Kansas City concerts Jan. 30-Feb. 5: Post Malone, Squirrel Nut Zippers, YBN Cordae

“Ghost of Guy Clark,” the opening track of Aaron Watson’s 2019 album “Red Bandana,” is a remarkable study in artistic insecurity. Good-time country trifles like “Raise Your Bottle” make Watson a major draw in his home state of Texas. Yet on “Ghost of Guy Clark,” he imagines his songwriting hero dismissing his lyrics as “wasted words and shallow rhymes” and criticizing his melodies as “predictable and weak.” Watson took the apparitional encounter to heart. “Red Bandana” is one of last year’s most rewarding country albums. 785-842-1390. Tickets are $25 through thegranada.com.

A simple change in branding transformed the public’s perception of the genre once known as soft rock. After the frothy hits of the 1970s and 1980s were categorized as yacht rock rather than soft rock, hundreds of aging musicians suddenly became fashionable again. Ambrosia, the California band best remembered for the sunny 1978 smash “How Much I Feel” and the infectious 1980 hit “Biggest Part of Me,” is among the beneficiaries of the trend. Three original members of Ambrosia will set sail at Ameristar Casino. 816-414-7000. Tickets are $30-$135 through ameristarkansascity.com.

Trippie Redd’s concert will serve as a warm-up party for Post Malone’s headlining appearance at the Sprint Center four days later. The 20-year-old Ohio native resembles the bratty little brother of the superstar. Like Malone, Redd specializes in the deliberately blurry and disturbingly nihilistic blend of rap, pop and rock at the epicenter of contemporary taste. Redd’s lurid “A Love Letter to You 4” topped Billboard’s album chart in November. With BlocBoy JB and Kodie Shane. 816-283-9900. Tickets are $42-$48 through arvestbanktheatre.com.

YBN Cordae was up for two awards at the Grammy Awards on Sunday. “The Lost Boy,” the debut album by the North Carolina native born Cordae Amari Dunston, was nominated for best rap album, and “Bad Idea” was up for best rap song. Yet Dunston’s career doesn’t hinge on awards. YBN Cordae’s superior intellect and stupendous talent promise to provide him with a lengthy and artistically fruitful career. With 24kGoldn. 785-842-1390. Tickets are $20 through thegranada.com.

Roots music fans in Kansas City might expect to see the double bill of Squirrel Nut Zippers and the Dirty Dozen Brass Band at the East Bottoms roadhouse Knuckleheads. Instead, the throwback swing act from North Carolina and the legendary New Orleans brass band will showcase their gritty music at Kansas City’s toniest venue. Squirrel Nut Zippers’ “Hell” was a fluke hit during the short-lived swing revival of the 1990s. The Dirty Dozen Brass Band has inspired uninhibited dancing since the 1970s. 816-994-7222. Tickets are $29-$49 through kauffmancenter.org.

In an otherwise dismissive review of The Anniversary’s 2000 debut album, “Designing a Nervous Breakdown,” the influential music website Pitchfork acknowledged the “sugary sweet goodness” of the Lawrence band’s emo-rock. The album was overshadowed by commercial juggernauts such as Radiohead’s “Kid A” and Coldplay’s “Parachutes,” but it remains a Midwestern rock landmark. The quintet will mark the 20th anniversary of “Designing a Nervous Breakdown” by performing the album in its entirely. With Matt Pryor. 785-749-3434. Tickets are $25 through thebottlenecklive.com.

“White Iverson” hardly seemed like the work of a man destined to become one of the world’s most popular musicians. The 2015 debut single of Austin Post, the man better known as Post Malone, is a sleepy chant about “ballin’.” Yet Malone’s melancholy blend of dreamy rap and downcast rock is now an integral component of popular culture. Post Malone has grown increasingly dominant since he played the Uptown Theater in 2017 and headlined the Flyover festival at Providence Medical Center Amphitheater in 2018. With Swae Lee and Tyla Yaweh. 816-949-7100. Tickets are $53.50-$503.50 through sprintcenter.com.

Jade Jackson could be the answer to Mike Ness’ prayers. Ness, the front man of the California punk band Social Distortion, has long incorporated elements of old-school country into his music. Yet the style he spent decades perfecting is woefully out of favor. In Jackson, Ness found a talented acolyte willing to carry the torch he lit with Social Distortion more than 40 years ago. “Wilderness” and “Gilded,” rugged albums Ness produced for Jackson, are worthy successors to his best work. 816-442-8179. Tickets are $13 through theriotroom.com.

This story was originally published January 28, 2020 at 6:00 AM with the headline "Kansas City concerts Jan. 30-Feb. 5: Post Malone, Squirrel Nut Zippers, YBN Cordae."