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Another crazy busy concert weekend in the KC and Lawrence metro (even Topeka has a good show worth catching!), with offerings large and small, a good dash of comedy, and music for fans of all genres. Enjoy Rocktober!
Let’s take look at the Kansas City / Lawrence KS metro musical happenings for the upcoming weekend, from October 20th-22nd.
FRIDAY OCTOBER 20
Travis Scott, T-Mobile Center, $56-$176
He is, and still remains massive- the “Travis Scott Presents Utopia – Circus Maximus” tour marks the rapper’s first run of dates since the 2021 Astroworld Festival tragedy, which left 10 people dead and many injured. The tour just kicked off last week to good reviews and wraps in Toronto just before the end of the year. $2 from every ticket will go to the nonprofit Cactus Jack Foundation, which provides toy drives, HBCU scholarship drives, and other financial aid to Houston youth.
Scott enjoyed a huge first week for his fourth studio album, Utopia, which landed at No. 1 on the Billboard 200 after the LP racked up nearly 500,000 equivalent album units in its opening frame. Originally, planned to promote the record with a concert at the Pyramids of Giza, it was canceled due to “complex production issues, “but he did perform at Rome’s Circus Maximus which featured a surprise appearance from mentor Kanye West.
Dierks Bentley w Josh Abbott Band, Stormont-Vail Events Center- Topeka, $40-$135
Get ready to kick up some “Gravel & Gold” with this veteran Nashville singer-songwriter, making a rare appearance in the capital city. The new album was released in February and is still going strong.
“I’ve been waiting as patiently as possible for the time when we could tell our fans about this tour and I’m happy the moment has arrived,” Bentley said via a press release. “With new music, a whole new set and vibe along with incredible musicians and singers to share the stage with.…I can honestly say I think this will be our best tour ever.”
Nation of Language, recordBar,$25.49
Indie synth pop trio Nation of Language are celebrating the arrival of their third album, Strange Disciple. released on Sept. 15 via PIAS, so it only makes sense they return to their favorite venue,and the one where they first met, the recordBar.
The album’s lead single, “Sole Obsession,” is all about infatuation, which is what singer Ian Devaney and keyboardist Aiden Noell had, when they first met at this KC venue to complete the band.
Ben Rector and Jordy Searcy, The Midland, $35-$89.50
Piano man Ben Rector is out on the “The Old Friends Acoustic Tour” bringing an intimate, acoustic performance to a smaller than usual venue (we saw he, Searcy and Day last summer outdoors at Starlight on their Joy of Music Tour)
Jordy Searcy and Stephen Day will perform individually as opening acts and together with Rector during the main event. Searcy has also collaborated with Rector as a co-writer on tracks such as the 2021 hit single “It Would Be You” and Rector’s most recent release, “Wonderful World”.
Big Gigantic, Kansas City Live!, $25-$80
The Boulder CO hip hop / electronic / jazz duo just played their own Rowdytown XI and are out in support of last year’s Brighter Future 2 release. Joining them on the road is the viral EDM trio Levity who just made their long-awaited TSIS debut earlier this month and are known for the recent live set at Electric Forest.
Night Ranger, Ameristar Casino, $50-$222
The longtime rockers can still rock in America! They are releasing a new live album, "40 Years And A Night With Contemporary Youth Orchestra", this Friday via Frontiers Music Srl. The live album and live performance footage will be available on CD, vinyl (including limited editions),DVD, Blu-ray, and digitally across all streaming platforms. Look for more of a rock show in KC though.
Amigo the Devil, The Madrid, $25-$55
Amigo the Devil has announced his third studio album, the self-produced Yours Until the War Is Over, arriving February 23rd. The lead single “Cannibal Within” can be heard now. Aka singer-songwriter Danny Kiranos has garnered a significant following with his disarming, uncompromising brand of dark folk.
The album title is a reference to author Ernest Hemingway and his tragic love affair with Agnes von Kurowsky during World War I, who would send love letters to Hemingway with the closing salutation, “Yours until the war is over.”
“There’s a tiny little cannibal inside of us all and it feeds on our insecurities,” commented Kiranos in a press release about the lead single. “The more it feeds on doubt, jealousy and self-devaluation, the bigger it grows until it becomes bigger than we ourselves are. And then we’re left with nothing. We lose the war.”
SATURDAY OCTOBER 21
Bullet for My Valentine w Of Mice and Men, Uptown, $35-$75
The Welsh melodic metalcore band is back in North America for the first time in five years this October, and they're taking Of Mice & Men and Vended with them, still supporting their 2021 self-titled album.
"After five long years, we're finally heading back to the USA and Canada for a proper headline tour," said Bullet For My Valentine frontman Matt Tuck. "We cannot wait to play and see you all again — it's been far too long."
Lawrence Metal Massacre, The Bottleneck, $15
This metal marathon starts at Noon and features a bevy of local and regional hard-hitting bands and is the very first of a planned regular event. Prepare for hours of head banging, moshing, and general emotion-releasing rocking by the collective crowd, and the people-watching will be amongst the most interesting of the whole year.
For this inaugural edition of the Massacre, featured bands include: SinFool, From Ashes, OxyToxin, Coventry Sacrifice, The Less Fortunate, Dreams in Peril, Why Bother, Multi-Faceted, Bear Blood, Love Like War, and EdgeOverEdge.
Matt Rife, Music Hall, SOLD OUT
The wildly popular, fast rising comedian and actor is on his ProbleMATTic World Tour with more than 100 dates, selling out a majority of the shows already (is it the abs?!)
“I couldn’t be more thrilled to live out this life long dream! To tour the world, spreading laughter, with some of my best friends, is something I never thought would be possible. I’m so grateful to get this opportunity, and it’s even more fulfilling knowing that it’s all because of the incredible people who enjoy my comedy,” said Matt Rife. “I’ve been working so hard towards this for 12 years and now I’ve surrounded myself with a team who works just as hard and share the same passion! I still can’t believe it.”
Bored Teachers (comedy), The Midland, $35-$55
Bored Teachers presents the funniest teacher-comedians in the world all on one stage. Their hilarious skits have amassed hundreds of millions of views on the internet, and they're all joining comic forces on the stage for a night of laughter you do not want to miss. Put that red pen down, throw on your comfiest teacher tee, and come burn off some of that stress this school year has been dumping.
Matisyahu (acoustic), MOVED to Knuckleheads, $45
Note the Venue change: Veteran singer-songwriter Matisyahu is out on an acoustic run promises to deliver intimate performances, allowing fans to experience the artist’s soulful music up close and personal, so look for previous favorites and newer songs, some re-interpreted to fit the unplugged format. This is the last date of the tour and is now playing a smaller venue, so could be a special show.
Liverpool Legends (Beatles tribute) Liberty Hall, $45-$65
The Beatles Tribute Band that formed with the help of George Harrison’s sister, continues touring and entertaining with a setlist of all familiar songs, and authentic visuals. “We do expect some younger fans, who will enjoy the music of The Beatles,” the band says, “This is a family concert that everyone can enjoy.”
Dante Elephante, Encore at Uptown, $24
If you missed them over the summer at this year’s Innovation Festival, Ruben Zarate and his band Dante Elephante are back in the area with their indie-disco-R&B tunes. Founded in 2010, their diverse discography includes surf and indie rock-influenced albums like German Aquatics (2013) and Anglo-Saxon Summer (2015), and the disco R&B sound of album, Mid-Century Modern Romance (2021).
SUNDAY OCTOBER 22
Stop Light Observations, recordBar, $15.
The eclectic sound that is SLO is led by singer/songwriter and lead vocalist William Blackburn. The other musicians that currently make up the band are Oleg Terentiev on drums, Noah Jones on keys, Will Mahoney and James Rubush on guitar and Cam Wescott on bass. The best way to describe this band is a mixed sound grounded by Blackburn' s falsetto. Drawing on southern roots from their Charleston background and peppering in elements of funky bass, alternative sound, hip hop and soulful piano riffs, SLO has metaphorically dipped its toes in every pool.
The band plans on focusing on releasing a series of singles leading up to their fall release of their LP album which will consist of a collection of works from the band.
Alluvial, The Rino, $16-$18
The prog tech death metal band featuring guitarist Wes Hauch (ex-Black Crown Initiate, ex-The Faceless), vocalist Kevin Muller (ex-Pyrexia), drummer Matthew Paulazzo (Aegaeon), and bassist Tim Walker, is back with two new songs and an EP, Death Is But A Door is out January 12. They're now streaming driving single "Bog Dweller" alongside the more atmospheric "Fogbelt".
"We wrote about 13 or 14 songs this summer, but we wanted to do this EP between Sarcoma and our next full-length. These songs align with the vibe we want to go for. We will always find a way to be darker from record to record in the same way that South Of Heaven was heavier than Reign In Blood and Seasons In The Abyss was heavier than South Of Heaven," said Hauch. "It was that concept of chasing the dragon to find a way to top the message and vibe on the last record while finding a way to do it that made us excited."
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]
| john c ([email protected]) ♥ weheartmusic.com ♥ X / twitter.com |
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