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We’re midway through the dog days of summer-
Lingering heat and humidity, mixed with bursts of random t-storms; in other words, a typical season in middle America, but thankfully, the weather hasn’t fully scuttled any outdoor shows we’ve attended so far. Plenty of indoor shows in the nice cool A/C and cooler weather and a busy Fall calendar (Rocktober and more!) are just around the corner.
Let’s take look at the Kansas City/ Lawrence KS metro musical happenings from July 20th-26th.
THURSDAY JULY 20
Granger Smith, KCLive!, Free!
Looks like this might be your last chance! -- Smith is out on his Like a River Farewell Tour after his recent announcement that he is retiring from touring. Over the course of his career, Smith has amassed an audience known as "Yee Yee Nation" built through 24 years of touring and grassroots engagement. Smith broke onto the national scene with Remington, an album that garnered him the No. 1 song "Backroad Song." He also released his first book If You’re City, If You’re Country, which hit No. 1 on Amazon. Known as an artist but also for his alter ego, Earl Dibbles Jr., his family’s YouTube series “The Smiths” and his outdoor apparel company, Yee Yee Apparel.
FRIDAY JULY 21
Rain- Beatles Tribute, July 21-23, Starlight, $16-$100
Maybe the closest to the real thing-- the musically accurate tribute performs songs from Abbey Road & the Rooftop Concert live in addition to all your favorite hits. We've seen the production and it is well made, entertaining, and rewarding seeing all of the band's eras, including the later years and hearing songs live that they never performed in front of audiences.
Backseat Lovers, GrindersKC, $46-$76
The Utah four-piece indie rockers have really blown up in popularity over the last year and are out on their Waiting To Spill Tour in support of their major-label debut album, 
last Fall's Waiting To Spill via Capitol Records which landed #1 on the Alternative New Artist Albums and #2 on the Heatseekers Album charts. We caught them in Minneapolis back in late 2021, before the recent fame (and much bigger venues), so this show at the relatively small Grinders, might be a good chance to see them before they move to even bigger places.
Arrive early for Kentucky openers Bendigo Fletcher in support of their Wingding EP., making waves in the indie scene with their fusion of folk, rock, and pop. Recently, the band released a new single called "Uncle Mick's Fireworks Extravaganza".
SATURDAY JULY 22
Ziggy Marley, Mavis Staples, Trombone Shorty, Robert Randolph, GrindersKC, $62-$101
Like a loaded baked potato, this lineup has everything!- New Orleans musical icon Trombone Shorty and Orleans Avenue, is out with co-headliner Ziggy Marley, Mavis Staples, and Robert Randolph Band.
It’s already been a busy year for Shorty, who released his most recent album, Lifted, last April. He performed “Shotgun” at the MusiCares Person of the Year event honoring Berry Gordy and Smokey Robinson during Grammy Week and also performed at the Grammy Salute to Paul Simon Concert. The entire lineup is musically impeccable, so assuming the weather holds, it should be a great and full evening.
Ann Wilson with Tripsitter, Uptown, $35-$99.
Though we'd rather see the Wilson sisters together again as Heart, we saw the elder Wilson and were thoroughly entertained when we caught her live in 2017. She's got a new backing band and latest solo album, 2022's Fierce Bliss, was a collection of covers and originals, featuring Vince Gill, along with guitarist Kenny Wayne Shepherd and Gov’t Mule’s Warren Haynes.
A new album with her band, Tripsitter, comprised of guitarists Ryan Wariner, bassist Tony Lucido, Paul Moak on guitar and keyboards, and drummer Sean Lane is due as well and expect a mix of solo songs, Heart favorites and Zeppelin and other covers.
Ginuwine w Shai, Jagged Edge,The Midland, $39.50-$249.50 
This one's mostly for the ladies – it's the R&B Kickback featuring three 90's radio mainstays, but might not be selling as well as planned, as we've seen previous offers on Groupon/ Living Social, so check around for possible deals.
SUNDAY JULY 23
MONDAY JULY 24
Tedeschi Trucks Band w Vincent Neil Emerson, Music Hall, $39.50-$175
Blues rockers Tedeschi Trucks Band expanded their 2023 North American tour to include Kansas City at an unexpected but sonically sound venue, the Music Hall downtown and will continue on following with two additional arena dates at New York’s Madison Square Garden and Boston’s TD Garden, dubbing those “The Garden Parties.”
The band released their four-part, fifth album, I Am the Moon, in September 2022 and expect several covers (Wet Willie, Dr John, maybe Rolling Stones) alongside their own songs, and some mesmerizing live guitar work.
Opening Texas Country folk artist Vincent Neil Emerson has recent single, “Learnin’ to Drown” out and an interestingly titled 2019 album, “Fried Chicken & Evil Women”.
AJJ, Bottleneck-Lawrence, $25-$28
AJJ (formerly Andrew Jackson Jihad) are an American folk punk band from Phoenix, formed in 2004 and comprised of 
core members Sean Bonnette (acoustic guitar) and Ben Gallaty (upright bass). Their self-released debut, Candy Cigarettes & Cap Guns, was released in 2005 after which, a number of self-released demos and EPs attracted the attention of Plan-It-X Records, which issued a split release with the similarly styled Ghost Mice in 2007. Newest album is their eighth and released in late May, Disposable Everything.
Arrive early for support acts- Chicago-raised hip hopper Open Mike Eagle, and the experimental folk of Portland’s Foot Ox.
TUESDAY JULY 25
Yungblud w The Regrettes, Uptown, $39-$50
YUNGBLUD released his self-titled third studio album ‘YUNGBLUD’ [Locomotion/GEFFEN Records] to acclaim with Rolling Stone hailing it for its “angst and tender introspect,” and “perfect for arena singalongs” and has been on the road in support of, with the Kansas City date being one of the last of the current tour leg.
The young rocker celebrated the new album's release with a whirlwind 5-day in-store tour playing 9 cities, including a three-venues-in-one-night LA run, performing live at The Roxy, Whiskey a Go-Go and The Viper Room on the Sunset Strip.
Arrive early for support band The Regrettes, whose third studio album, Further Joy, is out now via Warner Records. The band (singer/songwriter, Lydia Night, Genessa Gariano- guitar; Brooke Dickson -bass; Drew Thomsen- drums), have written a manual for living in these times, replete with personalized songs about things we're all going through. They were the highlight of the Innovation Festival when we caught them live last summer in Kansas City.
Death Grips, The Midland, $35-$65 
The experimental hip-hop band have fascinated since their beginnings in 2010. The Sacramento-based band includes MC Ride on vocals, Zach Hill on drums and production and Andy Morin on keyboards and production.
With influences from everything to punk rock to electronic music, their sound didn’t go unnoticed when they started in 2010. Most recently, they released their 4th EP, Gmail and the Restraining Orders and have also been teasing additional new music.
1776 (musical), July 25-30, Starlight, $16-$100
1776 follows John Adams as he persuades and convinces the United States founding fathers to sign the Declaration of Independence. This musical digs deep into historical figures and contains a cast that includes women, nonbinary individuals, and transgender individuals.
This Tony Award-winning Best Musical is tuneful, witty, and surprising, especially in this revolutionary new production from directors Jeffrey L. Page (Violet) and Diane Paulus (Waitress) with a cast that reflects multiple representations of race, gender, and ethnicity.
Youth Lagoon w Nina Keith, recordBar, $22 
He's back - The project of Trevor Powers, Youth Lagoon is touring on his latest album, “Heaven Is A Junkyard.” From the early lo-fi dreamy bedroom pop of his 2011 debut LP The Year of Hibernation to the synth-rock of 2015’s Savage Hill Ballroom, he shunned complacency, always keeping listeners on their toes. In 2018, he stopped using the Youth Lagoon moniker, saying it was a space he no longer wanted to inhabit but now he has returned as Youth Lagoon. We caught him a decade ago.
Opener LA artist Nina Keith has shared a new song 'Blow Up Yr Life (U Need To)' as a follow up to the musician's 2019 debut album 'MARANASATI 19111'.
WEDNESDAY JULY 26
Julia Jacklin w Macie Stewart, recordBar, $23
The Australian singer/songwriter is out on the road, stopping locally with support from Macie Stewart, celebrating her latest LP, Pre Pleasure, released last August. She shared a self-directed video filmed in Melbourne for “I Was Neon” in June. We caught her last Fall in Minneapolis and despite somewhat losing her voice, still managed to put on a good live show.
Chicago multi-instrumentalist Stewart opens with a unique mix of folk tinged with some hip hop in support of 2021’s “Mouth Full of Glass”.
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