Among the lineup of renowned entertainers, like P!nk and Jim Gaffigan, announced for the new Milwaukee Bucks arena’s first year, there are some acts that may not be as mainstream, but nonetheless speak to the wide range of entertainment promised for the venue.
The Bucks most recently announced the stars and producers of truTV’s top-rated television series Impractical Jokers will bring “The Cranjis McBasketball World Comedy Tour” to the arena on Nov. 18. Now in its seventh season, Impractical Jokers follows four comedians and friends, dubbed The Tenderloins, as they convince each other to perform embarrassing stunts and pranks while in public. The group has performed around the world on earlier tours, “Where’s Larry?” and “Santiago Sent Us.”
Additionally, today marks the start of ticket pre-sales for “The Toughest Sport on Dirt,” a professional bull riding competition for the world’s top 35 bull riders, being held at the arena on Oct. 6 and 7. It will be televised for the Professional Bull Riders Inc. series, “Unleash the Beast.”
Fourteen events have been announced for the arena so far– starting with Kevin Hart on Sept. 13, Maroon 5 on Sept. 16, Justin Timberlake on Sept. 21, and Jim Gaffigan on Sept. 22— but the arena’s opening show has yet to be revealed. Others include Metallica, Fleetwood Mac, and Elton John.
The Bucks have 80 events on hold or scheduled from September through December of 2018, Bucks president Peter Feigin said during an interview with BizTimes Milwaukee in December. By comparison, there have been about 115 events held each year at the BMO Harris Bradley Center.
“We are going to blow people away,” Feigin said. “You really have to set the pace and set the expectation that this is not a second class city. We are going to pound our chest. We are going to be massive in getting first-class talent.”
Construction is finishing up on the $524 million arena, which is set to open by September in downtown Milwaukee.
