Pabst Theater Group’s Vivarium is still weeks away from its first performance. The ink is barely dry on the city’s approval of the FPC Live-backed venue near the Fiserv Forum. Now, it looks like there’s another newcomer to Milwaukee’s live music scene, courtesy of the Forest County Potawatomi community.
Potawatomi plans to build a $200 million concert venue on land formerly owned by Cargill in the Menomonee Valley, the Journal Sentinel’s Daniel Bice reports. The parcel covers just over nine acres and is located just west of the tribe’s hotel and casino.
Bice said he spoke with “people familiar with the project” and said the new space will have a capacity of 6,000 people and that the tribe will seek to secure the necessary approvals this year before breaking ground in early 2025. . Potawatomi officials declined to comment on the report, saying it presents a situation that “can neither be confirmed nor denied.”
If the project moves forward, it will add another knot to Milwaukee’s increasingly complex concert environment. FPC Live originally planned to have two venues at the Fiserv Forum venue, one with a capacity of 800 people and one with a capacity of 4,000 people, but ultimately chose a venue with a capacity of 4,500 people, which was approved by the city in early December. .
The initial announcement by FPC Live (part of Live Nation Entertainment) sparked a huge response from other venues in the region, who have made several moves to increase support over the past few years. Pabst Theater Group has been particularly busy on that front, with executive director Gary Witt helping to found the National Association of Independent Venues in 2020, and the group itself working at New York’s Radio City Music Hall and Nashville. has joined the National Theater Alliance, which also includes iconic venues such as the Ryman. auditorium.
Eagles Entertainment, which operates The Rave/Eagles Club, teamed up with another collective when it formalized its partnership with the SaveLive network last February.
The Potawatomi family is no stranger to live entertainment spaces, having operated the Northern Lights Theater for more than 20 years until its final performance last January. At the time, I noted that “subtraction was relatively rare” regarding Milwaukee’s concert venues. It appears my calculations were a bit premature, as his reported 6,000-seat facility will essentially replace the 600-seat Northern Lights Theatre.
Mid-sized concert venue in Milwaukee
Potawatomi venue report
1901 W. Canal St.
Capacity: 6,000
BMO Pavilion
130 Dr. N. Haber
Capacity: 5,000
Proposed FPC live venue
1051 N. Phillips Ave.
Capacity: 4,500
mirror highlife theater
500 W. Kilborn Ave.
Capacity: 4,087 people
eagles ballroom
2401 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Capacity: 3,500
riverside theater
116 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Capacity: 2,450 people
Uihlein Hall at Marcus Performing Arts Center
929 N. Water Street
Capacity: 2,125 people
rave hall
2401 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Capacity: 1,800
Bradley Symphony Center
212 W. Wisconsin Ave.
Capacity: 1,800
pabst theater
144 E. Wells Street
Capacity: 1,279