group drank. I swear we drank more playing that game than we did watching reruns of the Bob Newhart show (hi Bob!). How fun and seriously, the required course was a great way to get used to the rigors of college. Last month I attended my 25th college reunion and the BoDeans played the venue. It couldn't have possibly been more on point. The sound system was great. While the venue seemed much smaller than I remember it from those lecture days we had a fun time and the music seemed timeless. I've had my head full of "Good Things" ever since - such a happy song. We did drink the place out of beer, but I guess we had to represent!

I had the pleasure of seeing Nickel Creek perform at the Varsity Theater in 2006, and before that I…read morehad never set foot inside the theater. I get the sense the theater does not host a lot of concerts, but if you get the chance to see a show here you should go. The theater is associated with Marquette University so the majority of people at the concert were students. The theater is small, I don't think it has more than 500 stadium style seats. The acoustics were great and the atmosphere was lively, yet comfortable in terms of space and "vibe". If you are looking for a great, intimate, concert experience check out the Varsity theater. The only negative was the fact that there were limited concessions; I think the only things available were popcorn and bottled water.

Space was small and narrow. I do like the fireplace in the other room but it's more small and…read morenarrow there too. Not enough seating area and there's no dance floor at all. Nobody was dancing and not enough staff. Waited for a while to get bartender's attention to order a small drink and water. Music was ok to some good songs depending on what the DJ play. I paid $20 to get in and the music and vibe was not it. Very disappointed. Feels like a teenage house party where everyone just stand and stare at each other ‍ couldn't stay more than 30 minutes. Too crowded too. Nice people though.

Best club in Milwaukee! Great staff, crowd and music. Always a good time when we go to room7.read more

Another update because this theater continues to update their accessibility! Today we loved "And…read moreThen There Were None" at the Checota Powerhouse Theater. As usual the production was done wonderfully, with the actors giving us laughs as well as suspense in this great Agatha Christie mystery. The stage set is wonderfully interesting and visually exciting. Very well done. But today I was able to watch the show with subtitles, which is incredibly helpful for someone like me who wears hearing aids, but I still need a little help in live performances. Milwaukee Rep here offers the closed captioning of the shows, all in your own phone. If you prefer, you may also borrow a tablet for this service. By using the app GalaPro on your phone, you can have all the words in front of you without getting in the way of the actors or your seat neighbors. We were using our own phones, but borrowed a seat holder which kept the words in front of us but not in the way. Thank you, Milwaukee Rep for regularly updating your accessibility options. This new one is so helpful!

Nice, big, open building. Smallish medium sized theater with a good incline and good view of the…read morestage throughout. The view from the very back row (not on the balcony, but main floor) was still good and very visible. We were on the front row, which is usually not my preference, and I would say row 3 and back would be much better. That said, the first row (DD, on stage left) was still not uncomfortable. I had a great view of the stage and not at all uncomfortable during the show, and did not have to crane my neck.