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Late April means Draft Week in KC!
After two Super Bowl wins, the metro gets to host the NFL Draft this Thur/Fri/Sat, which has become a huge media event, and has free nightly concerts after the rounds end. Admission is free but requires the NFL OnePass QR code, because the league wants your marketing info, of course. Still, should be fun. April has quickly come and gone- bring on May!
Let’s take look at the Kansas City/Lawrence KS metro musical happenings from April 26th-May 1st.
WEDNESDAY APRIL 26
Sabrina Carpenter, Midland. $29.50-$59.50
Out on her emails i can't send Tour supporting her fifth full-length album and debut for Island Records, the album represents a music leap for the multi-talented star. In order to get “closer to music,” Sabrina quite literally embraced her roots once again. Listening intently to a myriad of favorites, she dusted off listening to the likes of Carole King, Joni Mitchell, Dolly Parton, and Marvin Gaye, emphasizing the inclusion of live instrumentation and stripped-back production.
Since making her debut with Eyes Wide Open in 2015, Carpenter has evolved as a singer, songwriter, and performer on her own terms, amassing over a billion streams, a platinum and two gold singles along the way. Blu DeTiger to open.
Lainey Wilson, KC Live, Free 
Wilson is on the road for her first major headlining tour she dubs the Country With a Flare Tour. New album, Bell Bottom Country has been critically acclaimed and swept recent Country award shows. She’s a real-deal rising artist with #1’s "Things a Man Oughta Know" and "Never Say Never," a collaboration with Cole Swindell and single "Heart Like a Truck” is currently everywhere, even on a Ram Truck commercial in heavy rotation. Oh, plus Free show! - arrive early for a good spot.
THURSDAY APRIL 27
Black Flag (performing My War), recordBar, $25
The punk luminaries have taken on many forms over the years, but one thing that has stayed consistent is guitarist (and primary songwriter) Greg Ginn, who’s the sole continuous member of the band. On this tour, pro-skater-turned-punk vocalist Mike Vallely will front the band in a performance of the seminal 1984 album, My War, in its entirety along with classic punk hits.
Fall Out Boy, NFL Draft at Union Station, free w NFL OnePass 
The GRAMMY award-nominated, multi-platinum and award-winning rock band will take the stage following the conclusion of Round 1. The band's eighth studio album, So Much (For) Stardust, debuted as the No. 1 rock album when released last month. This June, they come back(!) on their So Much For (Tour) Dust but you can see this sneak peek for free. Jonas Brothers also appearing earlier in the evening with a new single!
Mo Lowda & The Humble w/Illiterate Light, Encore at Uptown,$15-$17
The Philly indie four piece is headlining their album release tour, in support of their self-titled full length, which just released in March. It’s their fourth, so you know they’ve been honing their chops and energetic live show, for some time.
Arrive early for openers Illiterate Light The Virginia duo (singer-guitarist Jeff Gorman and drummer Jake Cochran), has been around since 2015 and is touring in support of their new album Sunburned, out now via Thirty Tigers. We just caught this show last week in Minneapolis – read all about it here!
Pert Near Sandstone w the Way Back Wanderers, Knuckleheads, $18.50
The Minneapolis-based string group released their debut album, 'Up And Down The River” over a decade ago. New release, 'Discovery Of Honey,' finds them once again recording in a basement and reuniting with founding member Ryan Young, who's spent the past seven years playing fiddle with Duluth’s Trampled By Turtles.
Current lineup also includes Nate Sipe and Kevin Kniebel, founding guitarist J Lenz, bassist Justin Bruhn, and clog & fiddle player Matt Cartier. Support comes from Peoria, IL band The Way Down Wanderers, who recently released third full-length, More Like Tomorrow.
IV and the Strange Band, Knuckleheads, $20 
"Patience is a virtue." Those words are tattooed across Coleman Williams' right arm, forever reminding the alternative-country singer/songwriter of the benefits of taking one's time as the great-grandson of Hank Williams Sr., grandson of Hank Williams Jr., and only son of Hank 3. Expect a genre-blending mix with Southern attitude and a DIY mentality. The Goddamn Gallows as support.
Rob Schneider (comedy), Folly. $35-$75
The multi-faceted Schneider is out on his I Have Issues Tour.. A stand-up comic and veteran of the award-winning NBC’s Saturday Night Live, Schneider has gone on to a career in films (the Deuce Bigalow franchise), television and continues touring and the three-time Emmy nominated writer is also raising young daughters Miranda and Madeline, with his wife Patricia.
Bruce-O-Rama Starring Bruce Campbell, Uptown Theater, $27.50-$125.00
PART 1: PLAY A GAME!
Hosted by Bruce, LAST FAN STANDING is not your father's trivia contest. As the only interactive game show created exclusively for fans of pop culture, it will test your knowledge about the things that really matter: Fantasy, Horror, Sci-Fi, Superheroes, Gaming.
PART 2: WATCH A GROOVY BRUCE MOVIE!
Bruce will introduce a cult favorite he's been in and take questions before the screening. It's a lively half hour of anecdotes, insults and random cash giveaways.
FRIDAY APRIL 28
Kelce Jam feat Machine Gun Kelly, Rick Ross, Loud Luxury, Tech N9ne, Azura Amph, $49.99+
The two-time Super Bowl Champion is curating his very own music festival, to help celebrate NFL Draft Week in Kansas City (even though this is way out in Bonner Springs)
Mostly sold out, it pairs the newsworthy Machine Gun Kelly with rappers Ross and local favorite Tech N9ne for an evening that is very close to sold out, try for tix quick.
MÖTLEY CRÜE, NFL Draft at Union Station, free w NFL OnePass 
Known for their iconic live performances and currently on The World Tour playing stadiums around the globe, the world's most notorious rock band, MÖTLEY CRÜE will headline Day 2 following Round 3 on Friday, April 28, before taking their tour to 17 European countries starting next month and returning to the USA for more stadium shows in August.
Latrice Royale, Madrid Theatre, $35-$249
Celebrating 30 years in the biz, Latrice shares how she’s risen from the lowest points in her life to becoming one of the World’s most Beloved Queens. It’s a story of resilience, heart, soul and determination as Latrice spills all the “Tea” through comedy, storytelling and music. Spendy VIP packages available, of course.
Park ICM Orchestra, Parkville, free w/email reserve here 
Currently celebrating its 20th Anniversary, the International Center for Music at Park University (Park ICM) started its famed chamber orchestra in 2016. The season will culminate with Kansas City favorite Timothy Hankewich, former resident conductor of the Kansas City Symphony on April 28th.
Maestro Hankewich has selected an all-French program, with music of Honegger, Saint-Saëns, Fauré and Milhaud being featured. The Swiss/French composer Arthur Honegger is perhaps best known by two very different works; his symphonic poem Pacific 231, inspired by his great love of trains, and the so-called symphonic psalm King David, a work that propelled the composer to fame in 1921. His Pastorale d’ete will be heard to start the concert and is an evocation of a calm early morning in the Swiss alps.
SATURDAY APRIL 29
Kansas City Jazz Orchestra, “The Root,” April 29, Kauffman Center,$33.50-$68.50
The root of jazz lies in another Black American art form: the blues. But the relationship that Kansas City jazz has with the blues is unique, maintaining a strong association throughout the past century. From Julia Lee to Charlie Parker to Bobby Watson and beyond, Kansas City jazz musicians have embodied this tradition in a holistic, yet continually contemporary style and will honor its musical roots.
Thundercat, NFL Draft at Union Station, free w NFL OnePass 
The Grammy-winning iconic bassist and vocalist previously wowed opening for the Red Hot Chili Peppers and an outdoor show last summer at GrindersKC, and will now close out the 2023 Draft Concert Series. He will curate a special performance which will pay tribute to the rich music history and the legacy of jazz in Kansas City. His latest single is a collab with Tame Impala.
Damien Jurado, recordBar, $17
New album Sometimes You Hurt The Ones You Hate just came out (via Maraqopa Records) and “Neiman Marcus” is the lead single, a melodic pop song that sounds both fresh and classic.
Ron Pope w/Caleb Hearn and Lydia Luce, Knuckleheads,$20-$2525 
After his world tour was canceled in early-2020, Pope passed three hundred afternoons at his living room piano and the resulting music is Inside Voices, due out in early June. Pope circled back to how his solo career began- simple, honest lyrics and melodies..
With special guest Caleb Hearn and Lydia Luce and no, that top ticket price is not wrong-- it basically entitles you to hang out all day with Pope.
The New Pornographers with Wild Pink, The Truman. $30-$60
For the last two decades, the indie supergroup — A.C. Newman, Neko Case, Kathryn Calder, Todd Fancey, Blaine Thurier, John Collins, Joe Seiders and Simi Stone have been delivering infectious hooks, harmonies, and a pile of power-pop riffs every time they take the stage, now embarking on a tour in support of their brand new record In The Morse Code Of Brake Lights. We caught the band at First Avenue almost a decade ago (has it been that long?!) and the lineup changes, depending on who’s available. Openers Wild Pink are an indie rock band from the boroughs of Brooklyn and Queens, with ILYSM being their fourth full-length album.
Cut Chemist, The Ship,$18-$20 
The legendary turntablist (co-founder of Jurassic 5 and Ozomatli) will be performing a special vinyl-only set in the main room
SUNDAY APRIL 30
The Birthday Massacre, Encore at Uptown. $25
From the band whose landmark album Walking With Strangers has been called the "Sgt. Pepper of Dark Wave" comes their 12th release and most intimate offering to date. " Fascination" is at once the most fully realized album with the bands signature blend of haunting vocals, electronica and aggressive guitars and their most accessible. We caught them live both last year, and back in 2017 and this is a headlining show, in between support gigs with Lacuna Coil.
Wage War with Nothing,nowhere. and Spite, The Truman. $25-$70 
The metalcore band formed in Ocala, FL in 2010 under the name Empires and consists of lead vocalist Briton Bond, lead guitarist Seth Blake, rhythm guitarist / vocalist Cody Quistad, bassist Chris Gaylord, and drummer Stephen Kluesener. Acoustic album The Stripped Sessions, was released last December. Opener Nothing,Nowhere is a 30yr-old Foxborough, Mass Emo rapper whose new album “VOID ETERNAL” featuring the 'THIRST4VIOLENCE', 'VEN0M' & 'CYAN1DE' is out now.
MONDAY MAY 1
Wilder Woods (NEEDTOBREATHE), Madrid. $31
The Covid lockdown turned into a very productive period for NEEDTOBREATHE singer Bear Rinehart who was fresh off of touring behind the first album for his new solo project, Wilder Woods, when he holed up with his wife and children. The result is a brand-new 2nd solo album, Fever/Sky, out now on Dualtone Records, but expect some band, as well as solo favorite songs. We’ve seen the band a handful of times, most recently last summer with OneRepublic on a lovely summer night outdoors at Starlight.
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