From the second you step into the building through the encore song performed on the balcony, Turner Hall Ballroom is a venue that sets both the artists and the audience up for an entertaining night.
Turner Hall Ballroom, constructed in 1882, began as a hall for immigrant painters and artists. The Milwaukee art scene was full of these artists, typically of German origin, in the early 1900s. Turner Hall Ballroom is a National Landmark, a listing on the National Registry of Historic Places, and a local Historical Landmark. It is the only building in Milwaukee to hold all three of those titles. The Ballroom holds a variety of events, including concerts. On April 20, 2024, Saint Motel took a stop at Turner Hall Ballroom for their “Awards Show” tour.
To start the night, artist Gibbz performed a one-man opening act. He used a combination of previously mixed work, live vocals, electric guitar, and live mixed beats and vocals for his performance. The crowd appeared captivated by his talent and celebrated him with rather loud cheers during and after each song. Despite the crowd’s positive reactions, he remained humble throughout his set by getting the crowd excited for the main performer, Saint Motel.
Less than 30 minutes after Gibbz closed out his set, Saint Motel took the stage and began The Awards Show. They started off the set with “Van Horn” and moved directly into the introduction for the first song selected by fan vote. Before the show, a QR code was posted at the front of Turner Hall Ballroom and announcements were repeated sporadically after the doors opened reminding the fans — referred to as the “distinguished members of the academy” — to vote. The QR code took fans to set.live. There were four different categories of songs for fans to vote for, with three options each. Each fan vote song was dispersed throughout the show with different announcers to share the winner. Several members of the band announced the winning songs but for the fourth fan vote, two audience members joined the band on stage to announce the winner, “For Elise.”
The band left the stage behind before the anticipated encore including one of their most popular songs, “My Type.” The screen previously showing the fan vote QR code switched to a cinematic-quality video of an orchestra performing instrumental versions of some of their songs. The narrator whose voice was used throughout the show introduced these as the “Saint Motel Slow Song of the Year Nominees.” Once the video was over Saint Motel returned to the stage with a slight outfit change. For their performance of “My Type,” lead singer, AJ Jackson, directed the crowd to part down the middle, ran through the fans, and made his way up to the balcony of the Ballroom. He twirled around a guest in the seated area and made his way back to the stage at a surprising speed to finish the song and show.
The talented opening act, interactive fan experience throughout the show, and unique venue in the heart of Milwaukee all made for an excellent show. Turner Hall Ballroom next hosts comedian Daniel Sloss on April 26.
For a full list of upcoming Pabst Theater Group shows and events, visit:
—Abigail (Abby) McGue is a Multimedia Creator and Writer with The Beacon. She is a Senior Mass Communication major graduating in May of 2024 with minors in sports media and graphic design.