Dermot Kennedy performs Saturday night at Landmark Credit Union Live in Milwaukee, bringing his chart-topping third album, The Weight of the Woods, to a room that holds roughly 4,500 people — a fraction of the crowds he pulled just weeks earlier at home in Ireland. Doors open at 6 p.m. and the show starts at 8 p.m., with singer-songwriter and former American Idol finalist Hunter Metts opening.
The Milwaukee stop is part of the North American leg of Kennedy's ongoing world tour, according to OnMilwaukee. It's a deliberate shift in scale for an artist who, in July, became the first Irish solo artist to sell out back-to-back nights at Dublin's Aviva Stadium, drawing more than 100,000 fans across the two shows. Kennedy has said stadium shows are a celebration of the record but pass quickly, and that he feels more comfortable in smaller venues — a sentiment that lines up with his choice to headline a 4,500-capacity room rather than another arena on this leg of the tour.
Landmark Credit Union Live itself is part of Milwaukee's story here. The 83,000-square-foot indoor venue, built on part of the former Bradley Center site in the Deer District, officially opened on February 27, more than six months before Kennedy's visit, as Hoodline reported in its venue opening coverage. The $70 million facility is operated by promoter FPC Live, a joint venture between Frank Productions and Live Nation, in partnership with the Milwaukee Bucks; Brookfield-based Landmark Credit Union acquired the naming rights in October 2025.
According to the City of Milwaukee, the Deer District is a 30-acre redevelopment encompassing Fiserv Forum and more than $200 million in new investment, including a hotel.
From Dublin Busker to Chart-Topping Headliner
Kennedy's rise traces back to busking on the streets of Dublin before he built a catalog that now includes three consecutive number-one albums in his home country. When The Weight of the Woods topped the UK Official Albums Chart in April, he became the first Irish solo artist in UK chart history to have each of his first three studio albums reach number one, according to Dork. The album also debuted at number one on the Irish Recorded Music Association's Albums Chart upon its April release, per IRMA's own chart data.
His 2019 debut, Without Fear, became the best-selling debut album of the millennium in Ireland, spending more than 150 weeks in the Irish Top 10 and racking up nearly 5 billion global streams across platforms, according to data from Chartmetric. Kennedy created The Weight of the Woods in close collaboration with producer Gabe Simon, whose credits include work with Noah Kahan and Lana Del Rey, recording much of the album in Ireland before its release. Over the years, Kennedy has shared stages with Noah Kahan, Luke Combs and Zach Bryan.
Milwaukee is the site of Kennedy's Saturday concert. His Saturday headlining set will take place at Landmark Credit Union Live in the Deer District.
A Forest-Themed Stage in a Brand-New Room
The tour's stage production incorporates nighttime images, fireflies and analogue visual elements. It's an open question how that concept will translate to the ballroom-style layout of Milwaukee's newest venue, given the show was built around the intimacy Kennedy has said he prefers.
Kennedy road-tested new material during the summer and has said he wants to make new music and return to the studio, though he has no firm timeline for his next album cycle. After the North American leg wraps in Vancouver, British Columbia, on October 29, he plans to tour Australia and New Zealand, with dates set for Perth, Brisbane, Sydney, Melbourne, Adelaide, Christchurch and Wellington.
Milwaukee's Newest Venue Keeps Drawing Bookings
Saturday's show adds to a growing list of major bookings at Landmark Credit Union Live since its February opening, including previewed dates from Chance the Rapper and Alemeda, both covered in past Hoodline previews. The venue has also been in the local news for reasons beyond its concert calendar — in March, 81 of its 87 hospitality workers voted to join the Milwaukee Area Service and Hospitality Workers Organization, as Hoodline reported in its coverage of the union vote, and the room drew complaints in May after smoke alarms interrupted a concert.
The venue is designed to attract touring acts to the Deer District alongside its neighbor, Fiserv Forum. For Kennedy, Saturday's stop is a chance to bring an arena-scale catalog into a room built for something smaller.
