May 16
Boy band One Direction: World tour next year
Hit boy band One Direction has announced plans for an ambitious world tour in 2014.
May 15
Yo La Tengo applies some new tricks and twists to its familiar ways
The name of its latest record is “Fade,” but as it approaches its 30th anniversary, Yo La Tengo is as vibrant as ever, a scrappy old dog open to learning new tricks and trying new techniques.
May 15
Pianist Alex Bugnon grew up among the greats
One of the most successful pianists in the smooth-jazz idiom didn’t come from some gritty inner city or pleasant suburb. Alex Bugnon, who comes to the Gem Theater with trumpeter Cindy Bradley on Saturday, hails from Montreux, the Swiss town at the foot of the Alps.
May 12
Rockfest is still the biggest, loudest, best party in KC
For many of the estimated 55,000 people in attendance, Rockfest isn't merely an 11-hour concert. Rockfest represents a spirited reunion of likeminded lovers of aggressive rock. The dark and despairing tone of Alice In Chains, the day's headliner, wasn't the least bit celebratory, but that didn't deter the diehard partiers.
May 11
Reunited Alice in Chains tops the bill at Rockfest 2013
A reunited Alice in Chains, one of the biggest bands of the grunge movement of the 1990s, headlined Rockfest — "the biggest one-day music festival in America" — on Saturday at Penn Valley Park. An anticipated horde of 50,000 heard a lineup that also included Device, Kansas City's Red Line Chemistry, Massachusetts' Killswitch Engage and the industrial rockabilly of Denmark's Volbeat.
May 12
Styx, REO Speedwagon return with a nostalgic good-time vibe
REO Speedwagon and Styx returned to Starlight Theater on Friday night for the fourth time in five years, and for a good reason. They always draws a big crowd. The bands aren’t who they used to be, but those details don’t matter when the live versions of the songs sound so much like the ways they were recorded.
May 10
'American Idol' down to final two singers
"American Idol" finalist Angie Miller won't be tickling the ivories on this season's final showdown.
May 7
Keith Richards' shocking revelation: 'My most spectacular (moment) was in Sacramento'
The Rolling Stones have embarked on their "50 and Counting" tour, celebrating half a century of extraordinary staying power with a raucous Oakland show Sunday at Oracle Arena and a San Jose stop to come Wednesday at HP Pavilion. Mick Jagger still works the stage, prancing and preening, while the rest of us wonder what it'd be like to have 2 percent body fat.
May 8
The Tenors: Regular guys with divine voices
The group rides a professional high into its Friday concert in Kansas City. Its new album, “Lead With Your Heart,” debuted at No. 1 on Billboard’s crossover charts. Last month the group snagged adult contemporary album of the year at the Juno Awards, Canada’s equivalent of the Grammys.
May 3
Cathartic verses for her great love, the late jazz great Ahmad Alaadeen
Victoria Alaadeen has been feeling stronger the past few months, maybe because she’s been sharing her story. She released a book of her poetry, “The Heartbeat Next to My Heartbeat,” full of memories and feelings about her late husband, Kansas City jazz great Ahmad Alaadeen.
May 3
Woody Guthrie’s great American voice gets a new home in Tulsa
A nuanced and multidimensional portrait of Woody Guthrie, and a celebration of his art and influence, can be found in a new center in Tulsa. To listen to contemporary singer/songwriters, all roads lead to Guthrie. To listen to Nora Guthrie, his daughter, the road from the Woody Guthrie Center extends in all directions.
May 2
Diana Krall surprises audience at the Midland theater
Diana Krall, one of the most bankable commodities in jazz, represents different things to different people. Many observers consider her a reliable traditionalist. Others view Krall as a sultry pop star. She offered a simple explanation of herself to an audience of about 2,500 at the Midland theater Wednesday.
May 1
Hunter Hayes and Carrie Underwood perform at the Sprint Center
Carrie Underwood, who has gone from a wide-eyed "American Idol" contestant to a powerhouse country star in the span of eight years, performed Wednesday night at the Sprint Center, touring in support of her new record, "Blown Away." Hunter Hayes, country music's version of Justin Bieber, opened the show. Click the link to see photos from the concert by The Star's Joe Ledford.
May 1
Fleetwood Mac gives big crowd reasons to look back and ahead
Four years after its last appearance in Kansas City, no one in Fleetwood Mac is younger than 63. Yes, the world is turning, and time makes you bolder and older, but Tuesday night at the Sprint Center the band showed that it somehow manages to keep its chain intact.
May 1
Gov’t Mule delivers eclectic show at Uptown Theater
Strikingly different aspects of Gov’t Mule were displayed Tuesday at the Uptown Theater. After delivering a concise opening salvo, the band entertained an audience of about 1,000 with an eclectic second set of jazz, classic rock and heavy metal.
May 1
Seventh annual Merle Jam: Half country, half blues, all to help out
Merle Jam at Knuckleheads has evolved into a fundraiser, an awareness campaign for the Midwest Transplant Network, a gathering of organ recipients and donor families, and a two-day music festival stocked with big-time entertainment. This year’s headliners are Kelly Willis and Bruce Robison on Friday, which is country night, and Delbert McClinton on Saturday, blues night.
May 1
Maintaining tradition of excellence, Four Freshmen in perfect harmony
The Four Freshmen have been getting it right for 65 years. Not with the same four guys — the last original member departed 21 years ago — but with a deeply dedicated lineup of four who are passionate about keeping it right. They’ll appear with the Kansas City Jazz Orchestra on Friday.
April 30
Fleetwood Mac reunion tour stops at the Sprint Center
Classic-rock stalwarts Fleetwood Mac, the makers of such hits as "Go Your Own Way" and "Gold Dust Woman," brought their reunion tour to the Sprint Center on Tuesday night. Click the link to see photos from the show by The Star's Joe Ledford.
April 29
Keys and Lips present different takes on music from the dark side
The two bands that performed at the Sprint Center on Sunday night may have fanbases with a substantial overlap, but they are at diverging points in their careers. The Flaming Lips, who opened the show, are shedding a past that has rewarded them bountifully; the Black Keys are reaping their own rewards after preaching the same sound for more than a decade.
April 29
The Black Keys and the Flaming Lips at the Sprint Center
Still riding high on their 2011 album, “El Camino,” and its Grammy-winning single, “Lonely Boy,” the blues-rock duo the Black Keys headlined a concert Sunday night at the Sprint Center. Oklahoma-based psychedelic punk rockers the Flaming Lips, who just released a new album, “The Terror,” opened the show. Click the link to see photos from the show by The Star’s Chris Ochsner.
