First off, I’ve never been to this venue. It opened up earlier this year and I must say, it’s a pretty cool little space. This venue replaced Backroom @ Colectivo which was a neat little room attached to a Colectivo Coffee. I thought the concept of it being a coffee shop and a music venue was cool but alas, the Backroom is no more. The Vivarium is a neat new addition to the Milwaukee music scene though. There are metal cross beams along the ceiling with plants and greenery all over the place. I think they were fake but you can never be too sure. Definitely think it’s fun that by the bar they had a sign which shows how to pronounce the name of the venue. For those who are curious it is ‘Vai-ver-ree-um’ and that is how they spell it. The stage is pretty short which I don’t love. Sound was great all throughout the room. Definitely a cool little place for music especially with a late night pizza place across the street; the ideal late night snack after a show. I recommend you get the Dairy State Cheese. I mean, we’re in Wisconsin, the six different cheeses really made a difference, haha. 

Anyways, the show, the music, the important part. There were originally supposed to be three openers but unfortunately due to health reasons, Greywind dropped off the remainder of the tour about a week ago? I was pretty bummed because I had seen them before and was stoked to see them play again. Hopefully they return soon cause Irish Pop Punk music is super cool.

The first band to open the night was a ska band from Madison named Courtesy of Tim. Ska is not really something I listen to regularly or go looking for, however, I personally think Ska music just sounds better live anyways. It’s a whole experience from the high energy to the horns. Courtesy of Tim was amazing. The energy was infectious and they were super fun. I especially loved their cover of ‘Hot to Go’ by Chappell Roan. It was perfect. I’d love to see them again.

The second band is from Chicago and I am very familiar with. Action/Adventure is exactly what their name means. They bring the action and the adventure all in one short thirty-minute set. A tiny mosh pit opened up halfway through their set and the lead vocalist encouraged it to stay. This is the only reason I dislike short stages, when you’re up against the stage and someone gets shoved into you from a circle pit, you quite literally fall on the stage. Normally, no big deal, when I’ve got my expensive camera in hand, I care a little bit more. I think the stage could do with a little more height. I love Action/Adventure, their lyrics are so raw and honest, and they rock around the stage while delivering this performance. 10/10, no feedback. Just come back to Milwaukee, please and thank you. Oh, also thanks for the setlist! I got their setlist, super excited to add theirs to my growing collection in my concert memorabilia. 

Finally, it was time for the headliner, the moment everyone came for. I honestly don’t listen to Tiny Moving Parts enough to know their songs, but the crowd certainly did not disappoint. From the get-go, as soon as the first word was sung, the crowd woke up. I was slammed into the stage several times, and headed to the back of the room after three songs. I needed a couple around the room photos anyways, a good variety of shots is important. The singer sang into the mic and danced around the stage with his guitar when he wasn’t. People moshed, people sang their hearts out, it was a good time at Vivarium. I haven’t heard anything about new plans but this tour did end already so if you missed out, make sure to catch the next performance. Keep in touch with all the bands on social media to stay up to date on their future plans!

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