We♥KC! February 8-14, 2024, Upcoming concerts / shows (Kansas City / Lawrence, KS)

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

Two national holidays this week! at least locally – Valentine’s Day, of course, and the Super Bowl on Sunday! You’re now left to your own devices for V-Day, as the Playboi Carti show at T-Mobile is postponed, with tix being good for the new date, once announced.

In terms of the Chiefs, it’s becoming an annual tradition to see our favorite NFL dynasty play in the big game again, and we can’t wait. Don’t worry Swifties, Tay-Tay (who just announced a new album out April 19) should have plenty of time to fly in from Tokyo and complete the “TNT” power couple that is her and Travis Kelce.

In the meantime, take advantage of the warmer temps and go see live music! Let’s take look at the Kansas City / Lawrence KS metro musical happenings for the upcoming week, from February 8th-14th. (ticket hyperlinks are embedded in each show’s headline)

THURSDAY FEBRUARY 8

FRIDAY FEBRUARY 9

Neck Deep w DRAIN, Bearings, Higher Power, Feb 9, The Truman, $39.50-$74

The popular Welsh punk pop band is out in support of their self-titled album released on January 19 via Hopeless Records. The band has curated an impressive support lineup, including Santa Cruz, CA hardcore rockers Drain, Canadian pop punks Bearings, and UK post-hardcore band Higher Power.

Morris Day and the Time, Feb 9, Uptown, $45-$129

KC, What Time Is It!? The always entertaining Morris Day and his latest incarnation of The Time will teach you how to dance “The Bird”, The “Oak Tree” and much more- Prince put together The Time in 1981, but Day would leave around the release of “Purple Rain” to begin a solo career. Day returned in 1988 and the group has toured pretty regularly since the mid-90’s.

Day recently put out a memoir, solo album, and single with Big Daddy Kane and expect to hear favorites including “Jungle Love,”” Daydreaming,”” Get It up,” and more – original members Monte Moir and sometimes Jellybean Johnson, are part of the touring band. The next night in Illinois is postponed, but this show looks good to go!

Conversations featuring Lisa Henry, Feb. 9 and 10, Folly Theatre, $20-$100.

Discussions are best when led from a place of wisdom, and there is no one more fit to move the dialogue than award-winning vocalist Lisa Henry. An acclaimed artist featured in the Thelonious Monk competition, an International Jazz Ambassador to Africa, performer and educator, Ms. Henry will share her stories on stage with KCJO at the Folly.

Her international tours include Mumbai and Calcutta, India with Kenny Garrett; South America “Expo Cumbre” tour with Herbie Hancock; Southern and Eastern Africa tour with T.S. Monk, and a month-long tour in Madagascar. Not to name drop but she’s worked with Anita Baker, Clark Terry, Nnenna Freelon, Rosemary Clooney, Kenny Barron, Roy Hargrove, Kevin Mahogany, Tom “Bones” Malone, Lenny Pickett, Grady Tate, Terri Lyne Carrington, Jack McDuff, Claude “Fiddler” Willliams, Carmel Jones, Doc Cheethem, Wayne Shorter and Lou Rawls, to name a few, so should have some good stories!

SATURDAY FEBRUARY 10

Andy Frasco and the U.N. w Dogs in a Pile, Feb 10, The Truman, $26-$50

Not the political United Nations, the California blues rock band is on the road again and seeing them live, is at their best. If you’re familiar with Frasco’s live shows, you know that anyone on the bill will likely be doing more than playing opening sets. The new album is called "L'Optimist" on Fun Machine Records/Soundly Music and go to expect the unexpected.  Rising jam quintet Dogs in a Pile opens.

Nate Bargatze, Feb 10, T-Mobile Center, $39.75-$99.75

Whoa! – Arena-size comedy finds the comedian on his Be Funny Tour. Hailed as “The Nicest Man in Stand-Up,” by The Atlantic, the 2021 GRAMMY-nominated comedian, podcaster, director and producer is selling out shows around the world, and even hosted SNL for the first time earlier this season.

Johnny Cash Live Experience, Feb 10, Kauffman Center, $56-$116

The Main in Black lives on! Produced in collaboration with his Estate, Johnny Cash – The Official Concert Experience is a multi-media celebration is like nothing you’ve seen before. Using state-of-the-art technology, Cash’s iconic baritone has been lifted from archival concert footage and recordings, to perform his biggest hits- “I Walk the Line,” “Ring of Fire”, with a live band again!

In addition to never-before-seen footage and on-screen narration by son John Carter Cash, male and female vocalists will split singing duties to perform even more hits, as well as tunes by artists of the time including The Statler Brothers, Carl Perkins and June Carter Cash.

Lettuce– Vibe Tour, Feb 10, Liberty Hall- Lawrence,$35-$65

The Boston eclectic funk six-piece is out on their VIBE Tour, in celebration of a single-track, 48-minute all-improvised album previously only available on vinyl, now on all major streaming platforms.

Drummer Adam Deitch, guitarist Adam “Shmeeans” Smirnoff, bassist Erick “Jesus” Coomes, saxophonist Ryan Zoidis, trumpeter Eric “Benny” Bloom, and keyboardist/vocalist Nigel Hall will tour a couple weeks then hop on Jam Cruise 20 beginning February 25^th to sail the seas.

Sax man Zoidis explained of VIBE, “This recording happened during the sessions for Resonate. We had just finished tracking what we had planned on. We got into a vibe and we hit record. 48 minutes went by like a blink of an eye. This is our first purely improvised recording. Nothing planned, nothing edited or overdubbed. This is a true spontaneous musical expression captured in its entirety.”

+++ (Crosses) Feb 10, The Truman,$39.50

Out on their Familiar World Tour in support of their anticipated album (first in nine years!), Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete, the creative force of Deftones' frontman Chino Moreno and multi-instrumentalist from Far, Shaun Lopez will hit the stage at this former auto dealer spot.

Preview singles "Invisible Hand", "Light As A Feather" and "Ghost Ride" were well received, resulting in complete sellouts of early gigs and were the natural follow up to last year's EP, PERMANENT.RADIANT.

Moreno reflected, “When we started working on Goodnight, God Bless, I Love U, Delete., there was so much more light coming in my life, for numerous reasons,” said Moreno. “There’s a lot more optimism. Even the darker themes are more romanticized and not coming from a place of despair.”

SUNDAY FEBRUARY 11

Super Bowl – Go Chiefs!

MONDAY FEBRUARY 12

Indigo de Souza, Feb 12, The Bottleneck-Lawrence, SOLD OUT

We told you (times three)! The Asheville, NC singer-songwriter is out in support of last April’s All of This Will End, we’ve covered her live in 2021, 2022, and 2023, and explained each time how high her star keeps rising. Now, the secrets out and this show (along with most of the tour) is sold out AF, so you’ll have to get creative to try and get a ticket.

We’re endeared to know that her mother paints her album covers’ art and she’s prolific enough to have enough songs ready for another LP. Fellow NC band Truth Club from Raleigh opens, so arrive early.

Living Colour, Feb 12, Knuckleheads,$35

“What’s Your Favorite Colour, baby?!” While we’re bummed that KC doesn’t get a date of their tour with Extreme, we’re glad to see the longtime four-piece continue to tour and we last saw them live down in Rochester MN at a fun outdoor show in 2017. Speaking of that year, most recent and sixth studio album, Shade, was released back then, but expect plenty of classics and some Vernon Reid guitar wizardry as well.  If we can’t have Extreme, everyone’s local favorites, Radkey, will open this swinging show.

TUESDAY FEBRUARY 13

Pantera w Lamb Of God, Feb 13, T-Mobile Center, $24.50-$194.50

Open the “Cemetery Gates”– the heavy metal icons continue the second leg of their North American headlining tour. You know the lineup features classic members, vocalist Phil Anselmo and bassist Rex Brown and is missing a couple brothers, but you couldn’t ask for better replacements than Ozzy guitarist Zakk Wylde and Anthrax drummer Charlie Benante

The tour continues the celebration of the lives of late founding members, drummer Vinnie Paul and guitarist Dimebag Darrell and Virginia rockers Lamb Of God (who we last saw live back in 2018 with the almighty Slayer) play in support of last year’s Omens record, and St Louis trio Nest will open the evening.

Nina Simone: Four Women (play), Feb 13-Mar 3 Copaken Stage, Power and Light Dist, $49-$79

A living tribute to one of the most beguiling, effective and still urgent singers, Nina Simone: Four Women is an impactful night of live theater which imagines how the iconic chanteuse gave voice to countless Black women fighting to overcome stereotypes and racism.

It is September 16, 1963, the day after the bombing of the 16th Street Baptist Church in Birmingham, Alabama and Simone is grappling with the shift of her career from artist to artist-activist declaring, “An artist’s responsibility is to reflect the times.”

Including some of her most popular Civil Rights anthems such as “Mississippi Goddam,” and “Young, Gifted, and Black” the KC Rep staging of this play examines Nina’s artistry and the women around her as their journey leads them down a path of discovery and healing.

Stay tuned for our WHM review following the weekend, and note that the Saturday, February 24th 2pm performance will include ASL interpretation from Juliana Ladd and Jasmine Velasco.

WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 14- Happy Valentine's Day!

Playboi Carti w Ken Carson, Destroy Lonely and Homixide Gang, Feb 14, T-Mobile Center, POSTPONED

National Touring act coming to Kansas City, Lawrence, KS, Topeka, KS, or vicinity?  Let us know so we can spotlight the appearance-email johnc@weheartmusic.com