music madness: spring concerts

Completely diverging from last night's melancholy topic (thank you all who gave advice/support), let's talk about something more cheerful tonight...upcoming concerts!

Once again, the folks over at the Pabst Theater Group have outdone themselves by getting a crapload of ridiculously national acts.

Here's what I already have tickets for:

• March 6: The Avett Brothers with The Low Anthem
• March 19: The Big Pink & A Place to Bury Strangers (This is a $10 show that everyone should go to. I think this was the best album that nobody heard of last year.)
• April 3: Passion Pit
• April 11: Girls with Dum Dum Girls
• April 21: FLAMING LIPS (oohhhhhhhhhhhh yeahhhhhhhhhhhh)
• May 9: Frightened Rabbit
• May 22: Sharon Jones & The Dap Kings
  

Here's what I'll probably end up going to as well:

• March 3: The English Beat & Fishbone
• March 22: Temper Trap
• April 4: David Bazan
• May 3: Apples in Stereo
• May 24: Midlake
  

And there's so many other great acts coming that I had to rule out due to price points/ non GA seating / etc.

On the concert festival front, I can only make it to Pitchfork this year and that's just fine with me! Why? Because for my $98 three-day pass I will be seeing:

• Modest Mouse (for the first time since December 2000)
• LCD SOUNDSYSTEM
• PAVEMENT

I breathed such a sigh of relief and yelped for joy when I saw that last one. I'd feared they'd be at Lollapalooza, which takes place while I'm in Europe. Yes, I'll likely miss Arcade Fire and the Strokes, and even Lady Gaga, but with the exception of the latter, I've seen the other two several times, so I'm not too bummed out.

Of course, don't forget my #mkemusic challenge. Though I've hit my February slot by catching Conrad Plymouth last weekend at the MuzzleOfBees.com 5th Anniversary Show at Cactus Club, I am definitely not going to miss seeing a bunch of local acts at the RadioMilwaukee Music Awards Party this Thursday at Whiskey Bar (it's a block from my house, I can't miss out).

And speaking of local radio stations, don't forget to mark your calendars for WMSE's Rockabilly Chili Contest on March 7. It's one of my most favorite days of the year!

What musical goodness is coming up on your calendar?