The Rave/Eagles Club has entertained Milwaukee for 93 years. The former boxing ring, swimming pool, bowling alley and restaurant is now a prominent venue for concerts in the city. It will also be visiting Marquette this week.
The Rave is holding a ticket sale at the Alumni Memorial Union today from 10:30 a.m. until 4 p.m., where students can purchase tickets to The Rave’s upcoming shows with no service fees. Students will also have the option to enter their names into a “golden ticket” raffle for a chance to win two free tickets to every 2019 show at the venue.
No other universities offer The Rave ticket sale event, which Marquette offered for the first time last year.
“We’ve tried in the past with University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee, but since they are a public school, they don’t allow third-party vending,” The Rave promotions manager Nat Gurski said.
“It’s just significantly easier for Marquette kids to get here because of, you know, the LIMO service and everything,” Gurski said. “It’s in our neighborhood … (and Marquette students) are right in the community.”
Gurski also said fall is a great time for business.
“This season really kicks off our fall and college season when everybody is coming back to the city,” he said. “Summer is when everybody is doing street festivals, and winter is really our time to shine.”
Upcoming concerts at The Rave include Galantis Sept. 20, Marianas Trench Sept. 21, Catfish and the Bottlemen Oct. 4, Yung Gravy Oct. 5, Big K.R.I.T. Oct. 26 and Machine Gun Kelly and Young Thug Oct. 27. These artists represent different genres, ranging from rap to pop to rock.
“I would say our fall lineup is eclectic,” Gurski said. “There’s a little something for everyone. It’s not all one genre because we understand not all students like the same thing.”
Jadyn Taylor, a freshman in the College of Communication, said he is interested in the lineup, though he had several other artists in mind he hopes will come to The Rave.
“Young Thug goes pretty hard, but DaBaby would go hard, Lil’ Tjay would go hard, Lil’ Durk would go hard (too),” he said.
Rapper Lil’ Tjay will perform at The Rave Dec. 7.
Some Marquette students expressed similar enthusiasm toward the upcoming performers, but also had personal picks for future show bookings.
Ellie Vance, a sophomore in the College of Health Sciences, and Sergio Leudo, a sophomore in the College of Engineering, said they are familiar with The Rave’s upcoming schedule.
Vance said she believes she purchased tickets for Galantis. While she said she does not know much about the Swedish electronic duo, she is excited to see it perform later this month.
Galantis is known for its singles “Smile,” “You” and “Runaway (U & I).” “Runaway” was at the top of Spotify’s viral chart in October 2014.
Leudo said he cannot see Galantis, but he is interested in the duo and Young Thug.
Leudo recalled Bad Bunny postponing his performance at The Rave last year and said he hopes Bad Bunny returns to perform in the future.
Bad Bunny, a reggaeton and Latin trap singer, postponed his Sept. 29 performance because of an unspecified medical reason last year and rescheduled for Nov. 23.
Both Leudo and Vance agreed that Khalid should perform at The Rave again. The singer previously performed at the venue in October 2017.
Gurski said The Rave’s process of booking shows involves working with an artist’s agent.
“Normally when we (book shows), it’s a relationship we have with an agent, and if it works for us … if we have that market then we’ll take the show. Otherwise, if not, then we’ll pass on it,” Gurski said.
Gurski said when The Rave has options, it tries to schedule shows that college-age students are interested in “around fall when everybody’s back in town and everybody’s going to school, looking for something to do.”
Soon, Halloween will be “something to do” for many Marquette students and Milwaukee residents alike. The Rave, Gurski said, is no exception from the holiday.
“We have so many Halloween decorations,” he said. It takes The Rave about three to four weeks to set up its Halloween memorabilia.
Gurski said while Halloween does not dictate the Rave’s genre lineup, the lineup includes some darker performances during the month of October, including heavy metal bands All That Remains and Motionless in White.
After today’s sale, the Rave ticket event will return to Marquette in October with another opportunity for students to get concert tickets and participate in Milwaukee’s music scene.
