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Month’s end!
March weather may supposedly go “out like a lamb” (maybe not this wacky year!) but concerts and shows are definitely still “roaring like a lion” as this last weekend is pretty packed, with no less than the Bobfather himself returning to navigate the still-terrible street conditions of Topeka for the first time in decades!
Let’s take look at the Kansas City / Lawrence KS / Topeka KS metro musical happenings for the upcoming weekend, from March 29th-31st:
(ticket hyperlinks are embedded in each show’s headline)
SATURDAY MARCH 29
Warrant, BulletBoys, Mar 29, Uptown, $29-$75
The Down Boys are back!
The Hollywood rockers have been around since 1994 and of course, had massive success with their debut album, "Dirty Rotten Filthy Stinking Rich," from 1989 with its hit singles "Down Boys," "Sometimes She Cries," and "Heaven." That success paved the way for their second album, "Cherry Pie," which was released in 1990. The title track, "Cherry Pie," became the band's biggest hit, reaching number 10 on the Billboard Hot 100 chart. The band continued to release successful albums throughout the 1990s, including "Dog Eat Dog" and "Ultraphobic."
They continue to tour and release new music with vocalist Robert Mason, including recent album, "Louder Harder Faster," and we covered them live last, back in Minnesota in late 2016.
Arrive early for longtime rockers BulletBoys who are welcoming back a founding member after a few years absent from the band. Lonnie Vincent, who left the band in 2022, is coming back and joining him will be guitarist Jake Faun who’s worked with David Lee Roth and Winger. Smooth Up!
Giovannie and the Hired Guns, Mar 29, Bottleneck-Lawrence, $23-$25
Giovannie and The Hired Guns are back on tour in support of their fourth full-length album, Quitter, just out earlier this month and prefaced by the title track as a lead single. We saw them live at this same venue in 2023, and the band has a continued strong Kansas fan base, as evidenced by booking four KS shows on this tour.
Since their inception in 2015, the group has merged alt-metal, Red Dirt country, Latin pop, Americana, and much more. The new record is their second LP since signing with Warner Music Nashville through Warner Music Latina and was recorded at the famed Sonic Ranch (a residential studio near the Mexican border in Tornillo, TX).
““Quitter” is about being out on tour all the time and never getting to be at home and also feeling like you don’t deserve the person who’s back at home waiting for you,” says Giovannie Yanez. “Everything kind of clicked for this album after we wrote ‘Quitter,. Jerrod came up with a riff and I just jumped in and started singing those opening lines: ‘Here we go again/Pass me a Xan.’ It was exactly what I was going through at the time, but I didn’t even mean for it to come out.”
Harlem Globetrotters, Mar 29, T-Mobile Center, $20-$200
Don't bet on the Washington Generals! The basketball team that brings the most fun, the Harlem Globetrotters level-up every game with all-new, exciting challenges in 2025! You'll see all that you've come to expect at every Globetrotters game, plus new trials as players face-off to see who can pull off trick shots and more! See you favorite Globetrotter stars versus their renowned rivals, the Generals. Packages and VIP available, we saw them about ten years ago and they’re still a fun show.
SUNDAY MARCH 30
Killswitch Engage w Kublai Khan TX Fit for a King, Frozen Soul, Mar 30, The Midland, $39-$81
The Massachusetts three-time Grammy-nominated hard rockers (Jesse Leach, vocals; Adam Dutkiewicz, guitar; Joel Stroetzel, guitar; Mike D'Antonio, bass; and Justin Foley, drums) are back on tour with a renewed energy, in support of their brand-new album, “This Consequence” released February 21 via Metal Blade, with lead single, “I Believe.”
"We are very excited to be back out on the road in support of our incoming new album," states singer Jesse Leach. “['This Consequence'] means the world to us so we will be giving it our absolute all on these shows. Be sure to come out; it will be one for the memories!"
This tour leg started March 5 in Nashville and runs through April 12 in Portland, ME and is a packed four-band lineup, so make sure to arrive early to secure a good spot!
Bob Dylan, Mar 30, TPAC- Topeka, $65-$262
The Bobfather has expanded his touring schedule yet again, still on his “Rough and Rowdy Ways Tour,” named after his 2020 album of the same name, which mark his most recent original, full-length release to date. ahead of his participation in the 2025 “Outlaw Music Festival Tour.”
He returns to Topeka for the first time in years, having played TPAC in 1994 and the old Expocentre back in Spring 2001.
Of course, his early days were recently chronicled in the Timothée Chalamet-starring Oscar-nominated bio film A Complete Unknown, and believe it or not, he also recently joined TikTok. Live, Bob plays what he wants to play (so don’t expect a hit parade), doesn’t say much at all between songs, and the stage is usually dark, but that’s the legend for you!
Waylon Wyatt, Mar 30, Knuckleheads, Sold Out
This is one hot sold-out show! The teen rising Red Dirt Country singer-songwriter from Hackett, AR is out on his 13-date headlining Til The Sun Goes Down Tour. 
He was recently named a 2025 Artist To Watch by Amazon and Music Mayhem Magazine and released his debut EP, Til The Sun Goes Down, in 2024, a project that he solely produced and wrote (in his childhood home!), which has racked up over 5 million streams across platforms.
Here’s what he said about the tour: "Going on my first tour ever!! Might just be coming to a town near you!! Thank y’all so much for supporting me. I’ll be on spring break from school during this tour so I’m actually gonna have some time to travel. Hope to see y’all at this next string of shows!!"
MONDAY MARCH 31
Kraftwerk, Mar 31, The Midland, $39-$100
Ze fun, fun, fun of fifty years of the Autobahn! Kraftwerk co-founder Ralf Hutter still leads the iconic German synth outfit and is celebrating five decades on this “Multi-media Tour-50 Years of Autobahn” paying tribute to the band’s first US tour in 1975 to promote their fourth album of the same name.
Bringing together electronic-music computer animations and performance art, Kraftwerk concerts are a true "Gesamtkunstwerk – a total work of art.”The group was founded in 1970 by Ralf Huetter and Florian Schneider. They set up their electronic Kling Klang Studio in Duesseldorf, where they conceived and produced all Kraftwerk albums.
By the mid 1970’s Kraftwerk had achieved international recognition for their revolutionary electronic ‘sound scapes’ and their musical experimentation with robotics and other technical innovations. With their visions of the future, they created the soundtrack for the digital age of the 21st century and were constantly ahead of their time.
In 2014, Huetter and Schneider were honored with the Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award. and in 2021 Kraftwerk were inducted into the Rock & Roll Hall of Fame.
Danielle Nicole, Mar 31, Kauffman Center, free for Spotlight members
A true KC favorite and winner of eight Blues Music Awards, Danielle Nicole Band, led by vocalist and bassist Danielle
Nicole, has carved a niche in the contemporary blues scene. Known for her soulful voice, stage presence and skillful bass playing, Danielle Nicole blends blues with elements of soul, rock and R&B. We caught her live last in 2023.
Her solo debut album, “Wolf Den,” peaked at No. 2 on the Billboard Blues Charts and earned 7.5 million Spotify streams. Her follow-up album, “Cry No More” (2018), was Grammy-nominated in the contemporary blues category and debuted at No. 1 on the Billboard Blues Charts – and can claim more than 10 million Spotify streams. Most recently, “The Love You Bleed” (2024) spun more than 1.2 million streams in its first year.
If not yet a Spotlight member, signup is available and consider supporting the Arts in this fine manner--
5:30 p.m. – Doors open. Complimentary wine, beer, seasonal cocktail and appetizers.
7 p.m. – Danielle Nicole Band performance in Muriel Kauffman Theatre.
8:15 p.m. – Artist meet-and-greet in Brandmeyer Great Hall. Cash bar available.
National Touring act coming to Kansas City, Lawrence, KS, Topeka, KS, or vicinity? Let us know so we can spotlight the appearance-email [email protected]
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