Green Bay & the Fox Valley this week: Charlie Parr's folk opera, Post Sex Nachos and Wayne Newton

Charlie Parr brings Rooming House to the Meyer, Gene Simmons and Wayne Newton play EPIC on back-to-back nights, and the Appleton Beer Factory has the weekend: the Fox Valley's shows, Nov. 5–7.

Thursday night at the Meyer Theatre, Charlie Parr plays songs from a record that's barely three weeks old, and it's not a typical Charlie Parr record. Rooming House, out Oct. 16 on Smithsonian Folkways, is a folk opera, per JamBase. The Meyer is billing the night as a stop on the Rooming House Fall Tour 2026, and it's the pick of a short, odd, enjoyable week in Green Bay and the Fox Valley.

Short because there are only five shows worth listing. Odd because two of them are Gene Simmons and Wayne Newton, on consecutive nights, in the same room.

Here's the week, night by night:

Thu, Nov. 5 — Charlie Parr, Meyer Theatre, Green Bay, 8 p.m. Tickets

Thu, Nov. 5 — Gene Simmons Band, EPIC Event Center, Green Bay, 7:30 p.m. Tickets

Fri, Nov. 6 — Post Sex Nachos, Appleton Beer Factory, Appleton, 7 p.m. Tickets

Fri, Nov. 6 — An Evening with Wayne Newton, EPIC Event Center, Green Bay, 7:30 p.m. Tickets

Sat, Nov. 7 — Six Foot Blonde, Appleton Beer Factory, Appleton, 7 p.m. Tickets

Parr's record has been getting attention close to home, too: Minnesota public station KAXE made Rooming House its album of the week in its Oct. 19 picks, and he celebrated the release with a two-set night at Minneapolis's State Theatre on Oct. 30, per BroadwayWorld. Green Bay gets him a week later, in a 1,000-seat theater rather than a bar, which suits songs meant to be followed start to finish.

EPIC Event Center has the two big names. Gene Simmons brings his own band on Thursday, so if you're torn between him and Parr, the half-hour difference in start times won't save you; choose. Friday is Wayne Newton, billed simply as An Evening with Wayne Newton.

Up in Appleton, the Beer Factory carries the weekend. Post Sex Nachos started as a college project between singer and guitarist Sammy Elfanbaum and bassist Chase Mueller, and have since played festivals including Summerfest and Mile of Music, according to an Atwood Magazine interview. They told Ones to Watch about Big Bad, their new full-length for 2026, so expect newer songs in the set. Six Foot Blonde follows on Saturday, same room, same 7 p.m. start.

Five shows, three rooms, one decision on Thursday. Make it the folk opera.

Sources: Charlie Parr Announces New Folk Opera Album ‘Rooming House’ & 2026 Fall Tour Dates (JamBase) (jambase.com); Charlie Parr – Rooming House Fall Tour 2026 (Meyer Theatre) (meyertheatre.org); Best new music recommendations: Rooming House (KAXE) (kaxe.org); Charlie Parr to Celebrate New Album Rooming House at Minneapolis Concert (BroadwayWorld) (broadwayworld.com); Interview: Post Sex Nachos Are Having More Fun Than You (Atwood Magazine) (atwoodmagazine.com); Post Sex Nachos on Their New Album "Big Bad" (Ones to Watch) (onestowatch.com); Post Sex Nachos (Mile of Music) (mileofmusic.com)