July 28-31, 2026, Upcoming concerts / shows (Kansas City, MO / Lawrence KS)

We’re still busy digesting all the news coming out of San Diego Comicon (Ryan Gosling as Ghost Rider, Black Panther III, DC’s many wins at the Eisners, and more) which, at least for the moment, makes any superhero fatigue, seem muted for the moment. With the latest Spider-Man movie out this weekend and Avengers: Doomsday due Dec 18 (right now, same date as Dune III- will either one ‘blink’ and move?), it should be an interesting rest of the year.

Remember how much fun last year’s show with Ghost was, at T-Mobile, almost exactly a year ago in KC? Turns out the band filmed the final tour shows in Mexico City in 16mm and will release the finished film in IMAX theaters on August 26, for a limited weekend engagement, so get those presale tickets now and peep the trailer: Ghost: 2 Big To Rig | Official Film Trailer | Haunting Cinemas & IMAX® Worldwide August 26 – YouTube

Let’s look at the upcoming week and the end of the month in Kansas City / Lawrence KS metro musical happenings from July 28^th to July 31^st.

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

TUESDAY JULY 28

Trha, Barbelith, Saidan July 28, minibar, $12-$15

A unique and offbeat black metal assemblage!

Trhä is an atmospheric black metal and ambient music project created by multi-instrumentalist Damián Antón Ojeda formed around 2020 and based in Maryland (via TX) known for its immense output of raw, melodic, and mystical soundscapes paired with constructed fictional languages.

Ojeda uses invented languages—such as Hadlhaj, Kadahh, and Luclürh—for album and track titles, describing “Trhä” as meaning “the key to true perfect magic, true fantastic desires and pleasures, and this distant magic place”. The project is extremely prolific, releasing dozens of full-length albums, EPs, demos, and split cassettes independently through Bandcamp.

Barbelith is an indie post-black metal band from Baltimore exploring themes of consciousness, introspection, and astral travel through a bleak and emotional sound.

Saidan is a Japanese horror-themed black metal band from Nashville, spawning from tragedy in 2020. The band’s fourth studio album, ‘FANGDRILLER: Scars Beneath Memory’s Wrist,‘ arrived last month via Avantgarde Music.

Cameron Whitcomb, July 28, Uptown,$47-$87

Cameron Whitcomb is a Canadian singer-songwriter known for his raw country-folk music, high-energy performances which features Benson Boone-style back flips. Whitcomb first gained public attention as a Top 20 contestant on 2022’s season 20 of American Idol and released his debut full-length album, The Hard Way, last September which featured singles “Quitter,” “Medusa,” and “Options,” and was followed by his 2026 EP Deep Water.

Whitcomb is on his Fragile Egos Tour and already announced a bigger Fall tour, so catch him in a smaller venue, while you can. He’s also partnered with PLUS1 to donate $1 per ticket to drug addiction recovery resources, which relates to his own story.

Sleep Theory, July 28, Truman, Sold Out,

Sleep Theory is vocalist Cullen Moore, guitarist Daniel Pruitt, bassist Paolo Vergara, and drummer Ben Pruitt and are getting known for their unexpected but interesting pop covers and recently released its new covers EP, (E)motional (S)upport (C)are (P)ackage, out now via Epitaph. They’ve previously covered Taylor Swift’s “Cruel Summer,” NSYNC‘s “Bye Bye Bye,” and Paramore‘s “My Heart.”

The group released their debut album, Afterglow, last spring and have three No. 1’s at Rock Radio, a Best New Rock Artist win at the iHeart Radio Awards, a sold-out European headline tour, and two sold-out North American headline runs, among other accolades.

WEDNESDAY JULY 29

THURSDAY JULY 30

Black Crowes w Whiskey Myers, Southall, July 30, Morton Amph,2 for $55 to $172

The Southern Hospitality Tour is a summer co-headlining tour featuring The Black Crowes and Whiskey Myers, with opening support from Southall spanning more than 40 North American cities including a lucky KC area stop!

The Crowes, led by brothers Chris and Rich Robinson, are touring in support of their tenth studio album, A Pound of Feathers (released in March), following their 2025 Grammy Award nomination for their previous LP.

Whiskey Myers is bringing material from their latest studio work, seventh album Whomp Whack Thunder, some of which we heard in preview when we saw them last July in KC.

Hinterland Festival, July 30-Aug 2, St Charles IA, $155-$1520

Summer Road Trip! The heartland’s premier independent music festival is The Hinterland Music Festival 2026, a four-day outdoor music event that takes place from July 30 to August 2 in St. Charles, IA (about 30 miles south of Des Moines) now in its 11^th year.

The lineup for this year is again impressive, and schedules are online at their website. Acts that span pop, indie, rock, R&B, Latin music, folk, and alternative, include KATSEYE (Thursday), Lorde (Friday), Mumford & Sons (Saturday), and Kali Uchis (Sunday) as well as beabadoobee, MUNA, Ashnikko, Jessie Murph, The Format, Wet Leg, and Young Miko. Camping, exhibits, and the usual music festival attractions are in play here as well, with various ticket levels.

FRIDAY JULY 31

Parker McCollum w Gary Allan, July 31, Morton Amph,2 for $55 to $102

UPDATE: rescheduled to Sept 12, due to the birth of his baby boy

Parker McCollum‘s 2026 tour features his reimagined live show, in support of his highest-debuting self-titled album. The show should include new songs like “What Kinda Man,” “Killin’ Me,” “Big Sky,” and “Solid Country Gold,” alongside older #1 hits.

Additionally, $1 from every ticket sold is donated to The Ruger Fund, which was established in 2023 by McCollum, with a philanthropic objective to support various charity organizations close to his heart.

Support act (?!) Gary Allan is a classic and shouldn’t be missed.

Darius Rucker, July 31, Starlight,$40.75-$121.25

Three-time GRAMMY Award winner Darius Rucker hits the road this summer with his 20-city Songs of Summer Tour, bringing his signature baritone voice and fan-favorite hits to Starlight in KC with special guests Evan Honer and Austin Williams.

“For me, it’s not summer if we’re not playing music outdoors,” says Rucker. “When I think of the concerts I love attending, it’s the people, the hits and the hot summer air… there’s nothing that compares, so Songs of Summer in a lot of ways is my nod to being in that moment together.”

Rucker first achieved multi-Platinum status in the music industry as lead singer and rhythm guitarist of the Grammy Award-winning band Hootie & the Blowfish, who have sold more than 25 million albums worldwide including their 22x Platinum debut, Cracked Rear View. Since releasing his first Country album in 2008, Rucker has earned a whole new legion of fans with four No. 1 albums on the Billboard Country chart plus 10 #1 singles at Country radio and 11 Gold, Platinum or multi-Platinum certified hits. We saw him live last in 2017 at the Starkey Hearing Foundation benefit in St Paul, MN.

Waylon Wyatt, July 31, Truman,$34-$72

Rising Arkansas country artist Waylon Wyatt is out his 40+ date “Dustpiles World Tour.” in support of his debut album Dustpiles, released July 17th via Music Soup/Darkroom Records.

Waylon says of the tour: “The Dustpiles World Tour is the biggest and best one for me yet!! Gonna be traveling far and wide across this giant moving sphere. So much is in store for the Dustpiles Tour!!”

Latest single is “But There Was a Time” – built around slide guitar, acoustic textures, and raw vocal delivery, the track is said to explore the feeling of reconnecting with someone who once meant everything to you, only to realize the relationship may not have carried the same weight for them. Catch him in the smaller room while you can!

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.