Childhood nostalgia is expected to reach new heights in Milwaukee when Jesse McCartney performs at The Rave Feb. 1 at 8 p.m. The popular music venue regularly hosts a wide range of performers from all genres, and McCartney’s concert is guaranteed to recall the days of many college students youth.
After not having released music for four and a half years, McCartney released two singles last year. The newer single, “Wasted,” reached No. 32 on the iTunes pop chart. McCartney also created a dramatic music video for his single “Wasted.” Sold out dates of his 2019 tour might be a sign that fans can look forward to more new music to come.
Before 2018, the last time McCartney made the charts was when he dropped “Shake” in 2010. Since then, McCartney released just one album in 2014 called “In Technicolor.” The album only reached No. 35 on the charts.
Tommy Laka, a junior in the College of Business Administration, works in the security department at The Rave and has heard all the hype around the concert since McCartney was announced to play there last fall. Laka said he frequently talks with his coworkers about the upcoming performers, and this time, most of their discussion surrounded McCartney’s Disney affiliations and hit songs from the 2000’s.
“When everyone found out he was set to perform, I think the first thing that was brought up was his song ‘Beautiful Soul,’” Laka said.
Laka said he did not expect to know any songs by the pop singer, but he was surprised when he realized he remembered the 2004 hit.
“I did actually recall singing along to it on the radio, even though that’s embarrassing to admit,” Laka said.
McCartney’s premiere album, “Beautiful Soul,” was released in 2004 and reached No. 15 on the Billboard 200 chart. The single, “Beautiful Soul” got to No. 16 on the Billboard Hot 100.
McCartney also was nominated for and won various awards at the 2005 Teen Choice Awards. Along with the 2005 Radio Disney Music Awards and the 2006 and 2009 Kids’ Choice Awards.
Tay Murphy, a junior in the College of Arts & Sciences, was quick to deny any knowledge of McCartney — that is until he looked deeper into McCartney’s career and realized he was more familiar with the singer than he thought. Murphy particularly recollected McCartney’s cameos on the popular Disney shows “The Suite Life of Zack & Cody” and “Hannah Montana.”
“I was quick to deny knowing much about him because he was sort of the equivalent of a Justin Bieber or something like that,” Murphy said. “Instead when I looked him up to jog my memory, I realized he was actually apart of so many childhood aspects. It is exciting he’s coming to Milwaukee, especially The Rave which we all go to all the time. A lot of people will go just for the reminiscing.”
For Maggie Turchinski, a sophomore in the College of Arts & Sciences, news that McCartney was coming to The Rave was a big deal. She said she has been a fan of McCartney since his early music career and Disney days.
“It’s my plan to get a couple of friends to purchase tickets before it’s too late,” Turchinski said. “It really would be amazing to see him, not only because I think he has a really good voice, but also because it’ll remind me of the good times I had when I was younger with my friends.”
Aside from McCartney’s music, Turchinski also could not help but recall the time in McCartney’s career when he voiced Theodore in the 2007 movie “Alvin and the Chipmunks.” She said the comedy featuring the three iconic singing rodents is one of her favorites.
Tickets to McCartney’s The Resolution Tour in Milwaukee are still on sale online, but the Rave recently announced a low ticket alert for the show. General admission tickets are $25.
