Want to see a concert? This KC venue will open for a live show on Friday night
For Kansas Citians hoping to see live music in person once again, they’ll have a chance as soon as Friday.
When stay-at-home orders in the city start to ease that day, Knuckleheads Saloon will reopen and feature a local band in Outlaw Jim and the Whiskey Benders.
“It’s a new age, a new difference,” Knuckleheads owner Frank Hicks said Tuesday. “We’re just trying to focus and see if we can go with the flow and make it happen and do whatever we can.”
Originally, Hicks said the plan was to host two separate shows at 10% capacity to stay in accordance with the “10/10/10” rule implemented by Mayor Quinton Lucas. By doing so, Hicks could still turn a profit and stay within any mandates.
But Hicks said they’re going back to having only one show. Regular capacity at his venue, including the outdoor and garage spaces, is about 2,000, meaning the 10% rule would cap attendance around 200.
“It was going to create a problem,” Hicks said of the two shows. “It sounded like a really good deal. Just kind of fashion it after a movie theater. But I can see where people, they get in, they’re having a good time, and now they don’t want to leave.”
At this point, Hicks said he was unsure how many patrons will show up. He said he’s hoping for about 150 guests, which would make it financially feasible for the band, his employees and himself.
There are preliminary plans to use the outdoor and garage spaces, including moving tables 10 feet apart to follow social distancing guidelines. Along with those precautions, Hicks said his staff — servers, cashiers and bartenders — will be wearing face masks and gloves.
They’ll also have servers taking orders to make sure the bar doesn’t get crowded with people looking to buy drinks. Similar to what restaurants must do, Hicks said they will also sanitize tables and menus once a party leaves.
Of course, if customers are feeling ill, Hicks recommends they stay home. At the entrance, Hicks said they’ll have a temperature gauge to make sure nobody enters the premises with a fever.
“It broke my heart seeing the place closed because we were always seeing people having fun, dancing,” Hicks said. “It was always so much going on. Just to see it doing nothing at all was kind of devastating.”
If music fans aren’t comfortable with coming out to in-person events, Hicks said Knuckleheads has live streamed performances on its website in the last few months and will continue to do so. That’s the current plan for an upcoming blues fest with about seven bands.
As of now, events are based on the band’s availability. Traveling bands are harder to book, so for the near future, Hicks said it’ll mostly be local bands playing at Knuckleheads.
“I’m really anxious to see it open again,” Hicks said. “I’m anxious to see everybody open again. I know it’s not going to be back to what we used to have normal. I think we’ll have to create our own new normal now. I think we can get back to where we can have fun, people can enjoy themselves. Be cautious about what they’re doing.”
Other venues
While Knuckleheads is reopening on Friday, other music venues across the Kansas City area are staying closed for the most part, despite Missouri Gov. Mike Parson allowing them to open.
The Sprint Center’s next event isn’t scheduled until July 18. The Truman isn’t set for another event until at least June. Venues like The Truman are also focusing live streams, including a concert series.
One Kansas City comedy club is reopening Friday. Mike Baldwin is scheduled to perform standup at 7 p.m. Friday and 7 and 9 p.m. Saturday at The Comedy Club of Kansas City.
The club is selling tables of two or four guests, using single-use paper menus for food ordering and is only serving drinks at tables instead of the lobby bar. The club also asks guest to reserve tables in advance and avoid gathering in the lobby before and after shows.