Grace Potter and the Nocturnals perform Thursday night at the Uptown Theater. Below: Read about other shows coming up over the next seven days.
Pete Anderson
Tonight
Knuckleheads
Pete Anderson's name may not ring a bell among even the most dedicated of music fans, but he enjoys an outsized reputation among industry insiders. Without Anderson's guidance, country artist Dwight Yoakam may never have become a star. In addition to an extended stint as Yoakam's guitarist and producer, Anderson has worked with artists ranging from Roy Orbison to the Meat Puppets. Ideally suited for Knuckleheads, Anderson's current sound combines jump blues with hardcore honky tonk. Kansas City-based country band Stony Hogg opens the show. Tickets to the 7 p.m. show are $10 in advance.
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals
Thursday
Uptown Theater
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals perform in the Kansas City area even more frequently than many local artists. The incessant touring by the road warriors from Vermont is paying off. Aside from an opening slot for Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw at Arrowhead Stadium in June, Thursday's show at the Uptown Theater is its most prestigious area booking to date. High-energy performances and a sound loosely based on the accessible rock of Fleetwood Mac make Grace Potter & the Nocturnals a seemingly unstoppable force. Rayland Baxter, a Nashville-based singer-songwriter, opens the show.
Tickets to the 8 p.m. show range from $23 to $53.
Quiet Corral
Friday
The Granada
The unassuming melodic rock of Quiet Corral isn't particularly novel. Yet the Lawrence-based band's humble sound is resonating with thousands of listeners around the nation. The band recently performed at the prestigious Austin City Limits festival in Texas. The sextet also shared a bill with the Dave Matthews Band and the Avett Brothers in Washington in September. Its forthcoming full-length debut album promises to propel Quiet Corral to even greater heights. Two national acts open for the local heroes on Friday. Both Minneapolis' Communist Daughter and Omaha's Skypiper specialize in Elliott Smith-inspired folk-rock.
Tickets to the 8 pm. show are $7 in advance.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Saturday
Sprint Center
When it was founded in Los Angeles almost thirty years ago, the Red Hot Chili Peppers certainly didn't look like a band that was built to last. Yet unspeakable excesses and even the death of its original guitarist have failed to silence the punk-funk act. The unlikely survivors were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April. Fans can expect to hear durable hits including "Under the Bridge," "Californication" and "Give It Away" on Saturday. True to its principles, the band has tapped a series of innovative acts to open its current tour. Thundercat, the alias of celebrated rock and R&B bassist Stephen Bruner, will get the party started at the Sprint Center.Tickets to the 8 p.m. concert range from $39.50 to $59.50.
Minus the Bear
Saturday
Beaumont Club
As indie rock continues its process of infinite fragmentation, one of the form's most fruitful splinters is characterized by an arty, complex and willfully obscure sensibility. Saturday's triple-bill at the Beaumont Club features a couple of the most noteworthy practitioners of this approach. The progressive math rock of Seattle's Minus the Bear has shimmered with increasing intensity over the past ten years. Cursive has matured in a different way. The refined literacy of the noisy Omaha-based band has grown even more ambitious. San Antonio's Girl in a Coma adds a winning pop sensibility to the bill. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $17 in advance.
Sonic Spectrum tribute to the Ramones
Sunday
RecordBar
"Hey! Ho! Let's go!" Prominent members of Kansas City's indie rock scene will be all revved up and ready to go at Sonic Spectrum's tribute to the Ramones on Sunday. The seminal punk band's classic material like "Blitzkrieg Bop" will be featured in four sets. Up-and-coming punk-metal band Radkey will be in their element as it interprets the elemental music of the Ramones. UFT!, a band that features RecordBar co-owner Steve Tulipana, also promises to be faithful to the Ramones' vision. Two additional sets featuring members of Deco Auto, the Latenight Callers, the Quivers, the Rich Boys, Appropriate Grammar and Hobo Zero should yield several surprises. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $10 in advance.
Electric Guest
Sunday
The Granada
When musicologists study 2012 decades from now, they may determine that Electric Guest was the year's most representative act. The music of Electric Guest is a remarkable distillation of the most popular trends of the day. Mondo, the band's new album, was overseen by the omnipresent super-producer Danger Mouse. Songs like "Awake" combine fashionable nouveau folk with the synthetic bleeps and gurgles associated with electronica. Two fellow Los Angeles-based bands complement Electric Guest's state-of-the-art sound on Sunday. Line & Circle play the sort of dreamy jangle pop associated with college radio's heyday. The members of No have obviously said "yes" to the Cure and Oasis. Tickets to the 9 p.m. concert are $13 in advance and $15 on the day of the show.
Madonna
Tuesday
Sprint Center
A master manipulator of the media, Madonna continues to stir the pot. The iconic pop star recently made headlines by referring to Barack Obama as the "black Muslim in the White House." The audacious visual presentation at Tuesday's concert will be commensurately scandalous. One of the most extravagant productions ever mounted, the MDNA tour mixes Madonna's new material with old favorites including "Papa Don't Preach" and "Like a Virgin." Opening act Nero is a British electronic act with a sound that's compatible with Madonna's recent work. Tickets to the 8 p.m. concert range from $45 to $355.
The English Beat
Tuesday
Knuckleheads
"I Just Can't Stop It," "Wha'ppen?" and "Special Beat Service," the three albums the English Beat released in the early '80s, are delectably garish period pieces. It seems impossible to divorce the band's combination of pop, R&B and ska from the era of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. Yet fervent fans refuse to allow the band to retire. The English Beat is touring behind a new five-CD box set of its beloved recordings. Aging fans will dance shamelessly to old favorites like "Soul Salvation," "Save It For Later" and "Mirror In the Bathroom" on Tuesday. The Pinstripes, a Cincinnati-based ska band, open the show. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $15 in advance.
Thursday
Uptown Theater
Grace Potter & the Nocturnals perform in the Kansas City area even more frequently than many local artists. The incessant touring by the road warriors from Vermont is paying off. Aside from an opening slot for Kenny Chesney and Tim McGraw at Arrowhead Stadium in June, Thursday's show at the Uptown Theater is its most prestigious area booking to date. High-energy performances and a sound loosely based on the accessible rock of Fleetwood Mac make Grace Potter & the Nocturnals a seemingly unstoppable force. Rayland Baxter, a Nashville-based singer-songwriter, opens the show.
Tickets to the 8 p.m. show range from $23 to $53.
Quiet Corral
Friday
The Granada
The unassuming melodic rock of Quiet Corral isn't particularly novel. Yet the Lawrence-based band's humble sound is resonating with thousands of listeners around the nation. The band recently performed at the prestigious Austin City Limits festival in Texas. The sextet also shared a bill with the Dave Matthews Band and the Avett Brothers in Washington in September. Its forthcoming full-length debut album promises to propel Quiet Corral to even greater heights. Two national acts open for the local heroes on Friday. Both Minneapolis' Communist Daughter and Omaha's Skypiper specialize in Elliott Smith-inspired folk-rock.
Tickets to the 8 pm. show are $7 in advance.
Red Hot Chili Peppers
Saturday
Sprint Center
When it was founded in Los Angeles almost thirty years ago, the Red Hot Chili Peppers certainly didn't look like a band that was built to last. Yet unspeakable excesses and even the death of its original guitarist have failed to silence the punk-funk act. The unlikely survivors were inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April. Fans can expect to hear durable hits including "Under the Bridge," "Californication" and "Give It Away" on Saturday. True to its principles, the band has tapped a series of innovative acts to open its current tour. Thundercat, the alias of celebrated rock and R&B bassist Stephen Bruner, will get the party started at the Sprint Center.Tickets to the 8 p.m. concert range from $39.50 to $59.50.
Minus the Bear
Saturday
Beaumont Club
As indie rock continues its process of infinite fragmentation, one of the form's most fruitful splinters is characterized by an arty, complex and willfully obscure sensibility. Saturday's triple-bill at the Beaumont Club features a couple of the most noteworthy practitioners of this approach. The progressive math rock of Seattle's Minus the Bear has shimmered with increasing intensity over the past ten years. Cursive has matured in a different way. The refined literacy of the noisy Omaha-based band has grown even more ambitious. San Antonio's Girl in a Coma adds a winning pop sensibility to the bill. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $17 in advance.
Sonic Spectrum tribute to the Ramones
Sunday
RecordBar
"Hey! Ho! Let's go!" Prominent members of Kansas City's indie rock scene will be all revved up and ready to go at Sonic Spectrum's tribute to the Ramones on Sunday. The seminal punk band's classic material like "Blitzkrieg Bop" will be featured in four sets. Up-and-coming punk-metal band Radkey will be in their element as it interprets the elemental music of the Ramones. UFT!, a band that features RecordBar co-owner Steve Tulipana, also promises to be faithful to the Ramones' vision. Two additional sets featuring members of Deco Auto, the Latenight Callers, the Quivers, the Rich Boys, Appropriate Grammar and Hobo Zero should yield several surprises. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $10 in advance.
Electric Guest
Sunday
The Granada
When musicologists study 2012 decades from now, they may determine that Electric Guest was the year's most representative act. The music of Electric Guest is a remarkable distillation of the most popular trends of the day. Mondo, the band's new album, was overseen by the omnipresent super-producer Danger Mouse. Songs like "Awake" combine fashionable nouveau folk with the synthetic bleeps and gurgles associated with electronica. Two fellow Los Angeles-based bands complement Electric Guest's state-of-the-art sound on Sunday. Line & Circle play the sort of dreamy jangle pop associated with college radio's heyday. The members of No have obviously said "yes" to the Cure and Oasis. Tickets to the 9 p.m. concert are $13 in advance and $15 on the day of the show.
Madonna
Tuesday
Sprint Center
A master manipulator of the media, Madonna continues to stir the pot. The iconic pop star recently made headlines by referring to Barack Obama as the "black Muslim in the White House." The audacious visual presentation at Tuesday's concert will be commensurately scandalous. One of the most extravagant productions ever mounted, the MDNA tour mixes Madonna's new material with old favorites including "Papa Don't Preach" and "Like a Virgin." Opening act Nero is a British electronic act with a sound that's compatible with Madonna's recent work. Tickets to the 8 p.m. concert range from $45 to $355.
The English Beat
Tuesday
Knuckleheads
"I Just Can't Stop It," "Wha'ppen?" and "Special Beat Service," the three albums the English Beat released in the early '80s, are delectably garish period pieces. It seems impossible to divorce the band's combination of pop, R&B and ska from the era of Ronald Reagan and Margaret Thatcher. Yet fervent fans refuse to allow the band to retire. The English Beat is touring behind a new five-CD box set of its beloved recordings. Aging fans will dance shamelessly to old favorites like "Soul Salvation," "Save It For Later" and "Mirror In the Bathroom" on Tuesday. The Pinstripes, a Cincinnati-based ska band, open the show. Tickets to the 8 p.m. show are $15 in advance.
| Bill Brownlee, Special to The Star
He sucks, but don't ignore a sold out Sprint Center (Justin Bieber). It's noteworthy, and to give him some credit, tickets were much cheaper then Madonna and Areosmith.
Posted by: Steve J | October 24, 2012 at 08:27 PM
Off! is at the Record Bar on Halloween.
Posted by: Steve | October 26, 2012 at 08:47 AM
Grace Potter put on a very high energy performance last night! A 2 hour show including encores. The Uptown looked pretty full, the floor was GA, standing only.
She sounded (and looked) good although her vocals were not as clear in the mix as I would have liked. She started off the encores with an a cappella song and then the band tore into a cover of 'Gimme Shelter' that really rocked.
She also did a song right before the end of her set that I think is called 'Sugar' that I had not heard before. That one was smoking hot, really enjoyed it!
Posted by: onthemark | October 26, 2012 at 12:37 PM
Did Grace sit behind the Hammond B3 organ and play/sing for any songs?
Posted by: 40wnks | October 27, 2012 at 10:55 AM
Though slightly past the seven-day frame, the Fresh & Onlys show at the Jackpot in Lawrence Nov. 1 is highly recommended.
Posted by: Rick | October 27, 2012 at 03:43 PM
Looking forward to Oberhofer. They open for Matt & Kim this Sat at Liberty Hall.
Posted by: cer | October 28, 2012 at 11:36 AM
Yes, Grace did sit behind the B3 and play some songs. It's a shame they mentioned this show here and then proceeded to not review it.
Posted by: NCTRNL | October 28, 2012 at 09:01 PM
Agreed.
Posted by: 40wnks | October 29, 2012 at 10:14 AM
"It's a shame they mentioned this show here and then proceeded to not review it."
GPN sort of falls into the jamband genre (although they are trying to break loose of that) so what did you expect?
Posted by: NEW | October 29, 2012 at 11:16 AM