Tons of musicians will go on stadium tours in 2025. Why are they skipping Kansas City?
Some of the biggest names in music, past and present, are hitting the road in 2025, many already selling thousands of tickets for shows inside football and baseball stadiums across North America and overseas.
Hip-hop superstar Kendrick Lamar, fresh off the 2025 Super Bowl halftime show, is hitting the road on the Grand National Tour. So is first-time Grammy Album of the Year winner Beyoncé for her Cowboy Carter Tour.
Canadian pop superstar The Weeknd is taking the After Hours Til Dawn Tour to stadiums, and hip-hop-turned-country star Post Malone is embarking on The Big Ass Stadium Tour. Latin pop sensation Shakira travels across the country for her Las Mujures Ya No Lloran World Tour.
Legends like thrash metal band Metallica continue their M72 World Tour into 2025, and singer Billy Joel is once again playing the hits in the spring and summer on his stadium tour. Iconic rock band AC/DC is also coming back to the U.S. as they continue their Power Up Tour.
Alternative rock band Coldplay has already sold out most of their United States stops on the Music of the Spheres World Tour.
One thing these popular acts have in common? None of them are performing in Kansas City.
The closest any of these artists get to Kansas City is Ridgedale, 3 hours south of the city. Malone plays in the town Friday, June 13, at Thunder Ridge Nature Arena.
The “I Had Some Help” singer also plays in St. Louis on Tuesday, May 13, at Busch Stadium. So does Lamar on Wednesday, June 4, at The Dome at America’s Center.
GEHA Field at Arrowhead Stadium will be mostly empty until the fall, when the Chiefs try to rebound from losing in the Super Bowl to the Philadelphia Eagles. It’s a big dropoff from the past two years, when they’ve hosted the likes of Taylor Swift, Beyoncé, Stevie Nicks, Ed Sheeran, Kenny Chesney and Morgan Wallen.
Why are these artists skipping Kansas City in 2025? Officials at Arrowhead Stadium gave one big reason: preparations for the 2026 FIFA World Cup.
“The stadium is going to be doing some renovations for the World Cup,” said Tim Wirkowski, stadium concession partner Aramark’s district manager for the Kansas City region. “2026 is right around the corner. We’re already preparing.”
What is being renovated at Arrowhead Stadium for FIFA World Cup?
Renovations taking place at Arrowhead Stadium to get the stadium ready for the 2026 FIFA World Cup include removing seats, Chiefs president Mark Donovan said in 2022. It’s a part of a two-year plan.
The team will work on removing seats the stadium in spring 2025, and returning them in time for the 2025 football season. This process will be repeated in 2026 when the tournament begins.
“Our goal is make sure every single seat is replaced for every single season, so we don’t lose any (football) seats,” Donovan said. “It will be an enormous challenge for our operations and construction crews.”
Kansas City will host a total of six games during the biggest World Cup ever, including a quarterfinal game.
The Chiefs president said fewer than 10,000 seats will be temporarily removed from lower rows and the corners. News station KSHB has also reported that the team installed a new vacuum ventilation system, which is a requirement from FIFA.
“It doesn’t seem like a big project, but I would tell you that when you get into the architecture of the building and the age of the building, it’s an enormous project,” Donovan said previously.
Who is performing in Kansas City in 2025?
While Arrowhead Stadium will be empty in 2025, T-Mobile Center, Midland Theatre, Uptown Theater, Starlight and others are busy. Here’s a look at who’s coming to Kansas City:
Kelsea Ballerini: April 1, T-Mobile Center
Jack White: April 4, Uptown Theater
Katy Perry: May 10, T-Mobile Center
Leon Bridges: May 20, Midland Theatre
Elvis Costello: July 1, Uptown Theater
Styx: July 2, Starlight Theatre
Earth, Wind & Fire: July 18, T-Mobile Center
The Lumineers: July 26, T-Mobile Center
Melissa Etheridge: Aug. 21, Starlight Theatre
Teddy Swims: Aug. 23, T-Mobile Center
Linkin Park: Aug. 31, T-Mobile Center
The Star’s Blair Kerkhoff contributed to this report.
This story was originally published February 15, 2025 at 5:00 AM.
