Concerts - KC All Stars @ Crossroads Kansas City

Concerts - The KC All Stars @ the Crossroads

We've seen some great concerts this year, but The KC All Stars at The Crossroads Thursday night was one of the best by far. Local Kansas City dance band "The KC All Stars", winners of KMBC-TV's "Best Band in Kansas City" showed exactly why they deserved that title. One of the final huge outdoor concerts of the season, this one delivered big time. In an incredibly upbeat and energetic split set format, which is a KC All Stars staple, the band brought the audience to their feet and they stayed up and dancing for the entire show. When the concert started and the band hit the stage, the horns set the tone by blasting out the Stevie Wonder classic "Sir Duke (You Can Feel It All Over)" complete with dance steps and a blistering guitar solo by Kansas City's funkiest guitarist John Bridgewater, who teased the gawking crowd by playing the final scales behind his back - another KC All Stars staple.

Then out came their incredible female vocalist, who won the National competition "Harrah's Lucky Break", going all the way to Los Angeles and taking home the trophy, returned to Kansas City to join the hottest band on the scene and perform stellar Kansas City concerts. This girl ripped out "Rude Boy" by Rihanna like she wrote the song herself and turned the concert on it's ear (no pun intended). The horns jumped off the stage and came out into the audience, playing in step (both are KU Marching Band Alumni) and circling the crowd all the way around the amphitheater before returning to the stage to kick off "Dynamite" by Tiao Cruz and then a modernized medley of Michael Jackson hits.

Rocking the crowd to the point of exhaustion, the band certainly made everyone in attendance lose at least 5 pounds. As in most of their Kansas City concerts, for the grand finale they grabbed a stage full of people out of the audience and brought them up to join in the fun. Under clear and perfect skies, the weather cooperated and it was a wonderful "farewell" to the summer, and a perfect start to the fall. We're pretty sure that most everyone who attended is still recuperating today, but it's back to work for The KC All Stars who will start the machine up again tomorrow night on the ROOF of the downtown Kansas City Library (private event).

Kansas City Concerts, The KC All Stars at The Crossroads, review by KCMB Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

The KC All Stars to Headline "Paint the Night" Concert at Park Place in Leawood

The City of Leawood, Kansas will come to life tonight as Park Place is hosting the 2012 "Paint the Night" concert featuring the winner's of KMBC-TV's "Best Band in Kansas City" award, The KC All Stars. The KC All Stars are headlining the concert and will take the stage around 9pm. This massive street festival will have over 5,000 people in attendance and will be one of the biggest outdoor concert events of the year.

The Park Place Concert Series, founded in part and produced by Adam Blue Productions is an annual outdoor large scale concert held at the all new Park Place shopping district in Leawood, Kansas located at 115th and Nall. The concert has grown in size every year as it attracts Leawood residents and Southern Overland Park residents alike.

The KC All Stars have created a massive following in the Kansas City, Leawood and Overland Park areas and they have won the "Best Band in Kansas City" award for three years in a row. Members of The KC All Stars attribute their success to hard work, attention to the fans, and the fact that the band is young, energetic and have the ability to perform hit songs from every generation from Motown, to 70's Funk, to the hits of the 80's, to 90's hip hop all the way up to today's modern hits. "Always give the crowd what they want" is the band's motto, and tonight at Park Place's "Paint the Night" concert in Leawood, that is just what they intend to do. The weather for the concert should be very tolerable compared to the weather that Kansas City has recently experienced, with temperatures in the mid to low 80's when The KC All Stars hit the stage around 9pm.

Paint the Night, a Park Place Concert in Leawood, Kansas featuring The KC All Stars by Kansas City News, official kc news site with breaking stories on The Kansas City Royals, Chiefs, charity events, the 2012 MLB All Star Game, weather, sports, MU, KU, ufo sightings, dui checkpoints, Kansas City neighborhoods, nightlife, concerts, the Sprint Center, the Power and Light District and current Kansas City news articles.

Freedom Festival Kansas City 2011

Just around the corner is the return of one of Kansas City's best concert series that has lay dormant for several years. The Freedom Festival, which is a revival of sorts of the old Spirit Festival in Kansas City, held at the Liberty Memorial Penn Valley Park on 23rd and Main will kick off next weekend on July 29th. The Freedom Festival has finalized it's line up with the addition of The Taxis, a Kansas City 80's band who will be opening for the Quad City DJ's on Saturday night, and also the addition of Spike Blake and Honky Tonk Rodeo, who will be opening for Kellie Pickler on Sunday night.

The musical line up for the entire weekend is as follows:

Friday, July 29
DJ 4:00pm
Trio Atzlan 5:00pm
Karma 6:00pm
Mamma V, Ellie and the Commotion 7:00pm
David Elliott 8:00pm
Dionne Warwick 9:00pm

Saturday, July 30
DJ 10:00AM
The Great Travelers 11:00am
Desert Wine 12:00pm
Sidekicks Latino Revolution 1:00pm
Embrace This Day 2:00pm
JD and the Chasers 3:00pm
The Marching Cobras 4:00 pm
Jus Marley 5:00pm
The Taxis 6:00pm
Quad City DJ's 7:00pm
Snap! 8:00pm
Crystal Waters 9:00pm

Sunday, July 31

DJ 10:00am
Miss Lady Blake 1:00pm
Nsane & T-Bun3 2:00pm
Sierra 3:00pm
Safe Passage 4:00pm
KC St. Andrew Pipes and Drums 5:00pm
Savage Amusement 6:00pm
Spike Blake & Honky Tonk Rodeo 7:00pm
Eden's Edge 8:00pm
Kellie Pickler 9:00pm
Finale Fireworks Spectacular

Riverside Blast Concert and Fireworks Tonight

Tonight will feature one of Kansas City's first full blown fireworks shows of the year at the City of Riverside's annual Riverside Blast concert and fireworks show.

Riverside Blast 2011 is produced by Adam Blue Productions and this year will feature live music from Lipriddle and also headline act Perpetual Change.  The fireworks will "blast off" at 10pm following the concert.

Riverside BLAST 2011 Info
Saturday, June 18, 2011
6 to 11 p.m.
Intersection of Gateway and Vivion
Riverside, Missouri

Riverside BLAST Event Schedule
6 p.m. - Kids inflatables, kids firework safety workshop, food and beverage vendors, beer garden and photo booth.
6 p.m. - Music by Lipriddle
8:30 p.m. - Music by Perpetual Change
10 p.m. - Professional fireworks show
Parking: Event parking will be in designated areas around the festivities and the Riverside City Hall parking lot.
Food/Drink: Food vendors will be available and the Riverside Chamber of Commerce will be selling beer, but outside coolers are welcome!  If you plan on bringing your own alcoholic beverages, please note that you will be required to purchase a wrist band for $5 from the Chamber tent OR you can receive a wrist band for free with the purchase of one beer from the Chamber tent.

Farm Aid 2011 Will be Held in Kansas City

Representatives from the State of Kansas, Livestrong Sporting Park, and Farm Aid were in Kansas City, KS yesterday to officially announce the 2011 Farm Aid Concert will be held at the venue. For 26 years the Farm Aid organization has been raising money to promote and provide support services for small family farms. Their goal is to see the family farm thrive because they believe the small farm provides better quality food, and promotes the survival of the American small town.

Farm Aid started in 1985, one of several benefit concerts inspired by the epic Live Aid of earlier that year. Willie Nelson, John Mellencamp, and Neil Young started Live Aid and have been going strong ever since. A benefit concert has been held nearly every year since 1985 and the organization has raised more than $39 million according to their website. Dave Matthews has also been very active since 1995 and a member of the Board of Directors since 2001. Farm Aid has been by far the most successful of the benefit concerts in terms of longevity.

This is the first concert scheduled for Livestrong Sporting park. It will seat 25,000 for the event, and tickets go on sale May 20th. You can get tickets before they go on sale to the general public if you become a member of Farm Aid. The cost is a $50 donation to the organization - it is an annual membership. Tickets to the show range from $29-$149 - unfortunately you have to use Ticketmaster to purchase your tickets.

Taylor Swift at Arrowhead Tickets on Sale Feb 11

Taylor Swift is coming to Arrowhead Stadium this September 24th as part of a new series of shows at the Stadium kicked of with Kenny Chesney on July 30th. Tickets to see the Beautiful and Talented Miss Swift will go on sale to the general public on February 11th. Jackson County residents and Chiefs season ticket holders will get a pre-sale opportunity to purchase tickets on February 7th and 8th. There is a strict limit of 6 tickets per buyer, and I would suspect this one to sell out very quickly.

Taylor's Summer 2011 tour consists of over 50 dates, most of which are in Stadiums the size of Arrowhead. Ticket prices will be in the $50-$100 range. Miss Swift is going to have a VERY, VERY good 2011, financially speaking.

Cigar Fest and Other Weekend Events Around Kansas City

A Look at Weekend Events Around Kansas City

First Annual Cigar Fest!

Saturday, September 18th from 2-10PM

Beaumont Club

4050 Pennsylvania, KCMO

816-561-2668

Tickets are $55 at the door.

Admission includes 4 hand rolled cigars, 2 drink tickets, and a raffle chance - Raffle prizes include premium cigars, t-shirts, ashtrays. Hooters calender girl Brittney Fultz will be on hand. Music via live DJ, and Master cigar roller Abel Laura (son of Fidel Castro's former personal cigar roller) will be rolling cigars. Event is hosted by the Cigar Rights of America, an organization devoted to protecting the smoking rights of Americans.

Dukes of September

Saturday September 18th 7PM

Starlight Theatre

4600 Starlight Rd, KCMO

816-363-7827

Enjoy the sounds of Blue Eyed Soul at Starlight tonight. Boz Skaggs, Donald Fagan, and Michael McDonald will be performing. Boz Skaggs started his career with Steve Miller before striking out on his own with hits like "Lido Shuffle" and "Lowdown". Donald Fagan enjoyed a lengthy career as songwriter and lead singer of Steely Dan (I'd love to have those MUZAK royalties). Michael McDonald has played with the Doobie Brothers, Steely Dan, and had a very successful solo career with hits such as "I keep Forgettin'" and "You Belong to Me". Tickets still available ranging from $40-$126.

McFadden Brothers

The Blue Room

18th and Vine, KCMO

Kansas City's own Jazz singers and all around entertainers will be performing Saturday night at The Blue Room in the 18th and Vine district - 8PM - admission is $10.

Nikelodeon Storytime Live

Midland Theatre

1228 Main St, KCMO

816-283-9900

For the kiddos, Dora, Kai-lan, and all of their friends from Nick, Jr will perform live Saturday and Sunday. Three shows each day - buy your tickets here. Prices range from $15-$40. Kids as young as 2yrs old will enjoy this show.

Kansas City Rockfest to Return to Penn Valley Park

Rockfest 2011 Will be in Penn Valley Park

The Kansas City Parks Board will allow Rockfest to return to Penn Valley Park in 2011. They voted 3-2, narrowly approving a one-year deal for the annual festival promoted by 98.9 The Rock. The Liberty Memorial collects $50,000 for the event, and the Parks Dept another $50,000. Aggie Stackhouse, Board Commissioner and perennial party-pooper, voted against the decision saying 55,000 people is simply too many for the venue.

You may recall, this year's event, headlined by Godsmack, caused quite the controversy. It deteriorated into a Woodstock-like mess as heavy rains inundated the park. Concertgoers reveled in the muddy aftermath, sliding down hills and playing in the mess. Complaints were also aimed at the noise, excessive drinking (what?), and trash left behind. AEG Live, the producer of the event, paid thousands to return the park to its previous condition after the event.

For 2011, AEG has some new rules to work with for the event. Among these, they must come up with a new parking plan to avoid damage from vehicles, provide more security, and fence off the area around the Firefighters' Fountain. The lineup for next year's event has not been announced yet.

Megadeth and Slayer invade Kansas City Monday Night

Megadeth and Slayer invade Kansas City Monday Night

Lock up your daughters, Kansas Citians - Megadeth, Slayer, and Testament will destroy Kansas City metalheads tonight at Sandstone Amphitheatre. The carnage begins at 7PM, Monday August 23rd, but for those of you who simply cannot wait to pay $8 for a beer, the doors open at 5:30. Both Megadeth and Slayer released new albums in 2009, so look for a pounding mix of new material and ear numbing classics.

Original Bassist Dave Ellefson rejoins Megadeth this year after an 8-year hiatus, rested and ready to deliver throbbing baselines and ominous backing vocals. Slayer's lineup has remained largely unchanged. These four guys have been Reigning Blood since 1981. After the annihilation on Monday night at Sandstone, fans who haven't had enough can follow the American Carnage Tour to Denver on Wednesday night.

Dave Mustaine, front man for Megadeth, will also be pimping his new book today at 12:30PM at Unity Temple on the Plaza. Times have sure changed, 20 years ago the only way Dave would have seen 12:30 is if he was still awake from a previous night's drinking binge!