It’s a sizzla!

Summer’s truly here in the heartland, as we endure the heat, humidity, and passing storms. It’s the last weekend of June (with the holiday just around the corner), and there’s a good handful of outdoor festival shows, Free happenings in Lawrence, and a chance to see some legacy acts indoors at venues smaller than in their heyday.

Stay hydrated, have fun, and go see live music!

Let’s take look at the Kansas City / Lawrence KS metro musical happenings for the upcoming weekend of June 27th-June 30th.

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

FRIDAY JUNE 27

Country Stampede, June 27, (Miranda Lambert), Azura Amph,$99-$279

Under new and bigger-thinking management (“Kustom Entertainment”), a highly anticipated A-List lineup for the 2025 Country Stampede Festival makes this year’s installment perhaps the most exciting one to date. We ‘ve covered it the last few years and caught Jon Pardi bringing down the house last year.

After the ruckus of having to quickly replace the ailing Luke Bryan with Eric Church for Day One, the Fest should regain its footing with Miranda Lambert for Day Two, who we went all the way to Planet Hollywood in Las Vegas to see live. Her recordings, along with her feisty down-home personality, resonated widely with audiences and made her a favorite of country music fans.

MoonShroom, June 27, Granada- Lawrence (record release),FREE!

MoonShroom is the star-crossed culmination of liberated artistic expression & high energy performance. Fueled by the song craft of Lily B Moonflower & Jake Keegan, the act hones their unique sound with genuine lyrics, tight vocal harmonies, and intricate instrumental conversation.

Featuring Moonflower on guitar & vocals, Keegan on dobro & vocals, Zach Bozeman on upright bass, & Colby Allen Walter on mandolin, electric guitar & vocals. Expanding upon stylings of Americana, bluegrass, folk, and country — the group sends their sound into the stratosphere with their spin of “Grassadelic Twang”. This Lawrence band is celebrating their record release and will have things buzzing.

The English Beat, June 27, Knuckleheads, $37.65

Back in the area to bring their signature blend of ska, punk, reggae, and new wave with energy and timeless hits like “Mirror in the Bathroom”, “Save It for Later,” and “Hands Off… She’s Mine”, The English Beat has been keeping dance floors moving for over four decades. Still led by Dave Wakeling, the band delivers a high-energy show packed with classic anthems and deep grooves.

SATURDAY JUNE 28

Country Stampede, June 28 (Cole Swindell), Azura Amph,$99-$279

Day Three of the annual Fest features Georgia native Cole Swindell as headliner and who has a new album on the way June 27th called Spanish Moss, featuring single “Forever to Me”. And he and his wife Courtney will welcome their first child together later this year.

Swindell has racked up nine number-one singles on country radio with hits like Chillin' It, Hope You Get Lonely Tonight, Ain't Worth the Whiskey, Single Saturday Night, and She Had Me at Heads Carolina.

Chicago, June 28, Starlight, $43-$189.75

Chicago head back on the road for a summer run starting with a June 13th date in Minnesota and continues through September, this time on their own and not co-headlining as they’ve been doing recently.

The Rock and Roll Hall of Famers have been very active on the touring front, completing a 2024 co-headlining run with Earth, Wind & Fire, a headlining tour in 2023, and a co-headlining run with the late Brian Wilson in 2022. The band also released a live album from their vault last year titled Chicago at The John. F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, Washington D.C. (9/16/1971).

Ace Frehley, June 28, Ameristar Pavilion, $52-$177

The legendary former Kiss guitarist is back out on a solo tour. Among hundreds of accolades, The Rock and Roll Hall of Fame inducted him in 2014 and Guitar World named him in the Top 15 of its “100 Greatest Heavy Metal Guitarists of All Time” and plugged the lead from “Shock Me” on the “50 Greatest Guitar Solos of All Time.”

Frehley’s recent tenth full-length solo offering, 10,000 Volts [MNRK Heavy] is out now, and is celebrated on this current tour. His 2014 Space Invader LP captured #9 on the Billboard 200 and became “The only solo album by a past or current Kiss member to reach the Top 10 on the chart.”

Expect a mix of Kiss classics and solo songs, as the Spaceman still can play “Shock Me” and shoot sparks out of his guitar, with a mesmerizing sense of fun.

Split Lip Rayfield and Lauren Louvelle, June 28th (Kaw River Roots Fest), FREE!

Wichita-formed, Lawrence-based bluegrass group Split Lip Rayfield, celebrates 30 years together (reuniting last year after a five-year hiatus) as headliners of the Kaw River Roots Festival. The festival runs all weekend at multiple venues on the 1000 block of Massachusetts Street, featuring free performances from more than a dozen artists.

“We have 13 hand-picked acts staggered across three days, making for non-stop good music at every turn. The line-up is stacked, including some great local and regional artists that we’re fortunate to have so close to home,” festival organizer Mike Logan said in a news release.

The roster includes Lawrence-based acts MoonShroom, Betsy O & The Hollaback Boys, The Facklers, Jenna & Martin and DJ Proof, as well as Kansas City groups Lauren Lovelle & The Midnight Spliffs and Whiskey Mash.

Speaking of the above acts, we think you’ll become “Anxiously Attached” to Lovelle, who has a debut single of that name out, as part of an upcoming 4-track EP (and she’s back in Lawrence at Liberty Hall on August 16^th too). The band plays Saturday, outdoors at 6:50pm.

SUNDAY JUNE 29

The Driver Era, June 29, Starlight, $30-$87.50

The brotherly duo of Ross and Rocky Lynch have embarked on a global tour starting from early 2025, performing in several Australian and South American cities besides more than 40 stops across North America in support of new album, Obsession.

“We’re super excited to put on the best show we’ve ever done. Get ready to dance,” Ross Lynch said in a statement. Rocky Lynch added, “This tour is really about inviting fans deeper into our world. Songs like ‘You Keep Me Up At Night’ play a huge role in that, giving us the chance to explore more personal and authentic themes night after night.”

The former members of the now defunct R5, Ross and Rocky Lynch formed The Driver Era in 2018, with a debut single “Preacher Man”. They have dropped three studio albums since then, which are X (2019), Girlfriend (2021), and Summer Mixtape (2022) as well as new single “You Keep Me Up At Night” and a first live album, Live At The Greek.

Steve Earle, June 29, Knuckleheads, $60-$80

Take another walk down Copperhead Road! — Earle is out on his Fifty Years of Songs and Stories, a solo acoustic tour journey across over 50 cities in the U.S. and Canada. Marking half a century since he began writing songs and stories, this solo acoustic tour will take fans on a chronological exploration of his extensive discography. Along the way, Earle will share personal anecdotes from his career, offering an intimate look at the moments that shaped his music.

MONDAY JUNE 30

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