We♥KC! October 17-21, 2025 Upcoming concerts / shows (Kansas City, MO / Lawrence, KS metro)
In more Rush news, they did add more dates as predicted,
bringing the total to 23, but it just meant additional shows in the same limited cities, so it still means traveling for anyone in KC. And ticket prices are not cheap, so tread lightly.
Recent shows have been somewhat under-attended, which is always disappointed, especially if you want KC as a stop for future tours, but times are tight and when bands are charging $100+, I guess they’d rather have empty seats instead of a fuller house, if tix were $40-$50. KC already competes with St. Lou, Omaha, and other cities for gigs, and this doesn’t help things, but reports are it’s happening in many markets.
As a result of the above, note that this week’s Biohazard gig with Onyx and Swollen Teeth (all bands we’ve seen, and enjoyed) is now canceled (same with the Mpls date). To better and tariff-free times soon!
Let’s take look at the Kansas City / Lawrence KS metro musical happenings for the extended Weekend of October 17-21.
(ticket hyperlinks are embedded in each show’s headline)
FRIDAY OCTOBER 17
Swan Lake from KC Ballet, Oct 17-26, Kauffman Center,$34-$149
It’s the launch of the 2025-2026 season beginning with the return of the classic and highly recognized Swan Lake featuring choreography by our own Kansas City Ballet and KC Ballet Artistic Director Devon Carney (after Marius Petipa and Lev Ivanov)!
And, Tchaikovsky’s lavishly romantic score will be performed by our own Kansas City Symphony, conducted by KC Ballet Music Director and Conductor Ramona Pansegrau. When this production originally premiered in 2016, it broke all previous ballet repertory box office records for ticket sales.
The love story of the tale involves the wicked sorcerer Von Rothbart, who captures the beautiful Princess Odette and turns her into a swan. In this ultimate struggle of good versus evil, Von Rothbart’s spell can only be broken when a young prince pledges his love and marries Odette. Should the prince betray her, she will remain a swan forever. Multiple performances, with student discounts and pre-show talks- check the schedule.
SATURDAY OCTOBER 18
Shiner, Oct 18, Warehouse on Broadway, $27-$32
“Believe You Me”, some things seem timeless– we leave KC for Mpls for two decades and come back right as KC mainstays Shiner begins making new music again. Spartan Records just released their new album BELIEVEYOUME, last month, with a 19-date tour to support, already in motion starting in San Diego on Oct 5th. (You can also catch them in Manhattan KS, two days prior too)
Having spent over three decades redefining their style of heavy, melodic rock, evolving from the raw power of their early years into something more layered, dynamic, and resonant, BELIEVEYOUME finds Shiner channeling that evolution into a set of songs that feel immediate yet timeless, balancing their heaviness with newfound space and vulnerability.
Schadenfreude, the band’s last record, released just as the world was shutting down in early 2020. “Great timing on our part,” says Josh Newton (guitar). “’Schadenfreude’ was dark and maybe a little claustrophobic, which makes sense, in retrospect. This new record feels more open and more immediate. We came in with fewer pre-written ideas and just reacted to each other in real time. Less brooding, more instinct. Still heavy, still weird — just breathing a little more.”
Arcy Drive with Mercury, Oct 18, recordBar, $20
Arcy Drive is a Northport, Long Island-based indie rock band, consisting of guitarist/vocalist Nick Mateyunas, guitarist Austin Jones, bassist Patrick Helrigel, and drummer Brooke Tuozzo who released their debut full-length, The Pit, earlier this year via AWAL and the band returns to recordBar.
In 2022, the band released their debut single, “Roll My Stone.” 2023 brought Arcy Drive’s debut, five-song EP, Beach Plum and that year, Arcy Drive also embarked on their first headline tour, where they performed at Lollapalooza, Bonnaroo, and SXSW in Austin.
Arrive early for Nashville (Franklin, TN) indie artist mercury (aka Maddie Kerr) performing in support of 2024 EP, Together We Are One, You and I and touring acoustically with stripped-down songs from her catalog. We caught them headlining last year in Minneapolis.
Evil Dead in Concert, Oct 18, Uptown, $28-$120
Evil Dead in Concert is a live-to-film horror event where the cult classic film is shown on a large screen while a live orchestral ensemble performs award-winning TV and film composer Joe LoDuca‘s “spine-tingling” and “experimental” score.
It’s an immersive experience that combines cinematic chaos with demonic energy, and for some showings, there’s an “underground” walkthrough with scares before the show begins. The 50-city North American tour launched September 22 and includes a special three-night engagement in LA over Halloween weekend.
Stacey Ryan, Oct 18, Bottleneck-Lawrence,$20-$22
LA-by-way-of-Montreal singer, songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist Stacey Ryan in out in support of album, Blessing in Disguise and lead single, “Bad Omen,” released in August, a soul-pop confessional wrapped in her jazz-inflected melodies. Equal parts buoyant and bittersweet, the single pairs Ryan’s warm vocals with a modern groove, masking lyrical heartbreak in a sugarcoated, earworm delivery. We caught her live in Minneapolis, just a few weeks ago.
Ryan’s trajectory has been anything but ordinary. She first went viral in 2022 with “Don’t Text Me When You’re Drunk”, before breaking globally with “Fall In Love Alone,” a #1 Billboard hit in Indonesia and Top 5 across Southeast Asia, amassing over half a billion streams. A classically trained jazz pianist who also plays guitar, bass, ukulele, and trumpet, she’s built a reputation for weaving complex musicality into irresistibly catchy pop.
Biohazard, Onyx, Swollen Teeth Oct 18, Liberty Hall-Lawrence CANCELED
SUNDAY OCTOBER 19
Destroyer, Oct 19, Warehouse on Broadway, $27-$32
Dan Bejar and band are back and playing live in full force again–the full seven-piece band is out on their first tour in three years, promising the fans the complete Destroyer experience. The new tour happens in support of the band’s 14th studio album, Dan’s Boogie, out now on Merge Records. The band will also be supported by opener Jennifer Castle, and this run follows time in Europe to (re)sharpen those live chops, so should be a good show as always. We caught the full band last time through in Lawrence, back in 2022.
MONDAY OCTOBER 20
TUESDAY OCTOBER 21
National / International act coming through the Midwest / Kansas City area? Please email details to johnc@weheartmusic.com with a good lead time to be considered for Show Preview and Show Coverage consideration.