We♥KC! January 23-31, 2026 Upcoming concerts / shows (Kansas City, MO / Lawrence, KS metro)
Winter finally reared its head, with a half foot of snow and sub-zero temps, which is all the more reason to get inside, settle into a seat, and take in some live entertainment.
The year starts slow as usual but will ramp up as Spring approaches and become very busy once the new Morton Amphitheater begins its inaugural season. No stadium shows at Arrowhead (until maybe August) due to the FIFA World Cup, but hopefully, the Cup festivities also include a concert or two, like when the NFL Draft was recently in town.
Let’s take look at the Kansas City / Lawrence KS metro musical happenings for this week from January 23rd to 31st.
(ticket hyperlinks are embedded in each show’s headline)
FRIDAY JANUARY 23
Kimberly Akimbo (Broadway touring), Jan 20-25, Kauffman,$56.50-$111.50
Kimberly Akimbo (the 2023 Tony Award-winner for Best Musical) is about a New Jersey teenager with a rare genetic condition causing rapid aging, forcing her to navigate family dysfunction, first love, and felony charges while trying to find joy and live life fully before time runs out, blending dark humor with poignant themes of mortality and connection.
This new musical is from Pulitzer Prize-winner David Lindsay-Abaire (based on his play of the same title and who provides the score’s lyrics) and Tony Award-winner Jeanine Tesori (music) follows the bright and funny NJ teen, who happens to look like a 72-year-old lady. And yet her aging disease may be the least of her problems. Forced to maneuver family secrets, borderline personalities, and possible felony charges, Kim is determined to find happiness in a world where not even time is on her side
SATURDAY JANUARY 24
Neko Case w Des Demonas, Jan 24, Uptown, POSTPONED (illness)
The acclaimed solo artist and sometime New Pornographers member is back on the road, in support of her new album Neon Grey Midnight Green, running through mid-March. In addition, Case released a recent memoir, The Harder I Fight, The More I Love You.
Opening is Des Demonas, a Washington, D.C.-based band blending garage punk, psych-rock, and Afrobeat, characterized by Farfisa-driven, chaotic, and politically charged music. Led by vocalist Jacky Cougar Abok, the group has become known for its high-energy shows and social commentary.
$1 from every ticket will go to Peer Solutions and support their positive youth leadership and development program designed to prevent harm before it begins and engage lifetime ambassadors of positive change (www.peersolutions.org).
SUNDAY JANUARY 25
MONDAY JANUARY 26
TUESDAY JANUARY 27
The always fascinating series of Trailblazing Talks returns to Kauffman! This show explores the burning question “How is it that Homo Sapiens are the only surviving member of the human family out of all of the upright ape species that have called Earth home over the past 8 million years?”
The Turkana Basin region of East Africa is a source of unprecedented fossil and archaeological evidence for all major stages of human development. This is the place where our story is written. Every human being alive today shares DNA inherited from a common ancestral population currently believed to have lived within a few hundred miles of the Turkana Basin, about 60-70,000 years ago.
Dr, Leakey continues a distinguished lineage- following her famed parents Meave and Richard Leakey, and even more famous grandparents Louis and Mary Leakey in continuing to discover what shapes our understanding of the human family tree at its earliest beginnings.
Joseph, Jan 27, recordBar, $36.81
The Closner sisters are out supporting their upcoming album Closer To Happy (out Jan 30), with a cross-country 25-city tour that runs until Apr 12. Oregonians Natalie and Meegan Closner became known for their powerful harmonies, emotionally honest songwriting, and genre-blurring blend of indie pop, folk, and rock beginning with their 2016 debut I’m Alone, No You’re Not.
With the recent departure of the third sister Allie, the band enters a new era as a duo—leaning into greater vulnerability, creative autonomy, and emotional depth and the new album explores themes of grief, self-trust, and radical self-acceptance.
WEDNESDAY JANUARY 28
THURSDAY JANUARY 29
Fleetwood Mac tribute, Jan 29, Kauffman Center,$43.50-$57.50
It’s one of the greatest rock albums ever made and this may be the closest way to hear it, played live in its entirety. Classic Albums Live brings the world’s greatest records to life on stage, note for note and cut for cut. The large and highly talented musical group foregoes costumes and impersonations but instead seeks to concentrate solely on creating the music.
“Fleetwood Mac’s Rumours is a sacred album, one of the most popular records in the history of recording,” Classic Albums Live founder Craig Martin said. “We’ve worked very diligently to create the nuance and layering and thunder — when we hit the stage to play this masterpiece it is joyous, even the ushers can’t help but sing along.”
FRIDAY JANUARY 30
Rent (musical) Jan 31- Feb 22, White Theater at The J, $20-$39
KC Melting Pot and The Mark Edelman Theater Fund help present this modern classic detailing those 525,600 minutes in the year in the life of a group of struggling NYC East Village young artists and musicians.
“Rent” is about falling in love, finding your voice, and living for today. Winner of the Tony Award for Best Musical and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, “Rent” has become a pop cultural phenomenon with songs that rock and a story that resonates with audiences of all ages.
Based loosely on Puccini’s La Boheme, Jonathan Larson‘s “Rent” follows a year in the life of a group of impoverished young artists and musicians struggling to survive and create in New York’s Lower East Side, under the shadow of HIV/AIDS. The physical and emotional complications of the disease pervade the lives of Roger, Mimi, Tom, and Angel. Maureen deals with her chronic infidelity through performance art; her partner, Joanne, wonders if their relationship is worth the trouble.
Benny has sold out his Bohemian ideals in exchange for a hefty income and is on the outs with his former friends. Mark, an aspiring filmmaker, feels like an outsider to life in general. How these young bohemians negotiate their dreams, loves and conflicts provides the narrative thread to this groundbreaking musical. Directed by Zane Champie with Music Direction from Barbara Jurgensmeier.
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.