Wisconsin's Most Haunted Music Venue
The haunted pool is just the beginning.
I embarked on an expedition into the dark caverns of The Rave in 2012 with then promotions director Justin Moralez in preparation for a Wisconsin Sickness event. The building—opened in 1927 and home to the Milwaukee chapter of the Fraternal Order of Eagles and the “Million Dollar Ballroom,” as it was once called—is known for its ghosts.
Both locally, and among the musicians who visit.
Haunted Pool
Though some believe The Rave is haunted by Buddy Holly, whose final show is often incorrectly said to have been there, the haunting is typically attributed to 16-year-old Francis Wren, who drowned in the pool in 1927, and much of the paranormal activity seems to be centered around it
“Today paranormal claims remain persistent,” Milwaukee paranormal researcher Allison Jornlin writes for American Ghost Walks. “Employees, musicians, and patrons have described orbs of light, strange voices, and cold spots. Others say they have been touched by unseen hands or glimpsed a hazy apparition. An overwhelming chlorine smell in the pool area, shuffling footsteps, and a shadowy figure seen skulking around the basement are also frequently reported. However, many of the ghost stories don’t seem to match the facts of the 1927 drowning.
“Two witnesses in 2005 were preparing to shoot a music video in the boiler room and claimed to hear a baby crying in the middle of the night. They searched the entire basement, but couldn’t find the source of these strange cries. Some band members claim to have been touched by unseen hands. Even Rob Zombie, musician and shock horror connoisseur claimed to be creeped out by disembodied whispering in his dressing room. The members of another band reportedly observed a mislaid chair in the boiler room begin moving on its own. Other musicians can’t shake the feeling that they are being watched during rehearsals by an unseen presence.”
Bathroom Ghost
Justin said he had experienced things like disembodied voices and bar stools turning themselves upside down on the bar. But there was one particular experience that seemed to rattle him the most.
During an event one night, a line had formed at the women’s bathroom and no one was going in or out. Justin went to investigate. The door was locked from the inside. Everyone standing around said they watched a woman walk in and close the door behind her.
But after a long period of time, she didn’t come back out.
And as Justin knocked and tried to communicate with her through the door, there was no response.
Finally, The Rave staff decided to go in and check it out, cutting the door from its hinges to gain access.
And the bathroom was empty.
There were no windows or any other way someone could have locked the door and escaped the bathroom.
In recent years, The Rave has been opening up in December for self-guided Haunted Holidays tours, so you don’t have to be a rock star to see the creepy pool!
History of Milwaukee Metal Fest
In the early 80s, Jack Koshick became known as the metal guy in Wisconsin. He put on many of the earliest metal shows in the state. He owned the Odd Rock Cafe on Kinnickinnic Ave where GG Allin performed an ill-fateful, fecal-filled show. And in 1987, he put on the inaugural Milwaukee Metal Fest, putting Wisconsin on the map as the mecca of metal. He event taught Sharon Osbourne how to run a show before she launched Ozzfest in 1996.
Voyd Studios (one of my music-oriented side projects) recently met up with Jack at Rush Mor Records to talk about the rise, fall, and resurrection of Milwaukee Metal Fest.
