How was the Morton Amphitheater’s first show? Our thoughts on KC’s new venue

First impressions are very important when it comes to new places. Kansas City’s latest music venue made a good one for many visitors Wednesday, including myself.

The Morton Amphitheater in Riverside had its first-ever show Wednesday when pop singer Kesha performed. It truly felt like a new era had commenced within Kansas City entertainment. With the glitter and glam the fans brought to the bowl and Kesha opening up about her life throughout the show, it was a debut night that fans won’t forget.

The amphitheater’s staff was loaded, and you notice them the minute you drive into the parking lot. There were at least six lanes to get into the venue, with several staff members helping folks get to where they need to be.

The same thing happened when you enter through the main gate, where several workers were awaiting fans. The security was pretty seamless, as the amphitheater previously said. Unless you have a bag, it only took a few minutes to get inside the venue barring a line.

You’ve got plenty of options to consider when you walk through security. You can chill in the huge patio in the front, or find something to eat across the multiple stands and food trucks on the concourse.

There’s also multiple opportunities to get merch at the amphitheater. At least three stands were accounted for, including one outside the main entrance before walking in. The other is directly in the front when you get inside, while the other was on the left side, closer to the food trucks.

Morton also gives you the chance to think about your next show before your current one begins. Workers were out on the concourse offering tickets as low as $30 for future shows like RÜFÜS DU SOL and Godsmack. The tickets even come at a cheaper cost, as buyers don’t have to go through additional fees that other third-party sites have.

The views and vibes at the amphitheater were high

One comment I overheard from a fan was that every seat seemed like a good seat in the venue. As you walk around the bowl, that’s exactly how it felt. Whether you were in the grass areas the 300 section, it seemed like everyone had a clear shot of the stage without it feeling far.

Sitting in the 300s section, you can pretty much see everything happening on stage. You can even see the on-stage ASL interpreter tucked into the left side of the stage. It’s unclear if the interpreter was employed by Kesha or with the amphitheater, but it was cool to see that people who are deaf or hard of hearing were considered for this venue.

I also have to shout out the workers for letting fans dance on the walkways in between sections. Most of the time, security doesn’t play those type of games and asks you to sit down immediately. However, considering the energy was great in the bowl and this was a historical moment in Kansas City, it was nice to see people have fun uninterrupted.

Fans had mixed experiences at new venue

Like any new venue, there were some kinks that the amphitheater will have to iron out.

Some fans were having issues when it came to rideshare dropoff. Sania Ebert said that her ride took her around the entire venue, even though the rideshare area is north of the main entrance.

“It looped us all the way around the whole venue, to the point where we kind of thought they directed us to the wrong place,” Ebert said. She also noted that when she typed in Morton Amphitheater into Uber, the venue didn’t show up. She was able to find it after typing in the actual address, 6150 NW Music Blvd.

With the venue being able to hold 6,000 cars in its parking lot, traffic was inevitable on the first day. That was the case according to Reddit users. One concert-goer said they were stuck in the same spot for 30 minutes with no movement.

Another user questioned why there wasn’t labeled parking spots in the lot, but they were able to find their car because their phone remembered it.

“Yeah I was surprised they didn’t have any light poles or parking lanes marked to track where you parked,” another user responded.

Upon leaving the venue, there were definitely lines throughout the general lot to exit. Security was controlling the traffic, as they were waving people through and stopping folks to let others go. If you were in the premier lot (like myself), it is a lot easier to get out of the area from there, with fewer cars exiting that lot.

Hey, it’s only night one, Kansas City, not everything is going to be perfect right away. It’s also going to be a long summer of shows at the amphitheater, with acts like Dave Matthews Band, Luke Bryan, Ne-Yo and more, so there’ll be plenty of opportunities to fix things up.

Kansas Citians also appeared ready to embrace the new venue. There were people I met who said they only came to Kesha’s concerts because they just wanted to be at the amphitheater’s first ever show.

Whether you were there to party to Kesha’s 2010s hits, or you just wanted to see what this new amphitheater was about, there was something for everyone to take from the first night of many at the venue. With shows running from June through October, fans will have plenty of chances to make memories there this year.

This story was originally published June 4, 2026 at 5:29 AM.

Rashad Alexander

The Kansas City Star