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Late March is bringing showers… of sold-out shows-- good job KC, for packing live venues again! Plenty else is happening, including several at Knuckleheads and don’t throw away your shot, if you can manage to wrangle those still-elusive Hamilton tickets.
Sad face for the canceled RATM show which would have taken place this week- if they happen to get inducted into the Rock n Roll Hall of Fame this fall, maybe some make up dates are in the cards as a victory lap tour leg.
Let’s take look at the Kansas City/Lawrence KS metro musical happenings from March 22nd-31st.
WEDNESDAY MARCH 22
Hamilton (musical), continues through Apr 2, Music Hall,$69+
PNC Broadway in Kansas City continues with its most popular and longest-running show of the season! We all know Hamilton by now- the story of America then, told by America now. Featuring a unique score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton is told like never before, and has created a lasting cultural moment in the process.
With book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, Hamilton has won Tony®, Grammy®, and Olivier Awards, the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, and an unprecedented special citation from the Kennedy Center Honors. The Disney+ special is great, but you haven’t seen Hamilton until you’ve seen it live on-stage!
THURSDAY MARCH 23
Eric Bellinger, recordBar, $30-$55
The Grammy-nominated singer and songwriter is out on his headlining Obsession Tour. It follows his 2022 Vibes On Vibes Tour, which R&B singer Sammie co-headlined. VIP packages are available, including a meet and greet, early and priority entry, autographed merchandise and more. Trevor Jackson, Nick Lavelle, and Dom Chronicles are on as support.
Maddie and Tae, Prairie Band Casino-Mayetta, SOLD OUT 
Award-winning Country pop duo Maddie & Tae are coming to a sold-out Prairie Band. Their hits include: “Die From A Broken Heart”, “Girl In A Country Song”, current single “Every Night Every Morning”, and many more!
Iris Dement w Ana Egge, Knuckleheads, SOLD OUT
Longtime folk singer-songwriter and former KC resident Dement still obviously has loyal fans in the area. Her debut record Infamous Angel, which just celebrated its 30th anniversary, was recently named one of the “greatest country albums of all time” by Rolling Stone, and the two albums that followed, My Life and The Way I Should, each garnered Contemporary Folk GRAMMY nominations.
Thirty years after her debut, she’s still creating some of the most poignant music of her career, bridging seemingly disparate worlds with every note.
FRIDAY MARCH 24
Smithereens w Marshall Crenshaw (re-scheduled date) Knuckleheads,$35-$55 
The popular New Jersey band formed way back in 1980, bringing a contemporary beat to a classic rock sound. Jim Babjak (guitar,) Dennis Diken (drums,) and Mike Mesaros (bass) grew up together and original lead singer, the late Pat DiNizio, hailed from nearby Scotch Plains, NJ. They toured worldwide over the course of 17 albums and 2500+ live shows before the 2017 passing of DiNizio put the band on hold, momentarily.
Longtime friend Marshall Crenshaw takes over lead vocals for this tour, recreating the many Smithereens favorites, as well as likely, a few of his own hits. Special Guest is: The Popskull Rebels.
Larry Campbell and Teresa Williams w Shawn Mullins, Knuckleheads. $35-$55
Multi-instrumentalist-singer-songwriter Larry Campbell and singer-guitarist Teresa Williams’ acclaimed self-titled 2015 debut, released after seven years of playing in Levon Helm’s band – and frequent high-profile guest appearances – helped put them on the map as a formidable musical duo.
And for this tour, they’re joined by singer-songwriter Shawn Mullins, whose critical breakthrough came when 1998 Soul’s Core album shot him to fame on the strength of its Grammy-nominated No. 1 hit, “Lullaby”. In early 2002, he formed super group The Thorns with Matthew Sweet and Pete Droge.
Michigan Rattlers, recordBar, $18 
A Michigan folk-rock band composed of Graham Young (guitar), Adam Reed (bass), Christian Wilder (piano), and Tony Audia (drums). Veering beyond their initial Country-leaning sound, the band’s second full-length, That Kind of Life was released in 2021 to positive reviews. Morris & Depew open.
SATURDAY MARCH 25
Jerry Cantrell w Thunderpussy, Uptown,$35-$79
The Alice in Chains singer-guitarist is heading back out for another tour leg in support of his 2021 solo acclaimed album, Brighten. Expect to hear a plethora of solo material along with a number of AIC classics. The 2022 trek included vocalist Greg Puciato (The Dillinger Escape Plan), drummer Gil Sharone (Team Sleep), guitarist Tyler Bates (film soundtrack composer), who should all return as part of Cantrell’s solid band.
Luzcid, Encore at Uptown Theater, $25
The Houston-born electronic artist is out on his Illusions Tour, an Audio/Visual experience with visuals from Data Byte.
JID and Smino, Midland. $32.50-$59.50 
Out on their co-headlining Luv is 4ever Tour (which we’re scheduled to cover later this week in Minneapolis). Atlanta rapper J.I.D’s latest is The Forever Story, which topped many “Best of 2022” lists, including Rolling Stone and Pitchfork, while St. Louis rapper Smino’s third album Luv 4 Rent was his debut with Motown Records, in partnership with Zero Fatigue.
Queensryche w Marty Friedman, Trauma, The Truman,$32.50-$65
The ‘Ryche returns to the road with headlining tour dates in support of their latest album, 2022’s Digital Noise Alliance. Joining the classic progressive metal act on the road as special supporting acts will be ex-Megadeth guitarist Marty Friedman (ex-Megadeth) and rising metal band Trauma, making for an entertaining evening all around.
Queensryche said in a press release, "This touring package is amped up and very much looking forward to seeing all of you! Come on out and let's have a great time together, as live music is as vibrant as ever once again!"
Little River Band, Ameristar Casino, $50-$68
The classic rock band from Melbourne is best known for their top hits “Reminiscing,” “The Night Owls” and “Lonesome Loser,” since forming in 1975. Other radio-familiar hits include “Take it Easy on Me,” “Help Is on Its Way,” “Happy Anniversary” and “The Other Guy.”
SUNDAY MARCH 26
Cowboy Mouth, Knuckleheads, $25 
Jenny still Says to come to this show for a participatory fun time. Much like gumbo, the New Orleans-born band uses a potent blend of musical ingredients- rock, blues, punk, funk, country, pop, soul and whatever else feels good, for a true rock n roll revival show. Frontman, drummer, and co-founder Fred LeBlanc has asserted “if The Neville Brothers and The Clash had a baby, it would be Cowboy Mouth."
MONDAY MARCH 27
Shame, Bottleneck. $20 (UPDATE: SHOW DATE IS SATURDAY, MAY 27 )
The rising London post-punk band has returned with their third full-length, Food for Worms, which just came out at the end of last month. Three buzzing singles were released beforehand, doing exceptionally well on the other side of the pond, “Fingers of Steel", "Six-Pack" and "Adderall".
After they missed Rock the Garden in 2018, we finally caught the band live, last summer headlining in Minneapolis. They've been busy touring the UK and Europe, so are ready to hit our shores with a bang.
(Update: NYC indie five-piece Been Stellar will provide support, in support of last August's self-titled EP. )
TUESDAY MARCH 28
Rage Against The Machine, March 28, T-Mobile Center CANCELED
WEDNESDAY MARCH 29
Toto Uptown,$39-$99
The longtime rock band has spent most of the last couple years, touring on and off with a similar classic band that’s had its ups and downs, Journey, but returns to the area to make up for a previously postponed headlining appearance.
After announcing a breakup (filled with health issues, a lawsuit, etc) in 2019, they announced a reunion a year later with a revamped lineup including old/new singer Joseph Williams (son of composer John Williams), Steve Lukather, bassist John Pierce, drummer Robert “Sput” Searight, keys/vocalist Steve Maggiora, keyboardist Dominique “Xavier” Taplin and multi-instrumentalist/vocalist Warren Ham.
Jessie Murph, The Truman, $17
Alabama alt/pop TikTokker 18-year-old singer Murph is out on her first ever North American tour in support of her debut mixtape, Drowning released last month which includes songs “Always Been You,” “If I Died Last Night,” and “Pray”, as well as three new tracks.
She’s catching more notice as many of her originally booked venues, have been re-booked into bigger halls, to accommodate additional demand. We caught Murph live just over a week ago, in Minneapolis, with her older brother opening the show. 44Phantom is listed as support for KC.
THURSDAY MARCH 30
Koe Wetzel, w/ The Cadillac Three, Dylan Wheeler, Cable Dahmer Arena. $35-$60 
The genre-bending outlaw country artist brings his Road to Hell Paso Tour to the eastern KC suburbs iin support of Koe’s latest album Hell Paso, out last September which debuted at #12 on Billboard. In speaking about the album, Koe says: “We pulled in every genre we were feeling at the time. We spent the last ten years trying to make this sound, Hell Paso has it.” Wetzel sold over 350,000 tickets last year and is on track for much more in 2023. Opening acts are worth arriving early for.
Key Glock w Big Scarr, Uptown Theater,$39.50
The Memphis rapper is on his Glockoma Tour, a 31-date run of shows running until April 28 for a home-state show in Nashville, in support of new full-length, Glockoma 2, a sequel to his 2018 release.
Zepparella with Bad Bad Men, recordBar. $20
Expect to feel a whole lotta love for this Led Zeppelin tribute made up of vocalist Anna Kristina, guitarist Gretchen Menn, bassist Holly West, and drummer Clementine. Bad Bad Men (from Omaha) open the show.
FRIDAY MARCH 31
A Moving Sound, Polsky Theatre. $17-$35 
Fusing traditional Taiwanese influences with a global sensibility, the award-winning ensemble (Sheng Don 聲動) built a worldwide following through their mix of original music and dance, featuring the timbres of the erhu (fiddle) and zhong ruan (lute), and vocals of Mia Hsieh,
Hsieh draws inspiration from her roots in Asian culture, as well as an assimilation of experimental and improvisational art forms. Her vocal influences range from ethnic to experimental. For many of the compositions, she performs using her own created language; chanting, speaking and singing with emotion.
Take 6, Lied Center. $19-$50
The most awarded acapella group (Claude McKnight, Mark Kibble, Joel Kibble, Dave Thomas, Alvin Chea and Khristian Dentley) in history hits the live stage in Lawrence. With 10 Grammy Awards, 10 Dove Awards, a Soul Train Award, induction into the Gospel Music Hall of Fame, and more, Take 6 are six voices united in crystal clear harmony. We saw them live performing a Christmas mini-set, outdoors in mid-December numbing temperatures, singing from a rail car (no joke!) supporting Sheryl Crow.
Dave Attell (comedian) thru Apr 1, KC Improv, SOLD OUT 
The NYC stand-up comedian remains as popular as ever, selling out all shows on this multi-night KC residency. Known for the hit series, "Insomniac with Dave Attell" on Comedy Central, Attell has also been on every late night talk show and his own half-hour stand-up special, among numerous other appearances.
Tech N9ne with King Iso, March 31, Granada. $30
KC’s favorite rapper got a Super Bowl bump, when his unofficial anthem, “Red Kingdom” was played everywhere as our own Kansas City Chiefs repeated as NFL Champions. He brings his Strange Music show to the home of the Jayhawks (who need some cheering up after being bumped from March Madness).
Crystal Bowersox, Mar 31, Knuckleheads (POSTPONED to October 6)
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