Milwaukee this week: Brandi Carlile takes requests, Alter Bridge and Michelle Branch

Two all-request nights at the Pabst, a symphony-backed Andrew Bird, and a heavy Thursday on Water Street lead a week of Milwaukee shows worth planning around (Nov 9–15).

Somewhere in Milwaukee this week, someone is rehearsing the name of a deep cut they plan to shout at Brandi Carlile. That's the deal at the Pabst Theater this weekend: Carlile's Burn the Setlist (The All Request Tour) builds each night's set from requests made by the people in the room, and she's in town for two of them.

Here's the week, night by night.

Tuesday, Nov 10 — Jack White, Landmark Credit Union Live, 8pm. The week's first big rock night belongs to White, playing the Summerfest grounds amphitheater, which holds 4,500. Tickets

Tuesday, Nov 10 — Andrew Bird with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, Riverside Theater, 8pm. On the same night, across downtown, Bird's violin loops and whistling get a full orchestra behind them, with the MSO sharing the Riverside stage. Tickets

Wednesday, Nov 11 — Amythyst Kiah, The Argo, Whitefish Bay, 8pm. The quietest pick of the week, and maybe the best value. Kiah plays a small North Shore room that rewards a singer with her kind of voice. Tickets

Thursday, Nov 12 — Alter Bridge, with Big Wreck and Tim Montana, The Rave/Eagles Ballroom, 7pm. The What Lies Within Tour fills the Eagles Ballroom with a three-band bill, so get there early for Big Wreck. Tickets

Thursday, Nov 12 — Michelle Branch, Pabst Theater, 8pm. If arena rock isn't your Thursday, Branch has the Pabst for the night, a room built for a songwriter with a catalog people know by heart. Tickets

Friday, Nov 13 — Motionless In White, with Dayseeker, The Devil Wears Prada and Dark Divine, Fiserv Forum, 6:30pm. This is the week's biggest room, and the doors-to-headliner stretch is a long one with four bands. Tickets

Saturday, Nov 14 — Rival Sons, with The Blue Stones and The Velveteers, The Rave/Eagles Ballroom, 8pm. The Eagles Ballroom gets its second loud night of the week, as the Domestic Bliss Tour brings blues-heavy rock with two worthwhile openers. Tickets

Saturday, Nov 14 and Sunday, Nov 15 — Brandi Carlile, Pabst Theater, 8pm both nights. This is the one to plan the week around. The All Request Tour is a 15-date theater run that opened Nov 5 in Portland and ends Dec 17 in Port Chester, New York. Carlile plays it with longtime collaborators Phil and Tim Hanseroth, and the shows are billed as phone- and device-free, so expect to lock up your phone and actually watch. Milwaukee is one of the few cities getting two nights, with Minneapolis's State Theatre next on Nov 17. Two nights means two different setlists, chosen by two different crowds. Saturday tickets · Sunday tickets

Two nights means two different setlists, chosen by two different crowds.

It fits that the Pabst gets the request-show treatment. The Wells Street theater opened in 1895 and has been a National Historic Landmark since 1991. It's an ornate room where a songwriter can hear a single voice from the balcony call out a title, and that is exactly the kind of night this tour is built on.

So pick your song now, and maybe a backup. Somebody near you is going to ask for the same one.

Sources: Brandi Carlile Sets All-Request 'Burn The Setlist' Tour — Pollstar (news.pollstar.com); Brandi Carlile Details Burn The Setlist All-Request Tour — JamBase (jambase.com); Brandi Carlile Announces Fall 2026 'Burn The Setlist' North American Tour Dates — mxdwn (music.mxdwn.com); Brandi Carlile at State Theatre, Minneapolis, Nov 17 — JamBase (jambase.com); Pabst Theater — Wikipedia (en.wikipedia.org); Brandi Carlile at Pabst Theater — AXS (Nov 14) (axs.com); Brandi Carlile at Pabst Theater — AXS (Nov 15) (axs.com); Alter Bridge What Lies Within Tour — eTix (etix.prf.hn); Rival Sons Domestic Bliss Tour — eTix (etix.prf.hn); Andrew Bird with the MSO — AXS (axs.com)