Daniel Donato Presents Cosmic Chocolate Factory Wonka-Themed Halloween Show In Milwaukee

Daniel Donato's Cosmic Country celebrated Halloween with a Willy Wonka-themed concert at the Turner Hall Ballroom in Milwaukee last Thursday. “The Cosmic Chocolate Factory” saw the guitarist and his band dressed as characters from Roald Dahl’s Charlie & The Chocolate Factory along with performances of songs from the 1971 film and other sweet tunes.

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country kicked off the evening with “Free Wheelin,” DD’s recent collab with Cosmic Country bassist Will “Mustang” McGee. The first frame also contained the theme-appropriate “Sugar Shack” as well as tunes from DDCC’s most recent studio album Reflector: “Hi-Country” and “Lose Your Mind.” Set one set came to a close with “Mystery Train.”

Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country returned in costume, including DD as Charlie and McGee as Willy Wonka, and got into “The Cosmic Chocolate Factory” tunes beginning with the iconic “Pure Imagination,” which the band would weave in and out of throughout the second set. Additional tracks from the film included the various “Oompa Loompa” songs and “The Wondrous Boat Ride.”

DDCC also offered choice covers like the Grateful Dead’s “Candyman,” folk song “Big Rock Candy Mountain,” the Freddie King-popularized “Going Down” (proceeded by flying theatrical “Grandpa Joe” shenanigans) and The Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds.”

Additionally, Daniel Donato and company returned to Reflector in the second set with “Double Exposure” and the fitting “Sugar Leg Rag,” featuring Cosmic Country multi-instrumentalist and vocalist Nathan “Sugar Leg” Aronowitz. The band closed the doors on “The Cosmic Chocolate Factory” with the biblical traditional “Samson & Delilah.”

Check out video from the DDCC’s Halloween 2024 concert below:

Next up for Daniel Donato’s Cosmic Country is a team up with Kitchen Dwellers later this month. Find the band’s itinerary and ticket info below.

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Setlist