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If one phrase could describe this Saturday-night concert at Falcon Hall in Milwaukee, it would be simply this: Home for the Weekend is back.

The second night of a two-show reintroduction to the Midwest indie rock scene, this hometown performance wasn't merely a rock concert - it was a raucous celebration of the band's DIY Milwaukee roots, resurgent present, and bright future. Again joined by Madison, WI-based Payroll, Home for the Weekend eagerly took the stage to thunderous cheers in a moment of anticipation 8 years in the making.

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When the group last walked off stage 8 years ago, also in Milwaukee, the band, and the world, were in a much different place. What quickly became obvious as they thundered into their setlist was how much had changed in those years, and also ironically, how much hadn't.
Some differences immediately stood out to the packed audience of fans, family and friends - new faces like support bassist and collaborator Emilio Gutierrez, and a new catalog of music that had never been played live (until the group's first reunion show the prior weekend in Madison). Others were more subtle, mainly their noticeably more controlled stage presence and instrumentation. What's clearly remained unchanged, though, is the group's enthusiastic and appreciative approach to live performance. Home for the Weekend is a band clearly having fun, and they seem uninterested in pretension or "acting the part" of what a modern rock band should be.

If Payroll was the well-oiled machine, Home for the Weekend was the animal waiting to be uncaged, all of which made for an unforgettable night of rock. In a music scene craving authenticity, Home for the Weekend and Payroll just proved at Falcon Hall that it still exists - you just need to know where to look.

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-ConcertWire - Milwaukee, WI (8/30/26)