October 19-22, 2026- Upcoming concerts / shows (Kansas City, MO / Lawrence KS)

Still ‘hunting and low’-

Morten Harket is the Norwegian singer who is the lead vocalist of the synth-pop band a-ha,

who have released released eleven studio albums and topped the charts internationally with their hit “Take On Me” in 1985. Harket has also released six solo albums, but also publicly revealed last June that he has been diagnosed with Parkinson’s disease.

He underwent two deep brain stimulation (DBS) surgeries at the Mayo Clinic late the previous years and manages it all, alongside prescription medications. Voice and physical control seemed very much in doubt following, but we’re very glad to hear his new solo album, “Human Grace,” will release on November 27, with lead single “Hold Me” (featuring his daughter Tomine), already out.

For any System of a Down fans, the band is already playing in a headlining spot at the Sick New World fest at the Texas Motor Speedway on Saturday, but just announced their only US show for 2027-the Rose Bowl in Pasadena on June 5. Pierce the Veil will open.

Let’s look through the Weekend in Kansas City / Lawrence KS metro musical happenings from Rocktober 19^th to Rocktober 22^nd.

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

MONDAY OCTOBER 19

The Wrecks w Kid Sistr, Oct 19, Truman,$47

Wellsville, NY alternative rock band The Wrecks are currently on the road for their Finally:OUTSIDE Tour featuring some high-energy alternative rock and indie-punk performances following their previous INSIDE : OUTSIDE and B-city run INSIDE : OUTSIDE chapters. Bandleader Nick Anderson recruited Aaron Kelley, Billy Nally, and Nick “Schmizz” Schmidt, to form the band and their top five tracks on Spotify have been listened to more than 140 million times. The band’s sophomore album, Sonder, is out now.

Arrive early for the NY all-woman indie trio, Kid Sistr (Sabel– guitars; Sara Keden– bass; and Rebecca Webster– drums) who play alt-rock guitar-pop and have a self-titled six-track debut EP, led by first single, ‘Little Sister Song’.

Wizard of Oz, Oct 16-25, KC Ballet w KC Symphony, Kauffman,$48-$163

The banner year of Oz-related works continues! Follow the yellow brick road as choreographer Septime Webre’s journey to the Emerald City returns. In the very familiar story, Dorothy and Toto are swept away to OS to join three unexpected friends on a magical adventure to meet the Wizard, outwit a Wicked Witch, and find their way home.

This beloved production returns with Broadway-caliber production values, advanced new LED stage technology, and eight dancers taking flight, the most of any KC Ballet production, matching the mark set when the show last was staged four years ago.

Dancer highlights include 220 pointe shoes, hand-painted in 23 different colors, including six shades of green, and the Ruby Slippers are adorned with 288 hand-placed jewels.

The show features an original score by Matthew Pierce, performed live by the Kansas City Symphony under the direction of KC Ballet Music Director & Conductor Ramona Pansegrau. The production’s design team includes sets by Michael Raiford, costumes by Liz Vandal, lighting by Trad A Burns, puppetry by Nicholas Mahon, and projections by Aaron Rhyne.

TUESDAY OCTOBER 20

Skillet, Escape the Fate, Autumn Kings, Oct 20, The Midland,$57-$93

23x-platinum rock band Skillet is currently out on their Comatose: 20 Years, Still Screaming Tour, a major fall headline run that comes alongside new single, “Scream,” which serves as the first taste of a new era of music from the band, with additional releases expected soon.

Their 6x-platinum anthem “Monster” recently surpassed 4 billion global streams, earned a place in Spotify’s Billions Club, and solidified its status as one of the most-streamed rock songs of all time. It is the only song by a Christian artist to surpass one billion streams on Spotify.

Escape the Fate is support and Autumn Kings replaces Bad Wolves, who dropped from the tour due to some controversy around their new lead singer.

Medium Build, Bella White, Oct 20, Madrid, $37.75-$103

Medium Build, the alt-folk pop project of Georgia singer-songwriter/producer Nick Carpenter has a new album, King of Having Fun (released September 4 on slowplay / Island Records). The accompanying tour began October 4 in Washington, D.C. and the run wraps with a hometown show on November 20 in Nashville, TN.

Fruit Bats, Oct 20, Liberty Hall-Lawrence, $41.00-$57.50

Fruit Bats aka singer-songwriter Eric D. Johnson is on an extensive tour, supporting the new studio album, The Landfill, released via Merge Records on June 12.

The tour run kicked off June 11 in San Diego, winds around the country and will finish with a hometown show on November 21 in Austin, TX.

WEDNESDAY OCTOBER 21

The Toxhards, Oct 21, Sound Bite Social, $19.50-$71.50

Los Angeles alternative theatric band The Toxhards are on their “Get Destructive Tour” throughout 2026, supporting their alternative/indie rock catalog and debut LP Your Neighborhood via Hopeless Records. Billed as their most ambitious and interactive run yet, the tour blends their theatrical alternative rock with performance art.

No two shows are the same; they feature rotating setlists, brand-new visuals, unreleased demos airdropped from the stage, audience-voted songs, and stage antics like instrument swapping and giant pig costumes. Sounds really interesting!

Improvement Movement, Jayen Reyes, Oct 21, recordBar,$28.30

The Atlanta-based prog-rock and acoustic grunge quartet Improvement Movement is on their 2026 tour supporting their album Your Perfect Real Life, which was released on August 21, via ATO Records.

The band is made up of Tony Aparo, Clark Hamilton, Marshall Ruffin, and Zach Pyles and their sound features four-part vocal harmonies, angular grunge/prog-rock arrangements, sticky melodies, and experimental instrumentation.

Catch Your Breath, Colorblind, Oct 21, Granada- Lawrence, $30-$33

Catch You Breath’s Not Broken Enough Tour is a headline tour by the Austin, TX-based modern melodic rock and metalcore band (vocalist Josh, guitarist Teddy, bassist Cianan, and drummer Onell).

The tour is named in support of their material and music catalog, including their debut album Shame On Me (featuring the Gold-certified hit single “Dial Tone”) and their project/release Not Broken Enough.

Arrive early for Colorblind, originally formed as The Night Of in 2017 by Justin Page and Nicholas Asper, but rebranded in 2018 after adding vocalist Travis Moseley. They blend elements of rock, pop, post-hardcore, and hip-hop into a self-described “dreamcore” sound featuring atmospheric instrumentals, heavy riffs, and 2010s-style scene melodies and are in support of Who Sold You This Truth, released last September via Solid State Records / Tooth And Nail Records

Art of the Piano: Gabriela Montero (ChamberKC S51), Oct 21, Folly,$30-$40

Gabriela Montero brings a program shaped by the many voices of Spain: from the courtly sonatas of Soler and Scarlatti to the poetic nationalism of Granados, Albéniz, Mompou, and Alicia de Larrocha, and finally to the Spanish-inspired worlds of Chopin and Liszt.

Venezuelan-born and internationally celebrated as both a pianist and an improviser, Montero and this program traces the evolution of Spanish-influenced piano music across two centuries, encompassing clarity, elegance, color, dance, rhythm, and virtuoso display — the many shades of Spain.

THURSDAY OCTOBER 22

Failure w/ Quannnic, Oct 22, Bottleneck-Lawrence,Sold Out

Longtime alt rock band Failure (Ken Andrews, Greg Edwards, and Kelli Scott) is on their 2026 tour in support of their seventh studio album, Location Lost, released April 24 and makes a stop in downtown Lawrence, just like they would in their ‘90s heyday. New album singles include “The Air’s On Fire” and “The Rising Skyline” featuring Hayley Williams of Paramore.

“The Air’s on Fire” was written in the aftermath of singer Andrews’ back surgery following the completion of their recent documentary Every Time You Lose Your Mind. “That song is directly about my surgery and waking up,” he explained in a press release. “I basically coded. Everything was spinning. I kept saying, ‘Turn the air on. I’m fine — just take me home.’ I was definitely not fine.”

Arrive early to this sold-out show for Quannnic, the solo musical project of Nick Quan, a young musician based in Florida. Despite being commonly referred to as a band, this is a solo project that blends shoegaze, lo-fi, noise rock, electronic bedroom pop, and digicore.

Knocked Loose w Denzel Curry, Oct 22, Uptown,$80-$130

Capitalizing on the crushing force of Knocked Loose and Denzel Curry’s recent standalone single, “Hive Mind” collaborative single, the Kentucky-made hardcore crew and the rapper have announced they’re joining forces for this North American tour.

The 25-date co-headlining tour launched September 26th in Newport, KY and plans to wrap on November 8 in Mexico City. The tour also features support from post-hardcore band Superheaven and Connecticut metalcore band Boundaries.

We’ve seen the two separately in 2024- Knocked Loose in Lawrence: Knocked Loose w/ Show Me the Body, Loathe, Speed at Granada Theater, Lawrence KS (2024-05-03) – W♥M and Curry last May at this same venue: Denzel Curry at Uptown Theater, Kansas City MO (2025-04-28) – W♥M. Both shows were separately explosive, so this combination might actually blow the roof off.

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.