There’s a reason The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame Museum has a permanent display honoring these Wisconsin natives. Back in the 80s, the BoDeans blended the grit of American roots music with the upbeat elements of pop, creating a sound that caught the attention of both superstars and music fans around the country. Since then, the BoDeans have brought their unstoppable live talent on tour with legends like U2, The Pretenders and David Bowie. They’ve released Top 40 tunes like “Good Things,” “Stay” and their smash hit “Closer to Free.”
Singing earnest, solid rock songs with infectious hooks, the BoDeans have always presented an urgent, heartfelt hopefulness, which is exceptionally evident on their 12th album I Can’t Stop (April 2015). More than 30 years after their first album hit the airwaves, the guys are bringing that real, heartfelt and trend-free music you know and love to the Opera House. “I’ve always thought of the BoDeans as a truly American band,” says Kurt Neumann, the founder, primary writer and frontman of the veteran Milwaukee-based group. “We were blue-collar kids straight out of the heartland, how could we be anything else? Roots rock was a label I fought when I was younger, but I came to realize that if by roots you meant blues, rock, country and soul all slammed together into one sound, then I’d say yes that is the sound of American-made music.”