We♥KC! August 25-31, 2025 Upcoming concerts / shows (Kansas City, MO /Lawrence, KS metro)

Read more Kansas City Music Guide.

Month’s end means back to school, and cooler temps on the horizon,

In MN, it’s our favorite ten days of the year as the State Fair gets underway (worth a roadtrip) Locally, it’s more getting ready for another winning Chiefs season, maybe the Royals in post-season again, and KU football starting with a big win, while K-State went all the way to Dublin to narrowly lose. Look for more concerts in Lawrence though, now that the semester has started.

In music news, we’re saddening to hear about ex-Mastodon (as of about March) guitarist Brent Hinds dying in a motorcycle accident, and for the allegations regarding Spearhead’s Michael Franti, which resulted in a canceled tour and cruise, and management dropping him. In concert, he was always so positive and uplifting, but the accusations suggest there were other things happening off stage.

Let’s take look at the Kansas City / Lawrence KS metro musical happenings for the upcoming WEEK of August 25th – 31st.

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

MONDAY AUGUST 25

TUESDAY AUGUST 26

Lil Wayne, Aug 26, T-Mobile Center, $57-$289

 Weezy’s newest album, Tha Carter VI is his 14^th album to date, first solo release on over five years, and was released in early June. He’s now on the road in support, hitting 34 cities with special guests Tyga, Belly Gang Kushington, and NoCap and runs through early October.

Live reports have been a little mixed with some shows starting, late, Wayne strapping on the guitar a little too much to play over his raps, and some inconsistent flow, but his persona remains magnetic and there’s a good amount of hits from over the years to hear live.

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 27

David Lee Roth, Aug 27, Grinders KC, $72.27

"We've reached the end of my first retirement," David Lee Roth said, returning after a hiatus to play the M3 Rock Festival "How many retirements did Rocky have, nine?" DLR did a run opening for Kiss in early 2020 then the pandemic hit and he announced his retirement in late 2021, shortly before he had been scheduled to begin a Las Vegas residency… but you can’t keep a good man down, and Diamond Dave is on the road again!

The Roth Show Tour launched on July 31 in Hollywood, FL and finally makes a local stop out under the stars at GrindersKC. Expect a ton of VH classics but he also released two new songs back in 2022 – “Pointing at the Moon” and “Nothing Could Have Stopped Us Back Then Anyway,“ which was a tribute to his former band.

Jon Batiste, Aug 27, The Midland,$51-$565

The Multi-Grammy® and Academy Award® winner brings his Big Money Tour: Jon Batiste Plays America as part of his second-ever headlining run as part of a 30-city nationwide tour. Featuring selections from his critically acclaimed catalog alongside new material performed live for the first time, the show blends structure with spontaneity and becomes what he describes as “creative church”—a space for joy, openness, and collective experience.

“We’re living in a complicated time, and music has this incredible ability to re-frame what we’re feeling, to help us keep going. These shows are meant to be healing, liberating, and unforgettable. At the heart of what I’m about is representing the cultural music I come from and taking responsibility to push it forward,” Batiste says.

Nonpoint, Aug 27, Bottleneck-Lawrence, $25-$30

The longtime nu metal band continues their celebration of the 20th anniversary of album To The Pain and the 25th anniversary of their Statement album with a second leg of their Painful Statements Tour. Upon A Burning Body and Heartsick will be joining them as special guests and Nonpoint will be performing every song from the two albums, either in full or in medleys.

Their deluxe version of “To the Pain” was originally released in December 2019.

THURSDAY AUGUST 28

Gregory Alan Isakov, Ocie Elliott, Aug 28, Midland, $62-$250

The singer-songwriter who was born in Johannesburg and raised in Philadelphia, and who calls Colorado his home, has returned to the road live. We last saw Gregory Alan Isakov in 2022, on an all-Colorado bill featuring the Lumineers and when he isn’t on the road, he spends much of his time writing and recording in his barn studio, as well as running Starling Farm (his farm in Boulder County), which provides produce to the farm’s CSA members, local restaurants, and Community Food Share (a county food bank).

Isakov has released seven studio albums to date, including 2023’s Appaloosa Bones, and has garnered over 1 billion streams to date. Additionally, Isakov collaborated on recently released songs with Noah Kahan, Nathaniel Rateliff, Shovels & Rope, and Jeremiah Fraites (of The Lumineers). Canadian folk duo Ocie Elliott will open.

FRIDAY AUGUST 29

SATURDAY AUGUST 30

Dorothy w Eddie and the Getaway, Aug 30, Voodoo Lounge- Harrah's, $45-$72

The hard rock sensation kicked off 2025 with a bang, confirming her headline tour followed by a music video for “Tombstone Town,” featuring guitarist Slash. The single is a boot-stomping anthem that steadily climbed the active rock charts and the lead single for new album, The Way, which arrived in March via Roc Nation.

“I’m so honored to have Slash join me on ‘Tombstone Town,'” says Dorothy. “The song is an excerpt from my diary — born out of betrayal and heartache. The music video has a plot twist at the end, but ultimately, I wanted to send a message of forgiveness and resilience, rather than revenge. Writing this song was therapy for me.”

Flooding w The Casket Lottery, The Appleseed Cast, Aug 30, recordBar, $19.83

KC’s own The Casket Lottery are local indie faves, founded by Nathan Ellis and Stacy Hilt in the 1990s and were signed to Second Nature Recordings and Big Scary Monsters. As of April, they’re now signed to Iodine Recordings, with sixth studio album, Feel The Teeth, the first on the new label. Elllis remains the band leader alongside Gene Abramov (bass); Jeff Gensterblum (drums) and Terrence Vitali (guitar, vocals).

Arrive early for KC’s Flooding, the trio that explores genres like slowcore, noise rock, post-hardcore, and post-punk, fronted by Rose Brown, out in support of their new EP, object 1.

“object 1 is full of the most melody-forward, pop-structured songs we've ever created,” Brown explains. “It's fun and kind of ironic to write incredibly dissonant songs within the framework of pop music. Thinking about music like we're pop stars and considering how it might feel to perform the songs on stage has moved our sound forward in a more energetic, impactful direction that I don't see done much in the genres we explore.”

Bassist Cole Billings and drummer Zach Cunningham round out the trio, who formed in 2021, quickly releasing their eponymous debut album, featuring fan-favorite songs “Insure Me, Procure Me” and “Delayed Gratification.”

SUNDAY AUGUST 31

Linkin Park w Jean Dawson, Aug 31, T-Mobile Center, $80-$330

From Zero means a new chapter for this longtime hit-making band, carrying on following singer Chester Bennington’s death in 2017. Linkin Park continues their massive From Zero World Tour in 2025. The four-continent trek includes three North American legs, which began with the tour’s debut shows in late 2024 and stretch into early Fall.

Their 2024 dates marked the band’s first live performances in seven years, and with new lead vocalist Emily Armstrong (formerly of Dead Sara) and drummer Colin Brittain, they’re converting any doubters and showing more of what’s to come. Following 20th anniversary reissues of the band’s first two albums, 2000’s Hybrid Theory and 2003’s Meteora, the group released their first greatest hits compilation, Papercuts, in early 2024 and eighth album, From Zero, last November.

With the new record, thy added three No. 1s to their 12 career chart-toppers with the archival track “Friendly Fire” and new album singles “The Emptiness Machine” and “Heavy Is the Crown.” The band’s live lineup includes Mike Shinoda, Brad Delson, Joe Hahn, Dave Farrell, Armstrong, and Brittain.

Opening is experimental pop artist Jean Dawson, who has notched collaborations with notable acts like SZA and Lil Yachty and is self-described as a “ghetto pop” singer who released his latest album “Glimmer of God” last year.

National/international 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