A sneak peek at the new Landmark Credit Union Live

Just before it’s officially curtains-up for Landmark Credit Union Live, the Journal Sentinel was one of the media outlets that got a “first look” tour of the new Milwaukee live music venue.

The 83,000-square-foot, 4,500-person-capacity ballroom-style venue offers a variety of ways for fans to take in a show. They include first-floor standing general admission or second-level box seats with access to the Vinyl Room, an exclusive lounge – inspired by 1970s Japanese listening rooms – that’s open on show nights to premium ticketholders.

Landmark, which has a national touring-size stage, is splashed with nods to Milwaukee – including a TYME machine of sorts – and its rich music history.

“You can’t overstate the excitement,” said Joel Plant, CEO of Frank Productions. “Milwaukee deserved a room of this size and scale, and fit and finish.”

Concert juggernaut Live Nation owns a majority stake in Frank Productions, the parent company of Madison-based promoter FPC Live. Landmark marks the first venue in town operated by FPC Live.

Landmark’s first touring show will be Rainbow Kitten Surprise on Feb. 27.

The way concerts bring people together and highlight diversity is the “absolute bedrock” in any city, said Andrew Newport, Live Nation regional vice president of operations.

In addition to hosting around 70 concerts a year, Plant expects that the venue will see around a dozen community and private events in its first year and double that in years to come.

“The most exciting part about opening a new building is not what happens today. It’s the impact that this venue is going to have on the community long term,” Newport said.

When it comes to the venue’s food options, Ryan Derieux, head of culinary for Live Nation, wanted to serve up a “diverse offering in each one of the spaces and give each space its own identity.”

Here’s a sneak peek at the new venue and what we learned during the preview:

Ticket options at Landmark Credit Union Live

The ground level is for standing general admission ticketholders, Plant said, with a pit in front of the stage for “the most rabid fans” who want to get as close to the action as possible. High-top tables with chairs were sprinkled about during our tour.

Two lengthy bars line the sides of the GA level, with another watering hole at the back.

Remember TYME machines? Well, there’s a TYME machine-inspired photobooth on the main level that can make photos look like they’re from different decades. Another trademark of Floor 1 is a “Drum Wall,” inspired by the lore of Drum’s Hollow, aka Lake Emily (that lore here).

The second level features a ring of box seats about 70 feet from the stage, which are “the most premium seats in the house,” Plant said. Some boxes are available to people and corporations on a contract basis, while others can be purchased event-by-event. These premium ticketholders have access to the Vinyl Room (more on that in a sec).

At the back of the venue on Floor 2 is a “Message in a Bottle” bar, and a secondary merch stand.

Up from the boxes is reserved seating, as well as the VIP Terrace that’s accessible via a purchasable upgrade.

Landmark also has luxury suites.

A list of upcoming shows and ticket info can be found at landmarkculive.com.

General admission food and drink offerings

General admission eats include “Koko’s Bavarian” specialties, like an all-beef hot dog, brats from Austin, Texas, that Derieux considers among the best on the market, and salted soft pretzels. There are also calzones featuring Sheboygan Pasty Co., Badger popcorn, Frito Lays chips and boxed movie theater-style candy.

For drink options, there’s beer, including from Third Space Brewing and 3 Sheeps Brewing; hard seltzers and iced tea; shaker cup cocktails; spirits; nonalcoholic beverages, including “Riffreshers,” Liquid Death water and iced tea, Red Bull, sodas and NA Athletic Brewing beer; and more.

A look at The Vinyl Room, an exclusive for premium ticketholders

Walking up to the Vinyl Room, you get a taste of what you’re in for. The words “Vinyl Room” – cut out as if they’re centered around a record – are at the center of a large wooden shelving unit filled with records and plants – what you’d expect from a trendy friend’s aesthetic living room. The wooden host stand is like an art piece itself, dotted with speakers. A simple lighting fixture made out of records hangs from the ceiling above.

The hall leading to the lounge is decked out with wooden record-sized cubbies with vinyls on display.

The room is seeping in natural light with floor-to-ceiling windows covering the entire east-facing wall. It also peaks through the shelving of the bar’s backdrop, which is adorned with records, bottles, music gadgets, greenery and glassware. Along the long, curved bar are green plush chairs and a DJ setup to spin vinyls.

Music memorabilia, including album covers, pictures and posters – a number with local ties – hang on the room’s southern wall. Antique store-looking finds are mixed in, from framed 3-D copper animal images to a red UW pennant. The center of that wall has another wooden unit filled with records, with a long retro-looking patterned sofa below.

Another wall, plastered with colorful concert posters, features three U-shaped booths. There’s a variety of seating throughout the space.

The room was designed to give a “deep nod” to the rich history of music and live entertainment in Milwaukee, Plant said. An example of that is a photo of KISS performing at the Bradley Center. Landmark was built on the center’s former site.

From small plates to a Waygu beef burger, the Vinyl Room boasts a “restaurant dining experience” that’s “rooted in Japanese and Southeast Asian influences,” Derieux said. It’s worth noting that food is an additional charge.

Highlights from the menu, Derieux said, include fried gyoza, tossed in a chili crunch and served with green onions and sesame seeds; a “light and fresh” cucumber salad featuring cucumbers marinated in rice vinegar and finished with benne seeds and sesame oil; lobster dip, a twist on fish dip, with grilled lobster, a whipped tofu base, and lobster tom kha served with shrimp chips for dipping.

“It’s the best place to hang in the entire venue when you’re not watching the show,” Plant said.

Plant envisions that this space, which also has a patio, will be used for private and community events throughout the year.

VIP Terrace with patio, bar and other food options

The VIP terrace, a purchasable upgrade on the third level, features a large covered patio overlooking the city, another bar, exclusive food options, and more.

Food options on that level include Rebel Hen, a chicken tender concept, that serves “not just your average concessions chicken tender,” with crispy cornflake breading, as well as wings, Derieux said. There’s also a take on the classic smash burger with burger sauce, American cheese and caramelized onions, and a veggie burger.

This spot will also be used for private and community events, Plant noted.

Back of house, the artists’ ‘home away from home’

“The back of house is kind of a home away from home for artists and their crew,” Plant said.

The care put into the design and outfitting of that space was crucial to ensure that artists have a pleasant, easy, fun and memorable time while in Milwaukee, Plant said, so that they “want to come back and play again and again.”

There are spaces for artists and their teams to hang out, as well as dressing rooms, and shower and laundry facilities.

On the Feb. 25 tour, the Journal Sentinel got to see the “entourage room,” where the artist’s friends and family can chill. It’s vibey, with records lining the top of an entertainment center that has a giant screen at the center, a record player, a variety of brown and black leather seating, colorful Milwaukee-centric artwork, a kitchenette, a private bathroom, and a window that overlooks the stage.

What a show day is expected to look like

Newport walked us through what he anticipates a typical show day will look like at Landmark:

Some personnel will be there, starting around 7 a.m., to make sure dressing rooms are ready, hospitality is taken care of, and to greet artists when they arrive. Stage hands will be on deck to unload trucks as they come in.

“Usually the show, for the most part, is in before noon,” he said.

From around noon until early afternoon, artists may want to explore downtown while techs tweak equipment.

When doors open, “it’s showtime for us,” Newport said, greeting fans and making sure lines aren’t too long.

“We often say that if we’re doing our jobs well, shows are the easiest thing we do,” he said.