Take a look inside Morton Amphitheater, KC’s newest music venue opening in June
What was once 165 acres of land in Riverside is just a few months away from hosting national touring acts and thousands of fans inside a brand-new outdoor concert venue.
Constructions crews are closer to the completion of Morton Amphitheater, a 16,000-capacity arena backed by Live Nation at 6150 NW Music Blvd. The venue has announced 38 concerts from June 10 to Oct. 23, and a representative with Live Nation said more shows will be announced in the coming weeks.
While crews were hard at work building the ADA-compliant elevator that’ll allow anyone to access the lawn and seated areas of the venue or adding last touches to the landscaping that’ll welcome guests as they walk in from the 6,000-space parking lot, John Ahrens, the executive vice president of design and construction with Live Nation, said he’s excited to bring a world-class venue to the Kansas City area.
“There’s not another amphitheater like this anywhere in the world,” Ahrens said. “We’ve really created a best in class venue here, taking components from best in class arenas, best in class amphitheaters and club venues.”
Ahrens said Live Nation settled on Riverside to build the new venue because of its central location. Highways in Kansas and Missouri can access the amphitheater, and it’s a 15-minute drive from downtown Kansas City.
Inside Morton Amphitheater
Tim Burris, Morton Amphitheater’s general manager, is hoping guests feel like they’re entering a park when they arrive for a show. It’ll be a touchless ticketing system, meaning you’ll only need to scan your ticket to get in, unless you have a bag (security will need to check bags before guests enter).
Once guests are inside, they’ll be welcome into an open-area pavilion, complete with yard games, merchandise stands and concessions from local businesses. Ahrens wants people to come early and hang out before walking up the stairs to access the amphitheater.
The 12,000 seats are covered by a 100,000-square-foot canopy, which has light holes cut into it to allow natural sunlight to enter as the performers take the stage. It was also designed to give anyone departing or arriving from one of Kansas City’s airports to look out the window a peek at what’s happening in the area, Ahren said.
A premium lawn area will also be covered by the roof, while a separate lawn area in the back of the venue’s staging area will not. Some seating is installed, but they expect that everyone with a seated ticket will have a clear view of the stage when the artists perform.
The artists will also have indoor and outdoor lounging areas for them, their family, friends and guests. Ahren wanted to improve the artist’s experience and give them somewhere to relax if they weren’t able to visit different areas in Kansas City.
Morton Amphitheater enters a region with arenas that work with Live Nation, like Starlight Theatre and T-Mobile Center, but Ahren said he’s excited to bring larger events to Kansas City. The amphitheater will get first choice on musicians coming to Kansas City, since Live Nation controls most of the nation’s major musical acts.
“The critical thing for folks in Kansas City that they’re going to see is that they’re going to be getting some shows that they haven’t gotten for the last 10 years,” Ahrens said. “They’re going to have the ability to see the show here rather than go to St. Louis or some other market.”
“This holds a pretty large production, and when you talk about other venues and stuff like that, their calendar might be taken up by other events,” Burris said. “This is going to be wide open for the summer.”
Parking and traffic at Morton Amphitheater
Parking options start at $20 per vehicle for general parking when the pass is purchased online before to the day of the show. General parking is $25 per vehicle on the day of the show, and other options are available for season pass, reserved and premier parking spots.
Burris said they are finalizing plans, but that they do expect to have ride-share pick-up and drop-off areas on the property before the first show.
Burris also said they’ve been in contact with FIFA, the Kansas City Current and local authorities in relation to the 2026 FIFA World Cup, as the Netherlands’ base camp will be at the Current’s training facility, across from Horizons Parkway at 1 Teal Rising Way. They’re also finalizing what their traffic plan will be since the matches begin around the same time as the venue’s concert season.
“We’re really excited to share it with the folks at Kansas City and see what they think about it,”
Previous reporting from The Star says public support for the project includes $20 million from the state and $5 million from the city for infrastructure improvements, like roads, sidewalks and utilities, and about $15 million in tax breaks. The project is expected to bring in millions of dollars in new tax revenue each year on what was an undeveloped site.
Who’s playing at Morton Amphitheater?
More than 30 artists are scheduled to play at Morton Amphitheater for its opening season. Artists range from longtime rock bands and country icons to pop stars and hip-hop favorites.
Tickets are available on Ticketmaster for these artists coming to Riverside in 2026:
- Wednesday, June 10: RÜFÜS DU SOL
- Thursday, June 18: The Pussycat Dolls
- Wednesday, June 24: Dave Matthews Band
- Sunday, July 12: Evanescence
- Saturday, July 25: Jason Aldean
- Sunday, Aug. 2: Mumford & Sons
- Friday Aug. 7: Ne-Yo and Akon
- Wednesday, Aug. 19: Guns N’ Roses
- Tuesday, Sept. 1: Jack Johnson
- Friday, Sept. 25: Pitbull
- Friday. Oct. 2: Brooks & Dunn
- Friday, Oct. 9 and Saturday, Oct. 10: Chris Stapleton
This story was originally published March 13, 2026 at 5:47 PM with the headline "Take a look inside Morton Amphitheater, KC’s newest music venue opening in June."
