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Uh-oh, some recent cooler mornings (after the July/August record heat) means it’s all winding down--
Summer is too-quickly coming to an end, as back to school has started for almost all (area colleges return Monday), but the Fall usually means a last blast of concert activity, before the slower holiday season. You’d think it was already Rocktober, instead of late August, as KC has had a ton of shows lately, with a schedule that stays pretty busy through mid-November, so buckle up and go see live music!
Let’s take look at the Kansas City / Lawrence KS metro musical happenings from August 24th to 31st.
THURSDAY AUGUST 24
Craig Ferguson (comedy) Aug 24, Uptown, $59-$352
The Scottish former host of The Late Late Show (whose hosting stint on CBS lasted a decade) is a multiple Grammy-nominated, Peabody and Emmy Award-winning actor, writer, producer, director and comedian. We first saw him in America in 1995 with Betty White and Marie Osmond in the short-lived ABC comedy, “Maybe This Time.” After the show ended, ABC decided to add him to “The Drew Carey Show,” playing Carey’s boss, ‘Nigel Wick,’ from 1996-2003.
Among his many screen credits, he also voices Gobber in the successful How To Train Your Dragon movies, and all along, he’s kept his stand-up comedy career, as time has allowed. In 2006, Ferguson released his first novel, Between the Bridge and the River, which made it onto the bestseller list, and in 2008, Ferguson succeeded in becoming a US Citizen.
FRIDAY AUGUST 25
The Black Keys, August 25, Starlight, $35-$199.50 
The blues-rock duo of Dan Auerbach and Patrick Carney is back, touring on their 11th studio album, “Dropout Boogie" (released last May) with a follow-up to last season’s 32-date North American run and European to end on, last year. New songs and past favorites like “Howlin’ for You,” “Lonely Boy,” and “Gold on the Ceiling” have been featured, as well as a deep cut or two, and covers from influences Junior Kimbrough and R.L. Burnside.
The acclaimed album was nominated for 2023 Grammy Awards for Best Rock Album and Best Rock Performance for the album track “Wild Child.” Dan Auerbach was also nominated last year for Producer of the Year, Non-Classical for his work on this and other albums.
Denver alt rock trio The Velveteers (singer-guitarist Demi Demitro / drummers Baby Pottersmith and Jonny Fig) slated to open in support of Nightmare Daydream, on Easy Eye Sound, Auerbach’s label.
Weyes Blood, August 25, The Truman, $25-$50
Aka Natalie Mering is taking her glowing heart to more cities, in support of And In the Darkness, Hearts Aglow, her album from last year. This new string of headlining dates is taking place in between her opening support slot on the Beck/ Phoenix co-headlining tour. Mering will make her way to the West Coast in September, play a show at Red Rocks with The Strokes and then return to Europe in October for even more touring.
SATURDAY AUGUST 26
Jelly Roll w Ashley McBryde, Struggle Jennings, Josh Adam Meyers, Aug 26, T-Mobile Center, SOLD OUT 
The big man sold it out! Arguably, the sensation of 2023, the rapper/Country artist is taking his genre-blending sound is out on his Backroad Baptism Tour, which kicked off on July 28 in Mississippi, and is selling out most arenas along the way. After a previous seasoned discography, he broke out last year with radio hit, ‘Need A Favor’ then continued this momentum into 2023, earning his first ever Country Radio No. 1 in January with his hit, ‘Son of a Sinner’.
The tour's name is a nod to Jelly Roll's journey of redemption through music, after the artist's struggles with addiction and his former life as a drug dealer, and he even recently visited a group of incarcerated inmates, after seeing them singing his songs on TikTok.
A bevy of great acts anchors this bill, including six-time Grammy-nominated Arkansas singer-songwriter Ashley McBryde, whose fourth record The Devil I Know, is set to release on September 8th and she’s a recent Grand Old Opry inductee as well. Comedian Josh Adam Meyers is set to host.
KC Dance Day, Aug 26, Blender Center, Free!
Join Kansas City Ballet for KC Dance Day, the 13th annual celebration of dance and movement featuring dance performances, and dance and fitness classes.
Choose from more than 20 free dance and movement classes at the Kansas City Ballet School, available for children ages 2-7 in Dance with Me, Creative Movement, Ballet, and Boys Ballet and for ages 8-11 in Ballet, Jazz, and Hip Hop. Free classes for adults ages 12 and up include Be Moved, DANCEFIX, Ballet, Yoga, Hip Hop, Jazz, Flamenco, and Contemporary. Preregistration for free classes is available online and encouraged.
Lunch will be available from 11:30a-2:00p served by Two Guys and a Grill. Choose from a hamburger, hot dog, veggie burger, or chicken breast, with chips and bottled water for $10 per. Info/ registration: KC Dance Day - KC Ballet - August 26, 2023 - Free!
Taking Back Sunday, August 26, KCLive!, $25-$65 
This past June, the Long Island band returned with “The One,” their first new song in four years, then in July, they participated in the “Sad Summer Festival” tour with The Maine, Mom Jeans, and more. That tour has wrapped, but the band still has some remaining live dates in 2023, including this downtown KC show. They also recently went back to their roots, playing a Long Island house show and delivering a surprise set, but don’t expect anything quite that intimate.
Avett Bros, Old 97's, Turnpike Troubadours, Aug 26, Azura Amph, $24-$191
Hot on the heels of brand-new album, A Cat in the Rain (featuring new single, “Mean Old Sun”) being released only the day before, the Oklahoma band will play outdoors in the KC West suburbs on a tour that started only days ago in Lincoln, NE and includes a residency at Billy Bob's in Fort Worth, TX.
“I have that same adrenaline rush again,” Evan Felker, the band’s singer / primary songwriter, tells Rolling Stone. “Waiting around to put this album out, and getting to share it with other people. I would miss that if I weren’t still doing it. I would miss making something, because I can’t make anything else at this level.”
The lineup is stacked with two other great live acts, so arrive well-prepared for a full musical evening.
Kamelot with Battle Beast and Xandria, Aug. 26, The Truman. $35 
The modern heavy symphonic metal leaders have announced their 2023 "Awaken The World" North American Tour, featuring special guests, Finland’s acclaimed BATTLE BEAST and additional support from Xandria.
Guitarist Thomas Youngblood says,"We are beyond excited to return to North America for the 'Awaken The World' tour! We just returned from four weeks in Europe to packed houses, so we cannot wait to play new songs and the new set to the KAMELOT Nation U.S. and Canada. See you all at the shows!"
Saving Abel, Tiblow Days- Centennial Park, Bonner Springs - Free!
A late addition, as we just spotted this; band is on stage about 9:30pm, Heritage Festival Info here:
Tiblow Days — Bonner Springs Edwardsville Area Chamber of Commerce (bsedwchamber.org)
SUNDAY AUGUST 27
Corey Taylor (Slipknot) w Wargasm, Oxymorrons, Uptown, $39.50-$97
The Slipknot front man has been busy, as usual, now prepping for the release of his forthcoming second solo album, CMF2, and dropped its lead single "Beyond." The album's out September 15th, and Taylor is out on a 28-day U.S. tour (just started Aug 25 in Denver), featuring support from nu-metal revivalists Wargasm and rap group Oxymorrons.
Goo Goo Dolls w O.A.R., Aug 27, Starlight, $29.50-$169.50 
The longtime New York rock band is out in support of their 2022 album, Chaos in Bloom and partnering with O.A.R. on The Big Night Out Summer Tour, which hits more than 30 amphitheaters in cities over the course of three months. The tour launched on July 24 in Tampa and wraps on Sept. 7 with a solo Goo Goo Dolls show in Highland, CA, so this KC date is just past the middle.
“I’m so proud to finally be able to announce our summer tour with a great band and our friends O.A.R.,” Dolls co-founder Johnny Rzeznik said in a press statement. “It’s going to be an amazing night of great music for everyone so BE THERE!!!”
A portion from tickets sold will benefit the Safe At Home Foundation. The organization was founded by former MLB player/manager Joe Torre to provide healing services and education to young people who have been exposed to domestic violence, child abuse, and sexual assault to “empower them to live healthy lives free of violence,” according to the Foundation’s mission statement.
MONDAY AUGUST 28
TUESDAY AUGUST 29
The Chicks w Ben Harper, Aug 29, T-Mobile Center, $39.50-$139.50
After nearly 14 years, The Chicks released their fifth studio album GASLIGHTER to acclaimed reviews in July 2020 (via Columbia Records), co-produced by award-winning singer-songwriter, producer, Jack Antonoff (who doesn't he produce?!) ...but then, the pandemic (during which time they also shortened their name).
The biggest-selling U.S. female band of all time, The Chicks have sold more than 30.5 million albums and the only female group to achieve multiple “Diamond” selling (10+ million copies) releases. Counting 13 GRAMMY® Awards, six Billboard Music Awards, four American Music Awards, and numerous CMA Awards are among many other accolades.
Illness on the road has caused several recent postponements, but seems like they're past that, and arrive early for singer-songwriter Ben Harper, out in support of last year's Bloodline Maintenance and the just-released 17th full-length, Wide Open Light.
Come From Away (musical) Aug 29-Sept 3, Starlight, POSTPONED
WEDNESDAY AUGUST 30
Mastodon w Gojira, Lorna Shore, Aug 30, Azura Amph, $45-$49.50 (all GA)
Dubbed the Mega-Monsters Tour, buckle your seatbelts for this heavy one! 
Mastodon released their latest and eighth album, Hushed and Grim, back in 2021. Before that, the Atlanta-based sludge metal band also dropped the compilation Medium Rarities. As for French avant-metal group Gojira, their newest album also came out in 2021, Fortitude. It was the follow-up to their 2016 full-length, Magma. New Jersey deathcore band Lorna Shore released Pain Remains last October.
Zach Bryan, Aug. 30, T-Mobile Center. Sold Out
The Country sensation’s headlining Burn Burn Burn American Tour might be considered a slight against Ticketmaster, as he’s stayed clear of the ticketing giant, in hopes of a fairer shake for fans acquiring his very in-demand tickets for a reasonable rate.
“I’ve tried my best to make tickets as affordable as possible for the Burn Burn Burn Tour,” Bryan said in a The Office-inspired (with Kevin cameo!) video making the announcement, using mostly Fair AXS as his preferred outlet which only allows resale at face value. Spanning 28 dates, the Burn Burn Burn Tour started in May in Virginia and wraps with this Kansas City show.
Arrive early for two fine Midwest openers, the pride of Duluth, MN - Trampled by Turtles, who we've come to know very well from our Twin Cities base (we really miss their Palomino Festival which ran for several years at Canterbury Park) whose latest full-length is last October's "Alpenglow" (on BanjoDad Records) and Tulsa Country folk singer-songwriter JR Carroll, out in support of 2022's "Raging in the Dark".
Cannons with New Constellations and Jane Leo, Aug. 30, The Truman. $25-$50 
We were all-in on this Los Angeles dream/electro-pop trio (Michelle Joy- vocals; Ryan Clapham- lead guitar; Paul Davis- drums keys) when we first saw them live in 2021 and again in 2022, so grab tix to this return engagement, while you still can! We toldja they would be big!
Their three albums- Night Drive [2017], Shadows [2019], and Fever Dream [2022] have shown a true musical growth, and the group has exponentially grown in popularity along the way. Breakout single “Fire For You” reached RIAA Gold, some 250mil. streams, topped Alternative Radio, and landed on the likes of NETFLIX’s Never Have I Ever, American Horror Story, and more. New single is the sunny, sassy, and sexy funkified strut of “Loving You”, signaling much more to come.
Portland indie duo New Constellations have a debut EP out, and Austin TX’s Jane Leo is actually a dark pop, neon noir duo of Leopold and His Fiction and Jane Ellen Bryant.
THURSDAY AUGUST 31
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