The slightly sinister rabbit statues adorning the Country Club Plaza every March have unsettled generations of sensitive Kansas Citians, but a very different type of Bad Bunny will make an appearance in town this year. The reggaeton superstar will fill T-Mobile Center with renditions of his global smashes.
Bad Bunny isn’t the only icon performing in Kansas City this month. Drake, the world’s most popular rapper, performs at the T-Mobile Center on March 2 and 3.
Eight other artistically-worthy artists round out our concert recommendations. Two operatic vocalists, the renowned Lawrence Brownlee and the exciting up-and-comer Ema Nikolovska, will please connoisseurs and win over art-song neophytes.
The notable young bluesman Christone “Kingfish” Ingram entertains at Ameristar Casino. And classic rock fans receptive to fresh sounds will want to hear what Bruce Hornsby is up to at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts.
The Truman hosts two of our picks: After singer-songwriter Jenny Lewis appears at the Truman Road venue at the beginning of the month, punk stalwarts Sleater-Kinney headline the room at the end. RecordBar will also host the underground rock institution Sleepytime Gorilla Museum.
Drake and J. Cole: March 2 and 3
- When: 8 p.m. on Saturday, March 2 and 8 p.m. on Sunday, March 3
- Where: T-Mobile Center, 1407 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri 64106
- Tickets: Starting at $144.50
Drake is one of very few superstars who can accurately claim to have significantly altered the direction of popular music. In expanding the emotional range and sonic textures of hip-hop, Canadian born Aubrey Drake Graham played a pivotal role in making the genre the dominant form of pop.
The qualities that make his recordings engaging also make him an excellent live performer. Simultaneously vulnerable and swaggering, the personable rapper’s previous appearances in Kansas City’s downtown arena have been riveting.
Drake’s tourmate J. Cole excels at the opposite end of the hip-hop spectrum. Drake is arrogant and worldly; the North Carolinian is conscientious and earthy.
Jenny Lewis: March 5
- When: 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 5
- Where: The Truman, 601 E. Truman Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64106
- Tickets: Starting at $30
Jenny Lewis is a troubadour for our times. The confessional songs crafted by the 48-year-old are an accurate barometer of the psychological zeitgeist.
Alternately imbued with debilitating exhaustion and flickers of optimism, Lewis’ compositions reflect generational insecurities and aspirations.
The singer-songwriter is showcasing recent songs like the cosmic country ditty “Puppy and a Truck” and the Fleetwood Mac-inspired “Psychos” on her current tour. Hayden Pedigo opens the show.
Ema Nikolovska: March 6
- When: 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 6
- Where: Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th St., Kansas City, Missouri 64105
- Tickets: Starting at $25
Ema Nikolovska had second thoughts after earning a degree at the Royal Conservatory of Music’s Glenn Gould School as a violinist, so she left Toronto for London to study as an operatic vocalist.
The risk paid off. hHer presence on the most recent cover of Canadian classical music magazine “La Scena Musicale” indicates the mezzo-soprano is one of opera’s brightest young stars.
Nikolovska has yet to release an album, but a video of a pandemic-era recital shows her formidable skills as a vocalist — and actor. Her appearance in this year’s Harriman-Jewell Series is Nikolovaska’s U.S. recital debut.
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum: March 11
- When: 8 p.m. on Sunday, Feb. 25
- Where: recordBar, 1520 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri 64108
- Tickets: $30
The affordability of adequate home recording equipment and easy access to streaming services has fulfilled the dreams of every oddball with unconventional musical ideas. It wasn’t always so simple.
Sleepytime Gorilla Museum has been getting weird for 25 years. An inspiration to countless experimental auteurs, the Oakland collective is making a rare visit to Kansas City.
It’s a show likely to beckon theater professionals, crusty punks, and avant-garde artists from a 100 mile radius of recordBar. Kansas City’s Season to Risk opens the show.
Bruce Hornsby and yMusic: March 14
- When: 7 p.m. on Thursday, March 14
- Where: Helzberg Hall, 1601 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City, MO 64108
- Tickets: Starting at $51
Most people associate Bruce Hornsby with “The Way It Is.” Music obsessives consider the lilting 1985 protest song an aberration rather than the defining moment of the Virginian’s career.
Yet the artistically restless Hornsby doesn’t chase hits. Instead, he’s a tie-dye version of the art-rock icon David Byrne. The multi-instrumentalist toured with the Grateful Dead and has expanded the boundaries of bluegrass.
Hornsby is collaborating with yMusic on his current tour. The experimental chamber music ensemble lets him explore the relationship between pop and classical music.
Lawrence Brownlee: March 19
- When: 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, March 19
- Where: Lied Center, 1600 Stewart Drive, Lawrence, KS 66045
- Tickets: Starting at $25
Lawrence Brownlee is among opera’s most engaging personalities. He’s starred in productions of renowned opera companies including New York’s Metropolitan Opera and Opéra national de Paris.
And the tenor’s finest artistic achievements include transcendent duets with Prairie Village native Joyce DiDonato.
Yet aficionados shouldn’t expect to hear only arias by Gioachino Rossini and Giuseppi Verdi at the Lied Center. Brownlee is likely to also perform material from his Grammy-nominated 2023 album, “Rising,” which celebrates the Harlem Renaissance.
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram: March 22
- When: 8 p.m. on Friday, March 22
- Where: Ameristar Casino, 3200 N. Ameristar Drive, Kansas City, Missouri 64161
- Tickets: Starting at $35
Christone “Kingfish” Ingram was 20 years old when his debut album was released by the prestigious blues label Alligator Records in 2019. Born in the storied blues town Clarksdale, Mississippi, Ingram was tabbed by some observers as the savior of the blues.
Ingram is a solid songwriter, effective vocalist and flamboyant guitarist. Yet his strongest attribute is his agility as a terrific crowd pleaser.
Ingram, though, still isn’t a household name. A shift to Ameristar Casino from Knuckleheads, the ticket vendor for the March 22 concert, signals a fresh marketing angle.
Sleater-Kinney: March 25
- When: 8 p.m. on Monday, March 25
- Where: The Truman, 601 E. Truman Road, Kansas City, Missouri 64106
- Tickets: Starting at $35
Sleater-Kinney’s avid supporters insist it’s one of the greatest rock bands of all time. Yet the ardent devotion of many fans was shaken by the departure of the beloved drummer Janet Weiss in 2019.
This tour, marking the 30th anniversary of Sleater-Kinney’s formation, features original members Carrie Brownstein and Corin Tucker along with three supplemental collaborators.
The lineup may be different, but renditions of classic punk tracks “Dig Me Out” and new favorites like “Hell” are certain to alleviate any skepticism amid the audience. Palehound opens the show.
Bad Bunny: March 26
- When: 8 p.m. on Tuesday, March 26
- Where: T-Mobile Center, 1407 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri 64106
- Tickets: Starting at $112
Bad Bunny is the face of popular music for hundreds of millions of people. The Puerto Rican born Benito Antonio Martínez Ocasio overcame regional biases and language barriers to become a global sensation.
Building on the crossover successes of Latin pop predecessors such as Marc Anthony and Daddy Yankee, Bad Bunny didn’t water down his reggaeton to become successful. Instead, he emphasizes his eccentricities, like an odd hiccup vocal effect.
Bad Bunny headlined outdoor stadiums in 2022. The game-changing superstar’s hits like “Dákiti” and “No Me Quiero Casar” will be rendered in relatively intimate arenas on his current Most Wanted Tour.
Anthony Hamilton: March 31
- When: 7 p.m. on Sunday, March 31
- Where: Cable Dahmer Arena, 19100 E. Valley View Parkway, Independence, Missouri 64055
- Tickets: Starting at $79
Anthony Hamilton is the standard bearer for old-school R&B. Through Hamilton, the legacies of Marvin Gaye, Aretha Franklin and Luther Vandross are lovingly maintained.
Yet Hamilton isn’t a mere copycat. Contemporary production touches keep Hamilton’s sound relevant. Besides, his tender-but-tough Southern voice would have likely ensured success in any era.
He’s wrapped his instrument around a few of the most essential R&B songs of the new millennium. Hamilton’s classics include “Can't Let Go,” “Charlene” and “The Point of It All.”
