Honestav took the main stage at 8pm on Saturday, June 14th, in the lead up to headliner Tech N9ne. His joy was palpable from the moment he stepped on stage, as the hip hop artist from a small town in southern Missouri kept smiling and talking about how he was living his dreams. 2024’s “I’d Rather Overdose” gained him traction, and – having spent a life trying to be a rockstar along with his brothers and sisters – it seems like his dreams are finally coming true.
Kansas City is really lucky, because we get to witness Andrew McMahon in all of his forms pretty frequently. While other musicians skip our metropolitan area more often than now, we are seemingly prioritized by his tour manager and team every single time, be it for Andrew McMahon in The Wilderness, Something Corporate, or Jack’s Mannequin.
And we show up.
Kansas City sold out the Tuesday night show at The Truman, a warehouse venue in the downtown area that has space to move — which is great, given the amount of dancing – and llama crowdsurfing – that was happening.
As we head banged through “Holiday From Real,” “Kill The Messenger,” “Amy, I,” and “Miss California,” a genuine feeling of camaraderie seemed to echo through the space. Per usual, Andrew provided anecdotes for a few songs, giving us a true look at what his life was like twenty years ago when Everything in Transit was released. It was during this time that he was battling cancer.
While some fans seemed to be learning of his earlier health woes at this show, he has been touring with his Dear Jack Foundation – which raises funding to improve the lives of young people with cancer and their families – in tow for years.** At this particular show, he was raffling off a signed drum head for donations. Toward the end of the show, he boarded a llama pool floatie and crowd surfed from the stage to the back of the venue to find out the winner of the raffle. Known for being interactive with his crowd, this was a really entertaining approach. (And we didn’t drop him!) **Not for nothing, we played his “Dear Jack” documentary at the inaugural cancer walk at my university, as suggested by my rad twin sister. His story, his strength, and the way he has allowed his life to open up since is quite inspiring and fun.
The set list for The MFEO Tour has varied slightly. The following songs were played by Jack’s Mannequin at The Truman on June 17th. Holiday From Real Spinning The Mixed Tape Release Me Kill the Messenger Crashin Miss Delaney Swim Television I’m Ready Amy, I Bruised Miss California The Resolution Rescued MFEO: Pt. 1 – Made for Each Other / Pt. 2 – You Can Breathe Hammers and Strings (A Lullaby) La La Lie
Tech N9ne was so excited to take the stage as the headliner for Saturday’s Boulevardia Festival in his native Kansas City, that he started his set 10 minutes early. We were on the other side of the festival walking over, so only got one song to grab highlights. But as we walked up to the stage, you could feel the energy oozing from the crowd. And when we approached the front, we saw that – on the day of NO KINGS – or very own hometown hero was wearing a headband that read “KING.”
It has been seven years since his last appearance at the festival, and headlining the 10th anniversary more than makes him Kansas City’s version of a king. Some fun snaps below.
On May 6th, hip hop artist Open Mike Eagle opened for Future Islands at The Madrid in Kansas City. He set the fun tone for the remainder of the evening. Whitney Young captured some highlights from the set for us.
Future Islands creates synth-pop that helps us to disconnect from reality — and sometimes become more connected to ourselves. Seeing them live is an experience unto itself, and we were lucky enough to check them out last week on their stop through Kansas City, Missouri. The Madrid is a beautiful, historic theater that was the perfect backdrop to this lineup.
Alternative/indie trio Princess Goes had an early afternoon slot on day two of Riot Fest 2024 in Douglass Park. Their unique brand of goth-tinted rock helped to set a moody glow across the field as the midday sun entered everyone’s lives. Hall’s vocals were clear — scratchy at times — drawing a crowd as the set went on at the AAA Stage. This was a wonderful — and often mellow — way to welcome the second day of an epic festival weekend.
Douglass Park in Chicago is stunning on an everyday basis. But during Riot Fest? It’s glorious. Littered with photo booths, games, food and drink vendors, shopping experiences, and more surrounding the five stages, Riot Festival does what it can to make sure the attendees are comfortable and part of a grand adventure together. With the Riotland installation — featuring a marketplace, museum, carnival rides, NWA wrestling, the Hellzapoppin Freak Show, and more — this festival provides epic experiences you won’t find elsewhere.
Here are some Day 1 landscape and fan photos to enjoy.
Award-winning musician and writer Allison Russell has been bringing her unique blend of magic to the Newport Folk Festival for quite some time. She has performed there in bands and as a solo act now, and is absolutely thrilling to watch. Photographer Eric Tsurumoto grabbed some highlights from her set during Day 1, below.
The Dandy Warhols’ album release week swept New York City in March. With shows at Elsewhere, Gonzos, and Webster Hall, the Dandy Warhols introduced Rockmaker to the world. The Warhols’ Webster Hall show was epic, and is captured in the pictures below.
