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6 Emotional Things To Do In Kansas City This Weekend

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Emotions can simmer, skyrocket or be seemingly scarce, but they’re always there.

This weekend you can investigate your feelings or maybe hitch a ride on those of others (holy empathy!) by way of stuff that aims to evoke love, fear, joy and who really knows what else, because emotions can take us to some unpredictable places.

Can you handle it? For that matter, can I? Now look who’s getting emotional!

 

​1. Grouplove

Pop-rock happiness can be found in the grooves of “Welcome To Your Life,” one of many affirmative anthems shared by Grouplove, the Los Angeles-based quintet whose co-lead singer and keyboardist Hannah Hooper started out as a painter and supplies cover art for the band’s albums. Grouplove got together during an artistic communal getaway on the Greek island of Crete, where creative emotions had their way, leading to the band’s ironically titled 2011 debut album, “Never Trust a Happy Song.” Its latest long-player, “Happy Mess,” is arguably more direct, if still playfully ambiguous. Ah, go ahead, let down your guard.

Friday, 7 p.m.; KC Live Stage, Kansas City Power & Light District, 1100 Walnut St., Kansas City, Mo.; Kansas City, Mo.; tickets: $11, $30 (VIP).

 

2. Haunted Tour of Fort Leavenworth

Considered by many apparition experts to be the most haunted of U.S. Army bases, historic Fort Leavenworth hosts a military ghost walk every October starting at the old disciplinary barracks, where the souls of executed prisoners are said to hover in waiting. What are they waiting for? Try you. The story goes that when there weren’t enough gallows to hang all of the men being punished for taking part in a prison uprising during World War II, officials utilized an elevator shaft in an administration building. So that explains the screaming that some claim to still hear emanating from the shaft. Alright, I’m scared now.

Saturday, 7 p.m. (check-in 6 p.m.); Old Disciplinary Barracks, Fort Leavenworth, Grant Ave., Leavenworth, Kan.; tickets: $15.

3. Maria Bamford

Feeling nervous can have its upside, at least if you’re in the audience when stand-up comic Maria Bamford is going through her meticulous menu of hilariously twitchy emotions onstage. She’s also shared them as a funny actress on such sitcoms as “Arrested Development” and “Louie”, as a versatile voice artist on cartoon hits including “Adventure Time” and as the star of her own in-concert TV specials. More than anything, Bamford allows herself to be totally zany. Or maybe she just can’t help it. Either way, when she acts like a ravenous beaver bent on consuming ceiling tile in the middle of the night, I’m totally buying it.

Thursday, 7:30 p.m., Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th St., Kansas City, Mo.; tickets: $30-$35.

​4. Sci-Flix – A Date Night with Your Brain

Sure, it’s an R-rated shoot-em-up, but the original 1985 sci-fi movie, “Robocop,” also gets into some pretty meaty psychological terrain that, if you’re not careful, will stir some deep emotions. So don’t be careful. Let the feelings flow during the first installment of this new Sci-Flix movie-and-discussion series that kicks off with “Robocop,” the story of a policeman who gets turned into a cyborg yet stubbornly clings to his human emotions. The post-screening discussion panel includes professors of biotechnology, electrical engineering and computer science from the University of Kansas.

Friday, 6:30 p.m.; Regnier Hall Auditorium, University of Kansas Edwards Campus, 12600 Quivera Road, Overland Park, Kan.; admission: free (RSVP at SciFlix@ku.edu).

 

5. Halloween Extravaganza

Here’s a family friendly Halloween celebration for the whole community with candy, costume contests, candy, music, candy, dancing and candy. And there’s candy. What’s not to feel simply wonderful about, besides the next trip to the dentist?

Saturday, 1-6 p.m.; Municipal Auditorium, 301 W. 13 th St., Kansas City, Mo.; admission: $9, ages 12 months and younger get in free.

 

​6. Hammerween VII: The New Blood

Get in touch with your inner rage – at least the kind fueled by heavy metal music – when Fiend Club and Troglodyte headline an all-night offering of loud, louder, loudest entertainment for those in need of “new blood.” Think of it as an opportunity to wear your emotions on your sleeve. If it hasn’t already been torn off.

Saturday, 5 p.m.; the Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, Kan.; tickets: $10.

Brian McTavish is a regular arts and culture contributor for KCUR 89.3. You can reach him at brianmctavish@gmail.com.

Brian McTavish follows popular culture in the belief that the search for significance can lead anywhere. Brian explains, "I've written articles and reviews ... reviewed hundreds of concerts, films and plays. And the thing is, these high arts all sprang from the pop culture of their day. Don't forget: Shakespeare was once Spielberg."
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