Haim's talent knows no bounds at Milwaukee debut at BMO Harris Pavilion (Bon Iver's Justin Vernon was there to check it out, too)

A decade into their acclaimed career, Haim — the pop-rock trio of sisters Alana, Danielle and Este Haim — finally made its Milwaukee debut at the BMO Harris Pavilion Tuesday for the “One More Haim” tour.

And Wisconsin’s most accomplished musician was there for the occasion.

Eagle-eyed concertgoers might have spotted Justin Vernon walking around Tuesday. He and Haim run in the same circles — Taylor Swift is among their mutual collaborators — but the Bon Iver frontman didn't opt for the backstage pass thing, nor did he seem to get bombarded with fans the couple of times that I saw him.

He didn't make an on-stage cameo during the concert either — he's got his own busy schedule, with a Bon Iver tour leg kicking off Friday (skipping, alas, his home state) — but it was for the best. Absolutely nothing should have detracted from Haim's fabulous first impression in Brew City.

RELATED: From Kendrick Lamar to Lil Wayne, Mötley Crüe to Maren Morris, these are the 20 top concerts in Milwaukee this summer

RELATED: These are all the arena, amphitheater and stadium concerts happening in Milwaukee in 2022

Youngest sister Alana has the acting accolades for her winning performance in Paul Thomas Anderson's "Licorice Pizza" last year, but all three sisters could have successful film and TV careers if they want to go that route.

Each of them had an undeniable stage presence Tuesday, bringing their own burst of electricity as they ran on stage one by one — first, middle sister Danielle on buzzing guitar and vocals, then an electric Este wilding out on bass and vocals, followed by Alana on a percussion kit and vocals— to fill out the 93-minute set's opening number "Now I'm In It." The way the song surged as they joined forces — supported by three backing musicians — was overwhelming, culminating with dizzying and delightful vocal interplay and the three sisters teaming up on a towering drum jam.

And as the sisters switched up roles — alternating lead vocals, taking turns between percussion and keys and guitars — their talent became even more impressive, as individuals and as a whole. (They also gave some space to touring sax player Henry Solomon for an engrossing solo at the end of "FUBT.")

For the night's second number, "I Know Alone" — like the majority of the set, from Haim's Grammy-nominated 2020 album "Women in Music Pt. III" — the three sisters stood on stage for a slick, robotic synchronized dance routine.

Two songs later, the mood shifted entirely for the scathing "My Song 5" from their 2013 debut album "Days Are Gone" — with Danielle sneering "Honey, I'm not your honey pie" and channeling her rage into a jagged guitar break, while a mean-mugging Alana looked ready to punch a hole in a drum, even when smacking it with a single drum stick.

But comedy was a major component of Tuesday's show, too, from a silly song made up on the spot — Alana likened themselves to Tenacious D at that point — to a funny skit in which Este "took a call" on stage from a sleazy guy she met at a Cincinnati gig the other night. That led into her vamping it up, and putting him down, singing lead through the R&B bounce of "3 AM."

Even the tired "which side is loudest" bit felt fresh, with Alana and Este showering each of their sides with over-the-top praise, and saying the sister repping the losing side would have to buy breakfast the next morning. "And I hate buying breakfast," Este proclaimed with humorous disgust.

But there are some heavy themes behind the humor — for all of their pep, those two opening songs are about dealing with depression — and for a three-song acoustic set, the sisters put their songs' vulnerability front and center.

The sisters channeled Fleetwood Mac's "Never Going Back Again" for their own lovely "Leaning on You." Then for "Hallelujah," each stunned with lead vocals, especially when those voices came together, as they sang about the love they have for each other and, on Alana's verse, a love that is lost from a friend who passed that would "protect me like a shield."

And then the whole band, except for Danielle, left the stage, leaving her to perform "Man From the Magazine" alone on acoustic guitar. She explained the origin of the song — a male journalist early in their career asked them an incredibly gross and sexist question — prompting outraged boos from the crowd that soon turned to cheers for Danielle's empowered performance.

From there, the full band returned for seven more songs, culminating with a confetti shower — and Este whipping out her tongue and convulsing like Gene Simmons – for grand finale "The Steps."

"And every day, I wake up and I make money for myself/And even though we share a bed, you know that I don't need your help," Alana sang triumphantly through the chorus. "Do you understand? You don't understand me, baby."

It's something the largely female crowd could understand all too well — and through Haim's performance, they clearly felt understood.

The takeaways

• Este Haim Tuesday revealed that her first kiss was with a boy from Milwaukee, Alex Fox, in 1999 when they were 13. "He went to my rival middle school and we went to the same bar mitzvah and we had braces and he gave me my first kiss. It was super sexy. It was thin with no tongue. So hot. So incredibly hot."

• It was wonderful that Haim finally played a Milwaukee show, but I’m worried it may not happen again for the next album cycle. The 5,000-seat venue was at most half full, although the spirited crowd sounded 10 times as large cheering through “The Steps” at the end.

• Before leaving the stage, Este Haim made sure to get a souvenir drum stick to a young boy in the center of the pit.

• Sasami brought sunny vibes to her opening half-hour set; she was even thoughtful enough to thank the local crew. Not musically, though, with the Los Angeles artist and her grungy three-piece band drawing from nu-metal for the agonized “Make It Right,” with Sasami dropping to her knees from the grief, and the visceral “Say It,” culminating with a blood-curdling scream at the end. Both tracks and much of the set came from Sasami’s surprising sophomore album “Squeeze,” which showcases her sensitive lyrical style, just with a more aggressive spirit. The set confirmed she’s always up for an expectation-defying adventure — and that she will be an artist to watch closely.

The Haim setlist

1. "Now I'm In It"

2. "I Know Alone"

3. "Up From a Dream"

4. "My Song 5"

5. "Want You Back"

6. "3 AM"

7. "I've Been Down"

8. "Gasoline"

9. "Leaning on You"

10. "Hallelujah"

11. "Man From the Magazine"

12. "FUBT"

13. "Los Angeles"

14. "Don't Wanna"

15. "Forever"

16. "Summer Girl"

Encore

17. "The Wire"

18. "The Steps"

Contact Piet at (414) 223-5162 or plevy@journalsentinel.com. Follow him on Twitter at @pietlevy or Facebook at facebook.com/PietLevyMJS.

Our subscribers make this reporting possible. Please consider supporting local journalism by subscribing to the Journal Sentinel at jsonline.com/deal.

DOWNLOAD THE APP: Get the latest news, sports and more

This article originally appeared on Milwaukee Journal Sentinel: Haim's talent knows no bounds in Milwaukee at BMO Harris Pavilion