July 8-12, 2026, Upcoming concerts / shows (Kansas City, MO / Lawrence KS)

Happy post-4th!

Most (not all, unfortunately) of the fireworks ruckus has subsided near our Midwest HQ, and we can again just return to these oppressively hot days of summer.

The FIFA Fan Festival in KC is down to its last weekend, but it goes out with a bang featuring appearances from Sheryl Crow, All-American Rejects, and a short-set return from Tech N9ne (see below). KC has proved itself both as a world host, and the true Soccer Capital, in addition to being the market with the most US viewership of World Cup matches.

News was recently out, that KC Rep (who will have to vacate their UMKC location in 2029) is looking at a re-locate to The Plaza, which seems like a good fit all around, so we hope it can work out.

Let’s look at the full weekend to start the month in Kansas City / Lawrence KS metro musical happenings from July 8^th to July 12^th.

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

WEDNESDAY JULY 8

Futurebirds, July 8, recordBar, $26.30-$33.50

The Athens, GA-born Futurebirds has their first double album, Far Out Country, out now, via Dualtone Records. the record is split into two distinct worlds of Far Out Country I & II —a restless, sunlit “day” and a deeper, more interior “night” that blends psychedelic country-rock, indie, and something that feels less like a genre than a place.

The band released the full project as a double vinyl, physical-first, with the second half of the album arriving on streaming platforms months later. Fronted by three distinct singer-songwriters – Daniel “Womz” Womack, Carter King, and Thomas “Tojo” Johnson – the band writes in conversation, with their voices shaped by a shared history but perspectives. We caught them in KC last year, opening for The Head and the Heart and our MN team saw them last month in Minneapolis.

About the double album, King explains: “We’re really excited to be releasing our first double record in the truest sense. Our three different songwriting perspectives speaking with each other about a shared life, experienced unbelievably close together, and also far apart. Far Out Country is a place, not a sound. It’s a place outside ourselves that hopefully helps us see inside the house a little more clearly.”

A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical- thru July 12, Starlight,$22.20-$148.90

American Idol winner Nick Fradiani leads the cast as part of a multi-year North American Tour, following a run on Broadway, and this run marks the musical’s Kansas City premiere. A Beautiful Noise: The Neil Diamond Musical was created in collaboration with Neil Diamond himself.

This is the uplifting true story of how a kid from Brooklyn became a chart-busting, show-stopping American rock icon. With 140 million albums sold, a catalog of classics like “America,” “Forever in Blue Jeans,” and “Sweet Caroline,” an induction into the Songwriters and Rock and Roll Halls of Fame, a Grammy Lifetime Achievement Award, and sold-out concerts around the world that made him bigger than Elvis, Neil Diamond’s story was made to shine on Broadway, where the biggest stars tell their story.

THURSDAY JULY 9

Luke Bryan, July 9, Morton Amphitheater,$45-$174+

Luke’s 2026 tour schedule looks busy- between festivals, some co-headlining ddates with Jason Aldean, a return to American Idol as a celebrity judge for his ninth consecutive year, and some headlining dates, including this one at the new Morton Amphitheater.

Luke’s career achievements include 27 billion global streams, 12 million global album sales, and over 48 million track sales worldwide. He has accumulated 130 million digital single units, with 19.5 million album certifications and more than 110 million single certifications. Recognized as one of the most-streamed artists in SoundExchange’s 20-year history, Luke received the Hall of Fame Award. His discography boasts 32 #1 singles, 17 of which he co-wrote, totaling 58 weeks at #1.

Additionally, he has won seven CMT Music Awards, five Billboard Music Awards, and four American Music Awards. He was named Billboard’s Top Country Artist of the 2010s and recognized as the Most Heard Artist of the Decade by Country Aircheck.

FRIDAY JULY 10

The Church, July 10, Knuckleheads, (postponed from Aug 26, 2025), $48.35+

Celebrating 45 years as a band, Australian psych-dream pop legends The Church have returned after having to postpone last year, on their “The Singles / 1980 – 2025 Tour” which kicked off June 5 in Seattle and concludes the day after KC, in Denver, so here’s your chance!

The five week tour celebrates their career-spanning oeuvre of tracks including “The Unguarded Moment” (from 1980’s Of Skins and Heart), “Tantalized” (from 1986’s Heyday), “Ripple” (from 1992’s Priest=Aura), “C’est La Vie” (from 1992’s The Hypnogogue), “Metropolis” (from 1990’s Gold Afternoon Fix) and of course “Reptile” and “Under the Milky Way” (from 1988’s breakthrough album Starfish).

Having released their first thematic album The Hypnogogue (2023) and its companion album Eros Zeta and the Perfumed Guitars (2024), which tracks the loose dystopian narrative of aging rockstar trying to reclaim his faded glory through the use of a dream extractor, “The Hypnogogue.”

The Church’s current five-piece line-up is bassist, vocalist and founder Steve Kilbey; with long-time collaborator Tim Powles, drummer and producer across 17 albums since ’94; guitarist Ian Haug, (formerly of Australian rock icons Powderfinger) and multi-instrumentalist Jeffrey Cain (Remy Zero). The band have also recruited Ashley Naylor, long-time member of Paul Kelly’s touring band.

Sheryl Crow, July 10, FIFA Fan Festival, free w RSVP

Sheryl Crow is back on the road, turning the momentum from her 2023 Rock & Roll Hall of Fame induction (which we were in-person for) and her recent late-career creative burst into a full-scale summer tour that leans on both deep nostalgia and fresh material.

This is maybe the closest thing to a hometown show for Crow, who emerged out of Kennett, MO, working early on as a backing vocalist—most famously singing on Michael Jackson’s Bad tour—before she became a radio mainstay in her own right in the mid-1990s. Her 1993 debut, ‘Tuesday Night Music Club,’ produced numerous hit singles like ‘All I Wanna Do’ and ‘Strong Enough’ that helped define the feel of mid-’90s US pop rock radio, and she’s been active ever since.

SATURDAY JULY 11

Tech N9ne and All-American Rejects, July 11, FIFA Fan Festival, free w.RSVP

For the most of us that missed their pop-up show in Lawrence at The Teepee, The All-American Rejects who continue their internet-breaking House Party Tour, are making a few FIFA Fan Fest stops, including one in KC. The House Party Tour is unique in that it operates mostly on an interactive campaign allowing fans to help decide where they will play.

The band created a dedicated site, mimicking a Ouija Board, that tracks real-time RSVP data from around the world, showing supporters all the hot spots and potential tour stops as more fans sign up. To boost the odds in your city’s favor, fans can share personalized links with their friends and even use the portal to submit their own homes as potential venues. The tour highlights the need for accessibility in the live music space, emphasizing fan connection and togetherness at their shows. In terms of new music, the band released their highly anticipated new album Sandbox on May 15.

Schedule Update: some time changes

1:30-2:15pm- Tech N9ne
2:30 to 3:45pm The All-American Rejects
4 pm- Norway vs. England on screens
6-8 pm Dom Chronicles; The Phantastics

SUNDAY JULY 12

Evanescence w Spiritbox, Nova Twins, July 12, Morton Amph,4 for $99-$168+

The Grammy® Award-winning rock band is out on their 2026 World Tour (a first in four years), in support of new album, Sanctuary (out last month) and is journeying across North America, UK and Europe, with special guests Spiritbox and Nova Twins.

Frontwoman Amy Lee states, “This year has been so inspiring in so many ways, creating so much new music, playing some bucket-list shows and working with so many artists that give us life. We are taking all of that fire and energy and inspiration and building it into an epic 2026 for our fans. I can’t wait to share what we’ve been working on, and I can’t wait for this incredible tour.”

Evanescence has partnered with PLUS1 so that $1/£1/€1 from every ticket sold will support organizations providing humanitarian aid and medical relief to those in need around the world.

Spiritbox is an acclaimed, Grammy-nominated alt-rock metal band, formed in Victoria, BC in 2017 by married couple Courtney LaPlante (vocals) and Mike Stringer (guitar). Known for blending heavy metalcore with atmospheric, progressive, and electronic elements, the band’s dynamic sound features intense guttural screams alongside ethereal, R&B-influenced clean vocals.

Nova Twins are a UK alt-rock/punk (and have been on the short list for the Mercury Prize) duo formed in London in 2014 by vocalist and guitarist Amy Love and bassist Georgia South. They fuse heavy bass-driven rock, grime, and hip-hop, which caught the early attention of prominent rockers like Rage Against the Machine’s Tom Morello. Latest full-length is last August’s Parasites & Butterflies (via Marshall Records).

The Word Alive, Not Enough Space, July 12, Warehouse on Broadway,$26.50-$29.50

Tennessee-based (AZ originated) melodic metalcore band The Word Alive is on the road celebrating the 15th anniversary of their 2010 debut album, Deceiver, along with the 10th anniversary of their Dark Matter fourth album.

Arrive early for Not Enough Space, an Orlando, FL heavy-hitting metalcore and post-hardcore band formed in 2018, known for their genre-bending sound, featuring vocalist Liv Mitchell—blending melodic cleans with brutal deathcore screams—they have gained virality for their horror-themed visuals and their acclaimed debut album, Weaponize Your Rage.

The five-piece group consists of powerhouse vocalists Lizzie Raatma and Liv Mitchell, guitarist Tristan Kaos Green, bassist Jacob Sawyer, and drummer Maurice Jones. Their viral 2024 single “Primitive” became a massive hit on TikTok, unintentionally sparking a trend the internet dubbed “moancore” due to Mitchell’s infamous vocal breakdown.

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.