No April Fool’s here–

Despite some seesaw temperatures, Spring is here and with it come a lot of touring acts. Not as many coming through the KC metro as hoped, but there’s still enough cultural action and live music to fill a social calendar with.

Let’s take look at the Kansas City / Lawrence / Topeka KS metro musical happenings for the upcoming week, from April 1st – 4th.

(FYI, ticket hyperlinks are embedded in each show’s headline)

MONDAY APRIL 1

Mandy Patinkin, Apr 1, Lied Center- Lawrence, $21-$60

The Emmy-winning TV star and Tony-winning Broadway legend returns to the area, bringing his In Concert: BEING ALIVE show to Lawrence and the University of Kansas. In this evening of song, Patinkin presents a collection of many of his favorite Broadway and classic American tunes. From Irving Berlin to Stephen Sondheim, from Cole Porter to Harry Chapin, Mandy Patinkin takes you on a dazzling musical journey you’ll never forget.

Of course on TV, he was recently seen as Judge Wackner in the Paramount+ series The Good Fight. He won a 1995 Emmy Award for his performance in the CBS series Chicago Hope, and he also starred in the CBS series Criminal Minds as well as Showtime’s Dead Like Me and Homeland. There’s countless Broadway and stage roles as well, but expect this show to be more in the concert format.

Adam Ben-David has been living his dream of accompanying Patinkin in concert since 2016. He has been active as an arranger, music director, conductor and pianist on Broadway for the past 22 years. This popular show is all but sold out.

Remo Drive, Apr 1, Encore at Uptown,$20

The Minneapolis indie duo just released their new album, Mercy, on February 23rd via Epitaph Records and have second single out following the title track, the Americana-inspired “All You’ll Ever Catch.”

“All You’ll Ever Catch” is a song about the circular thinking of anxiety,” says Remo Drive vocalist and guitarist Erik Paulson explains. “I wrote it as an invitation to myself to embrace what is, and to allow my subconscious and intuition guide me. Ironically, the song was labored over in a very self-conscious way. However, I do feel its message sinking in the longer I get to sit with my own advice.”

TUESDAY APRIL 2

Clue (Broadway Touring), April 2-7, Kauffman Center,, $66-$126

The classic 1985 Hasbro board game comes to life before your eyes with a mystery that will leave you guessing until the twist! Murder and blackmail are on the menu when six mysterious guests assemble at Boddy Manor for a night they’ll never forget! Was it Mrs. Peacock in the study with the knife? Or was it Colonel Mustard in the library with the wrench?

Put on your sleuthing cap and pay attention to details, while having some laughs along the way, for this fun whodunit, that previously kept them laughing and guessing on the Great White Way.

WEDNESDAY APRIL 3

Steve Hackett,(ex-Genesis, GTR) Apr 3, Uptown, $25-$124

The longtime and renowned innovative rock musician is perhaps best known as the lead guitarist with Genesis, playing with the group during some of their progressive and musically expansive years. During his stint, Steve’s guitar playing produced some of the most memorable moments, from the sensitivity of his acoustic sound on Horizons and Blood on the Rooftops to the dramatic rock guitar solos of Firth of Fifth and Fountain of Salmacis and his musical innovations have continued into his long successful solo career.

Since 2013 with the reintroduction of his album Genesis Revisited, Hackett has re-ignited the passion, drama and sheer musical mastery with his highly acclaimed tours which span not only the splendid years of Genesis and their classic line up with Gabriel, Collins, Banks and Rutherford, but also a vast repertoire of his solo career which sprang to life with magical and mysterious debut album in 1979.

And now for 2024, following Covid-related postponements, Hackett returns to North America and stages and markets he hasn’t played in some time, so KC is fortunate to get a rare appearance. We caught him many years ago at an in-store performance and found him extremely gifted, friendly and accommodating.

THURSDAY APRIL 4

Gary Allan, April 4, Prairie Band Casino- Mayetta, SOLD OUT

The veteran Country singer-songwriter is coming back to Prairie Band and like most shows there, is completely sold out. Allan’s many radio hits include: Watching Airplanes, Tough Little Boys, Smoke Rings In The Dark, Nothing On But The Radio, Best I Ever Had.

Dwight Yoakam, Apr 4, Topeka Perf Arts Center (TPAC)- Topeka,$46-$125

Musician/actor/author/raconteur Yoakam has sold more than 25 million albums worldwide, and he is a 21-time nominated, multiple GRAMMY Award winner. He has 12 gold albums and 9 platinum or multi-platinum albums, with five of those albums topping Billboard’s Country Albums chart and another 14 landing in the Top 10. Nearly 40 of Yoakam’s singles have charted on Billboard, with 14 going Top 10. Yoakam is a recipient of the Artist of the Year award from the Americana Music Association, and BMI Country Music’s President’s Award.

He was also inducted into the Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame in the Songwriter/Artist category in 2019 in Nashville, TN. We won’t mention his many hits, but know that he’s always entertaining to see live, and this is a chance to see him headline, before he plays the massive Stagecoach Festival in Indio, then hits the road, co-headlining in a great double bill, with The Mavericks (see poster).

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