August 5-9, 2026, Upcoming concerts / shows (Kansas City, MO / Lawrence KS)

All hail ‘Bird’! It’s officially Charlie Parker Month in KC, celebrating what would have been his 106^th birthday, with several events planned, culminating in an August 29 celebration.

Kustom Entertainment (who took over Country Stampede) is now being sued for breach of contract and fraud over the canceled EDM Global Frequencies Festival which was slated for June 28 at Azura and was to feature DJ Diesel (aka Shaq), Allison Wonderland, and others, but only moved 300 tickets. Oh boy….

Massive Attack is now banned in Singapore after displaying a Palestinian flag at a show last week. Members were detained and rooms and bags were searched- Singapore don’t play- at least they weren’t also chewing gum, which can result in a penalty there as well.

Let’s look at the rest of the week in Kansas City / Lawrence KS metro musical happenings from August 5^th to August 9^th.

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

WEDNESDAY AUGUST 5

Monty Python’s Spamalot (musical) Through Aug 9, Starlight,$22.40-$148.90

Adapting the film classic, Monty Python and the Holy Grail, Spamalot has everything that makes a great knight at the theater: from flying cows to killer rabbits, British royalty to French taunters, dancing girls, rubbery shrubbery, and of course, the Lady of the Lake. The show features well-known songs including “Always Look on the Bright Side of Life,” “The Song That Goes Like This,” “Find Your Grail” and more that have become classics in the musical theater canon.

The show first galloped onto Broadway in 2005, features a book & lyrics by Eric Idle and music by John Du Prez and Eric Idle and took home Tony Awards, including Best Musical. It’s hilarious and one of our all-time favorites, whether you know Python’s skits well, or not- recommended!

Jesse Welles w Steph Strings, Aug 5, GrindersKC,$49.20

Folk and protest musician Jesse Welles is out on a new headlining tour run, the “Red Tour,” named after Welles’ song of the same name from last February’s album, Middle and runs through October 26th in Columbus, OH.

Welles recently performed the live debut of his protest song, “Sometimes You Bomb Iran,” at a show in North Carolina and last November, he memorably performed the track “Join ICE” on The Late Show with Stephen Colbert. Welles is truly singing what’s on his mind and is much like the Pete Seeger of today.

Welles was recently nominated for four awards at the 68th Annual Grammy Awards: Best Folk Album Best Americana Album, Best American Roots Songs, and Best Americana Performance.

Arrive early for Steph Strings, a guitarist/singer-songwriter based in Melbourne, Australia and whose debut album ‘Feel Alive’ is out now.

THURSDAY AUGUST 6

Koe Wetzel, Aug 6, Azura Amph, $29-$135

Koe Wetzel returns to the road with aptly named The Night Champion World Tour, a 45-city headlining run. Wetzel’s live show has grown from Texas dive bars to sold-out amphitheaters and arenas nationwide.

“It’s kind of crazy that I’m not dead or in jail with everything that’s gone on in my life,” Wetzel reflects. “Coming into 2026 and this tour, I feel like I’m the best version of myself I’ve ever been. I survived the night side of me. I’m coming out of it a champion.”

The tour has delivered new tracks like “Surrounded” and “Time Goes On” plus 2025’s most-played song at Country radio, the five-week No. 1 hit “High Road” and fan favorites including “February 28, 2016”

Herbie Hancock, Aug 6, Kauffman, $83-$143

Now in the seventh decade of his professional life, jazz legend Herbie Hancock remains at the forefront of world culture, technology, business and music. As a member of the Miles Davis Quintet that pioneered a groundbreaking sound, he also developed new approaches on his own recordings. His work in the 70s combined electric jazz with funk and rock in an innovative style that continues to still influence today. “Rockit” and “Future Shock” marked his foray into electronic dance sounds and during the same period he also continued to work in an acoustic setting with V.S.O.P.

He also received an Academy Award for his Round Midnight film score and 14 Grammy Awards, including Album Of The Year for “River: The Joni Letters,” and two 2011 Grammy Awards for the globally collaborative CD, “The Imagine Project.”

FRIDAY AUGUST 7

Ne-Yo, Akon, Aug 7, Morton Amph,$37-$207

Grammy Award-winning hitmakers Ne-Yo and Akon are out on their co-headlining ‘Nights Like This’ global tour. The 57-city run kicked in late April in Dublin and will wrap in Inglewood, CA on August 21, and includes this KC area stop.

The tour brings together two artists whose catalogs have helped define recent radio, nightlife, and pop culture. Both will share the stage in a unique, dynamic back-and-forth set throughout the show stacked with era-defining hits, sing-along anthems, and club classics.

Featuring Ne-Yo’s “So Sick,” “Closer,” and “Miss Independent,” alongside Akon’s “Smack That,” “Lonely,” and “Right Now (Na Na Na),” it’s a nostalgia rush for longtime fans and fresh excitement to new listeners.

Rock the Plains Festival, Aug 7-8, Alma KS, POSTPONED to SPRING 2027

SATURDAY AUGUST 8

Stray Cats, Aug 8, Uptown, $87.65

All three original members of The Stray Cats- Brian Setzer (guitar, vocals), Lee Rocker (upright bass, vocals), and Slim Jim Phantom (drums, vocals)—have returned to the road with a month-long, cross-country summer tour. It all kicked off July 24 in Las Vegas and wraps with three NY-area performances, with this KC stop coming around the halfway point.

Expect hits including “Stray Cat Strut,” “Rock This Town,” “Runaway Boys,” “(She’s) Sexy + 17,” and much more. Last year, the iconic band released two new tracks via Surfdog Records: the loud, upbeat “Stampede” and their cover of Eddie Cochran’s “Teenage Heaven,” their first new music in six years.

Setzer says, “It’s good to be healthy and strong again. There’s something about the unique sound of The Stray Cats that keeps drawing me in. Come on out and have some fun with us this summer.”

Rocker added, “The Stray Cats are back and ready to blast off! It’s an amazing feeling to join up with Brian and Slim, hit the stage and Rock across America.”

And Phantom comments, “With The Stray Cats, there’s always some extra magic around the summertime shows. It’s the perfect time for the Cats & Kittens to get dolled up, put the top down & cruise to the greatest Rockabilly show on earth!”

SUNDAY AUGUST 9

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.