We♥KC! October 1-5, 2025 Upcoming concerts / shows (Kansas City, MO /Lawrence, KS metro)

Kansas City Music Guide / Lawrence, KS archives

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 1

Bob Mould (solo), Oct 1, recordBar, $34.55

Following a recent full band tour for his 15^th and newest album Here We Go Crazy, Bob Mould is out on an additional run of Solo Electric shows across the US. Mould says of this run, “We the band spent the past six weeks performing sets focused on the music we recorded together since 2012. Now, with the announcement of new Solo Electric shows, I’m looking forward to adding deeper cuts from my career songbook. The volume will be a touch quieter than the band shows, but the intensity will remain the same. Looking forward!”

Rossini’s Cinderella (Lyric Opera), Oct, 1,2, Kauffman Center, $39.50-$218.50

Italian composer Rossini‘s (we love his “La Gazza Ladra”) glittery version of the fairytale classic lets our heroine drive her own fate—no fairy godmother needed. It’s not just beauty that wins the prince’s heart; instead, love and kindness triumph over greed and vanity.

In this brand-new production, built by local artists in Lyric Opera’s scene shop, our Director, Michael Shell, along with Set Designer Steven C. Kemp and Costume Designer Amanda Seymour, amplifies this story’s playfulness with a sparkling Wes Anderson-inspired production. Libretto by Jacopo Ferretti and conducted by Gary Thor Wedow, this is performed in Italian with English translations projected above the stage.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 2

Willi Carlisle, Oct 2, Knuckleheads, $25.61

Missouri-based folksinger Willi Carlisle has returned with his fourth studio album Winged Victory via Signature Sounds. Carlisle’s first self-produced record follows 2024’s acclaimed Critterland and the album sees Carlisle expand his blend of traditionally-rooted folk music and kaleidoscope of oddball characters.

This current run of 42 shows follows an opening slot with rising folk artist Sierra Ferrell, who we recently saw at Farm Aid. The new album opens with a cover of protest song “We Have Fed You All for 1000 Years.” Written by an unidentified Industrial Workers of the World member (IWW) for an early union strike, the song lays out one of the many ways the working class sustains the world.

Caleb Hearon and Waxahatchee- Yeehaw Benefit, Oct 2, Uptown, $57-$75

KC musician Waxahatchee and area comedian Caleb Hearon, are headlining a benefit show for local tenant union, KC Tenants to promote affordable housing. Hearon recently released his first comedy special, “Model Comedian” on HBO Max and Waxahatchee’s most recent record, last year’s “Tigers Blood,” earned aka Katie Crutchfield a Grammy nomination.

We just saw her at Farm Aid 40 as well, proudly sporting a KC t-shirt (she moved here in 2018) and with her partner, Kevin Morby, recorded a new song or Hearon’s special called “South on 35.” The lineup also includes comedians Taylor Tomlinson and Aaron Branch, local soul band The Freedom Affair and Kevin Morby too.

Sparkle Carcass, Oct 2, Hillsider’s- KCKS,

Sparkle Carcass formed back in 2017 around songwriter Cody Palmer following the dissolution of his previous efforts with power pop trio Tuff Slang. Cody’s songwriting pulls from all the best music to come out of Texas, Southern California, and the Midwest to give you drinkin’ songs, dancin’ songs, and songs that make you wanna stay a while. Each song delivers on the honest storytelling that makes their blend of country music worth listening to.

FRIDAY OCTOBER 3

Royel Otis w Dancer, Oct 3, Uptown Theater (moved from Grinders),$47-$75

The Aussie guitar pop duo Royel Otis are out of their “meet me in the car tour” in support of sophomore full-length, hickey and its lead single, single “moody” (on OURNESS/Capitol Records).

Royel Maddell and Otis Pavlovic met while both were working at bars and cafes in the same neighborhood (the beachside town of Bondi) before getting together one day in 2019 with their guitars and some song sketches, creating early songs like “Oysters in My Pocket” (Bar & Grill EP, 2022) and “Sofa King” (Going Kokomo EP, 2023). Then came their debut album called PRATTS & PAIN , named for the south London pub where the pair would pen lyrics between sessions, and they really broke through with their cover of Sophie Ellis-Bextor’s “Murder on The Dancefloor” then another noteworthy cover of The Cranberries’ “Linger.”

At the 2024 ARIA Awards (Australia’s biggest and prestigious music award); they won four awards including “Best Rock Album” and “Best Group” and look to repeat with the new album.

Boys Like Girls, Oct 3, Voodoo Lounge NKC, $45-$119

In 2023, alt-pop the alt-pop band made a long-awaited return with Sunday At Foxwoods, their first album in over a decade. After writing and producing for artists like Taylor Swift, Ariana Grande, and Jason Derulo, frontman and songwriter Martin Johnson brought a sharpened pen and a deeper sense of purpose back to the mic.

The band performed a sold-out show to 5,000 fans on October 26, 2023 on their hometown stage in Boston and the 120-minute set was filmed and captured for the in-concert release, The Homecoming (Live from MGM Music Hall at Fenway Park).

Leonid and Friends, Oct 3, Ameristar NKC, $54-$175

Originally formed as a studio project in Moscow, Leonid & Friends skyrocketed to fame after their note-perfect video covers of Chicago songs went viral online – even earning praise from members of that band themselves. With over 300 million combined video views and a legion of devoted followers around the globe, the 11-piece group has become a touring powerhouse renowned for capturing the spirit, musicality, and fire of Chicago’s classic hits. And what is even more stunning is the band hasn’t seen Chicago perform live yet replicates the band’s complex arrangements note for note.

Chappell Roan, Oct 3 and 4, Liberty Memorial, Sold Out

The big shows of the weekend! Chappell Roan will take the stage Friday and Saturday for two sold-out shows on the lawn of the National WWI Museum and Memorial in front of about 30,000 fans in a hometown pair of shows that are one of just three cities Roan is playing as a part of her “Visions of Damsels and Dangerous Things” tour. The city couldn’t be happier and there’s even a Chappell Roan-themed streetcar, the “Pink Pony Express” to take you there.

Roan was born Kayleigh Rose Amstutz in nearby Willard, MO, and skyrocketed to fame in 2024 following the success of debut album, “The Rise and Fall of a Midwest Princess” though we caught her live before the glamour and the fame, first back in 2017 then again in 2023.

SATURDAY OCTOBER 4

Ziggy Marley, Burning Spear, Oct 4, Grinders KC,$68.66-$117.44

As part of their Do the Reggae Tour, Marley’s uplifting anthems and Burning Spear’s deep-rooted rhythms will come together for a sensational performance. Experience true reggae music, from Marley’s blend of funk, blues, and rock to Burning Spear’s messages of self-determination and unity.

Ziggy Marley is an eight-time Grammy winner, Emmy winner, musician, producer, activist and humanitarian who has cultivated a legendary career for close to 40 years.  The eldest son of Bob and Rita Marley, Ziggy has hewed his own path as a musical pioneer, infusing the reggae genre with funk, blues, rock and other elements through mindful songcraft.

Burning Spear (aka Winston Rodney) has won two Grammy Awards for Best Reggae Album; one at the 42nd Grammy Awards in 2000 for Calling Rastafari, and one for 2009’s Jah Is Real. He has been nominated for a total of 12 Grammy Awards. He was awarded the Jamaican government’s Order of Distinction for outstanding services to music in 2007.

Revivalists w Grace Bowers, Oct 4, Voodoo Lounge,$50.30

Platinum certified rock band The Revivalists are celebrating the 10th anniversary of their breakthrough 2015 album, Men Amongst Mountains, with ta 36-track expanded reissue and this tour across the country. The album’s success stemmed from both the band’s reputation as an electrifying live act and chart-topping hits like “Keep Going” and the 3x RIAA Platinum-certified “Wish I Knew You.”

The “All in the Family: 10 Years of Men Amongst Mountains” US headline tour, kicked off on September 21 at Portland, ME’s State Theatre and runs through early November.

Johnnyswim, Oct 4, The Truman,$46.34

We’ve followed the husband-and-wife duo since their earliest days, before their children and as they were just getting heard on showcase tours like Communion over a decade ago. The pair released their new album When The War Is Over earlier this year and it’s the fifth full-length from Amanda Sudano Ramirez and Abner Ramirez.

It features Grammy nominated Houston rapper Tobe Nwigwe on track “Dopamine,” and the new album was inspired by their personal journey through an intense season of change, exploring themes of physical and mental health, self-realization, and healing.

Niko Moon w/ Iam Tongi, Oct 4, Uptown,$31-$62

Niko Moon, best known for his No. 1 single “Good Time,”the genre-blurring country artist released his third studio album, American Palm, (out in July via EMPIRE) and is now on tour in support of the breezy, escapist soundtrack that’s part coastal daydream, part Southern soul. Single “King of the Island,” was written and performed with his father, sounding like a margarita-drenched ode to retirement fantasies and island isolation.

Arrive early for Hawaiian “American Idol” Season 21 winner Iam Tongi who is back with a new track, “Sugar.” (via 19 Recordings) “I was in the middle of writing another song when ‘Sugar’ just kind of snuck up on me. It kept popping into my head. I had a melody that didn’t fit with the other song I was writing at the time so I had to stop what I was doing,” shared Tongi.

BlessTheFall, Miss May I, Dark Devine, Colorblind, Oct 4, Granada-Lawrence, $28.33

The Arizona-based metalcore band has new album, Gallows just out, the long-awaited follow-up to 2018’s Hard Feelings, via Rise Records. Speaking about the album, vocalist Beau Bokan shares, “Gallows is a culmination of everything we love about writing music. We took our time and only wrote when we felt inspired. Every song you hear on this album was written from a place of excitement and freedom and you can hear that shine on every track.”

The band grew out of high school practice sessions between guitarist Mike and drummer Matt, filling out the roster with singer Craig and bassist Jared to form Blessthefall in 2004. They released a three-track EP in mid-2005 and added guitarist Eric to record their debut album, His Last Walk, in 2007.

SUNDAY OCTOBER 5

Richy Mitch and the Coal Miners, Oct 5, Warehouse on Broadway,$33.50-$38.50

The hard-working band is out on a 46-date headlining tour of the EU/UK and North America in celebration of their fourth studio album, Colorado’s On Fire Again. What began as a high school passion project for the members of Richy Mitch & The Coal Miners —Mitch Cutts, Nic Haughn, and Jakob Ervin—has translated to billions of streams and sold-out headlining tours. Growing up in Colorado Springs, their friendship preceded the band. Throughout high school, Mitch and Nic played on the same sports teams, launched YouTube channels, went on hiking trips, shot home movies, and eventually decided to record an album of their own.

In 2017, the band cut their self-titled debut, RMCM. Unexpectedly, the one-minute and 27-second intro “Evergreen” went viral on TikTok, and it has since generated over half a billion Spotify streams and their audience exploded from there.

Aly and AJ, Oct 5, Moved to The Truman (from Midland), $63-$64

Silver Deliverer is the sixth album from Aly & AJ, and blends the sisters’ pop sensibilities with Laurel Canyon influences. In a statement, they called it their “most revealing and poignant” project to date. “Motherhood, personal loss, and traumatic events have rewoven our tapestry of sisterhood,” they continued. “And we’ve done our best to write about it. We hope this music is something to reach for when you’re lost and looking for some deliverance.”

The new record features singles “What It Feels Like,” “Dandelions,” “If You Get Lonely,” and “Next to Nothing.” and the “Silver Deliverer Tour” began in Los Angeles on September 19th and wraps on November 9th in Santa Barbara.

Caroline Kingsbury w Maris, Oct 5 Bottleneck-Lawrence, $23-$26

Could be quirky fun- Raw lyrics and a vintage sound have infused Caroline Kingsbury’s compositions with a modern queer sensibility. Kingsbury released her debut album in the midst of post-Covid life in 2021, but in 2024 Kingsbury released buzzy single ‘Kissing Someone Else’ and ‘I Really Don’t Care!’ is out now via indie label Music is Fun (Seeker Music).

Arrive early for Maris, whose ‘80s-inflected pop with danceable beats were first heard on her six-song EP, Gravity, and an accompanying short film and also has a collab single with the headliner, “Give Me A Sign” so expect both acts on stage at once, which we always like to see.

Young the Giant (acoustic) Oct 5, Uptown, $47-$86

Young the Giant (who formed back in 2004 and is comprised of Sameer Gadhia -vocals; Jacob Tilley -guitar; Eric Cannata- guitar; Francois Comtois- drums; Payam Doostzadeh– bass) have embarked on their intimate In The Open 2025 Acoustic Tour, supported by Cassandra Coleman (debut album produced by Jack Antonoff released June 6 via Warner).

The band also released a new acoustic EP, In The Open Volume One, featuring warm, stripped back renditions of fan-favorite songs including “Mind Over Matter,” and new, previously unreleased song “Bitter Fruit.” The band shared that, “’In The Open’ has been our superpower as a band since we started playing music together. There’s something so thrilling about reimagining our music in a way that’s more improvised, less controlled, and in a place you wouldn’t expect. We’re hoping to bring this feeling to you in our new tour Young the Giant: In The Open.”