We♥KC! February 15-21, 2026 Upcoming concerts / shows (Kansas City, MO / Lawrence, KS metro)
$10 ticket chances and Hamilton (both past and present) invades KC!
The long-running (and as relevant as ever) Revolutionary War-era hit Broadway musical Hamilton returns, for a run at the Music Hall through the end of the month. Ticket demand remains high, more than ten years after its debut, but see below for a “Ham4Ham” lottery chance, to perhaps score some deep discounted tix.
Related, Daveed Diggs (aka “Hamilton’s” original Lafayette) brings his experimental hip-hop project, clipping to Warehouse on Broadway, that looks to be an early year live highlight.
We were going to mention the Reverend Horton Heat show at the Bottleneck in Lawrence being $10 in advance as well; but it appears at last check, that the allotment of discounted tix, has sold through. Check AXS.com too for their ‘sweetheart offer’, as they were running a BOGO special on select shows.
Let’s take look at the Kansas City / Lawrence KS metro musical happenings for this week from February 15th to 21st.
(ticket hyperlinks are embedded in each show’s headline)
SUNDAY FEBRUARY 15
Rent (musical) through 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.
MONDAY FEBRUARY 16
TUESDAY FEBRUARY 17
WEDNESDAY FEBRUARY 18
Hamilton (Broadway Touring), Feb 18- Mar 1, Music Hall,$157-$551 (w/$10 lottery)
One more time to take your shot!
PNC Broadway in Kansas City continues with its most popular and longest-running show of the season! We all know Hamilton by now- the story of America then, told by America now. Featuring a unique score that blends hip-hop, jazz, R&B and Broadway, the story of American founding father Alexander Hamilton is told like never before, and has created a lasting cultural moment in the process.
With book, music, and lyrics by Lin-Manuel Miranda, direction by Thomas Kail, choreography by Andy Blankenbuehler, and musical supervision and orchestrations by Alex Lacamoire, Hamilton has won Tony®, Grammy®, and Olivier Awards, and the Pulitzer Prize for Drama, among numerous accolades.
We took in the touring production the last time it was in town (Hamilton (musical) at The Music Hall, Kansas City MO thru April 2, 2023 (review) – WeHeartMusic) and we can confirm it’s still as entertaining and poignant, as when it began eleven years ago. The Disney+ special is great, but you haven’t seen Hamilton until you’ve seen it live on-stage!
If the odds are with you, sign up for a chance at $10 tickets to one of the performances during the extended run here: Ham4Ham Lottery – North American Tour – Hamilton Official Site
THURSDAY FEBRUARY 19
Reverend Horton Heat, Feb 19, Bottleneck Lawrence, $25- $33.34
Led by guitarist-singer Jim “Reverend” Heath, RHH fires up a combustible mix of psychobilly, rockabilly, surf, and punk energy, delivered with classic twang and daredevil showmanship. The trio’s blistering guitar runs, slap-back bass, and locomotive drums power clever songs about hot rods, heartaches, and honky-tonk mischief, turning every night into a high-speed roadhouse revival.
Recent albums include 2023’s “Roots of the Rev (Volume One)” and 2024’s “Live in Houston”. This tour featured $10 presale tickets, but sadly, it must have been a predetermined quantity, which seems to have sold out– the band is still fun and high-energy live, no matter the price.
The Wombats, Feb 19, Truman, $46-$47 (& look for a BOGO offer)
We’re so happy, So Happy that UK band The Wombats are again returning to our parts!
Matthew “Murph” Murphy, Tord Knudson, and Dan Haggis have re-convened from their corners of the globe (at last report- Murph in SoCal; Tord back in Norway; and Dan still in the UK) to combine forces for a new album and resulting tour, with a KC stop on the schedule.
Oh! The Ocean is The Wombats’ sixth studio album (released last Valentine’s Day) and is arguably their most sonically adventurous and melodic yet, and feels a little more introspective and reflective, than recent prior releases.
We’ve followed the band for more than twenty years, from their early days of first 7” singles and then watched one of ‘our best kept secrets’ catch on with everyone, to completely go mega worldwide.
Their 2007 debut album, A Guide to Love, Loss & Desperation and its hit singles ‘Let’s Dance to Joy Division’, ‘Moving to New York’ and ‘Kill the Director’ dramatically moved the needle and 2011’s electro second album This Modern Glitch made them Top Ten regulars.
2015’s Glitterbug found them going viral with single, “Greek Tragedy” and by 2022’s Fix Yourself, Not the World album (which went Number One) they were headlining at Crystal Palace and The O2.
The new album means a bit of a new sound for the band, leaving much of the synthetic sounds they evolved to embrace a warmer-blooded (California-inspired, we’re guessing) approach. See how it all translates live and expect the high-energy electro hits as well.
FRIDAY FEBRUARY 20
Eric Church w 49 Winchester, Feb 20, T-Mobile Center, $61-$405
With a record-setting tour, live album, and IMAX film all happening, Chief once again is on top of everything he touches! Eric Church is the seven-time ACM Award winner, four-time CMA Award winner (including 2020’s Entertainer of the Year), TIME100 Philanthropy 2025 honoree and 11-time Grammy nominee – including four nods for Best Country Album, among other accolades.
His latest album, Evangeline vs. The Machine marks his first new music since 2021’s ambitious Heart & Soul triple album which followed some thirty-two Gold, Platinum and multi-Platinum certified songs. In addition, his film, Evangeline vs. The Machine Comes Alive debuts in IMAX theaters this week (soundtrack album is out Friday too) and a new live album is out, “Give Me Back My Hometown Live At The Pinnacle, Nashville, TN / May 24, 2025.” (whew!)
Church recently kicked off Leg 2 of his ongoing Free the Machine Tour with an insane underplay show in Washington DC, and the production makes its way to downtown KC to fire up a Friday night!
Don’t sleep on rising outlaw/alt Country opener 49 Winchester, a Castlewood, VA band supporting their forthcoming album Change of Plans set for release on May 15 via Lucille Records / MCA, with its lead single, “Pardon Me”(via New West Records). They’ve previously opened for Turnpike Troubadours, Luke Combs, and Whiskey Myers among others, and if you love them enough, they’re back in Riverside at The Morton with Tim McGraw in August!
Chris Knight, Feb 20, Knuckleheads, $39.32
Singer-songwriter Chris Knight has been a musical troubadour for the better part of three decades, raised in Slaughters, KY, but is also considered an ‘honorary Texan’ for his musical contributions. His brutally honest, no-frills philosophy fits his Americana-fueled, backwoods merger of folk, country, and rock.
Knight has released nine studio albums, beginning with 1998’s acclaimed self-titled debut and traveling through the one-two punch of 2001’s A Pretty Good Guy and 2003’s The Jealous Kind, two demo-styled discs (2007’s The Trailer Tapes and 2009’s Trailer II), and the most recent, 2019’s Almost Daylight.
“I’ve written songs about a lot of different things going all the way back to my first record,” he says, “and some folks still think ‘somebody kills somebody’ is all I write about.” The John Prine-influenced artist (who he was able to duet with, on Prine’s own “Mexican Home,” which closes the recent record) fits comfortably in Texas honky-tonks, downtown Nashville venues, and cool Manhattan rock clubs. Duke Oursler to open.
SATURDAY FEBRUARY 21
clipping w Open Mike Eagle, Feb 21, Warehouse on Broadway,$33-$38
“Ham Fam”, this one’s worth checking out!
The West Coast-based experimental hip-hop trio, “clipping” is fronted by Tony and Grammy winning actor, rapper and writer, Daveed Diggs (the O.G. Lafayette and Jefferson in ‘Hamilton’) along with producers Jonathan Snipes and William Hutson. They initially rose to prominence with their debut album MIDCITY and follow up, CLPPNG. Their 2016 release, SPLENDOR & MISERY, was a science fiction concept album that garnered international critical acclaim, including a Hugo Award nomination for Best Dramatic Presentation.
More recently, the band pivoted to a set of horror-based concept albums, THERE EXISTED AN ADDITION TO BLOOD and VISIONS OF BODIES BEING BURNED. Expect some squelch, feedback, found sounds, and Diggs often rapping at his most-known-for hyper-speed pace that should set the floor shaking.
Arrive early for another experimental (and prolific) rapper, Los Angeles (via Chicago) one-man show Open Mike Eagle who late last year shared a new music video for his track, “my co-worker Clark Kent’s secret black box”. The newest album is Neighborhood Gods Unlimited released via his own label, Auto Reverse Records. We saw him live last fall in KC, supporting Future Islands.
Clay Street Unit, Feb 21, Knuckleheads,$27.75
Colorado-based Americana roots sextet Clay Street Unit will be bringing their energetic live show to KC in support of their long-awaited debut album Sin & Squalor, out this Friday via label, Leo33. Newest single is “Rollin’.” “This song is about the stages of moving on,” says lead singer and songwriter Sam Walker. “It’s about being alone and having to face the past and the reality that it takes time to move on. 
Formed in Denver in 2021, the group first released their 2022 debut EP, A Mighty Fine Evening, and would play shows around the Denver and Colorado music scenes before hitting the road from coast to coast. The group is Sam Walker (lead vocals/guitar), Scottie Bolin (mandolin/vocals), Jack Cline (banjo), Brad Larrison (pedal steel), Brendan Lamb (drums) Jack Kotarba (bass).
Catch ‘em while you can, they’re on their way up! – OKC red dirt rockers Jason Scott & The High Heat are also on the bill, and who made initial waves with their own 2022 debut full-length, Castle Rock.
TX2 w Buffalo Farm, Flat Out, Feb 21, 6th & Polk Music and Event Space- Topeka, SOLD OUT
T-Town is showing up! – This has been sold out for a while- this intimate venue we’ve previously mentioned, has only been open since the tail end of last year, and booking this kind of talent, is definitely a step in the right direction.
TX2 is the project of LA-based artist Evan Thomas, who went viral on TikTok in 2023 with “I Would Hate Me Too,” and has gone on to amass 1 million monthly Spotify listeners, 1.3 million TikTok followers, and provided support for Beartooth, I Prevail, Killswitch Engage, Ice Nine Kills, and Parkway Drive. The long-awaited debut album, End Of Us, is out now via Hopeless Records.
Thomas also founded the X Movement, a community dedicated to mental health awareness and creating safe spaces for fans who feel like they don’t belong. He’s openly queer, vocally advocates for LGBTQ+ rights and fan safety, and usually stays after every show to meet every fan.
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.