noah cyrus at sprint center
On October 27th, Noah Cyrus opened up for Katy Perry at Sprint Center in Kansas City. Here are a few photos from that set, which included original music as well as covers by Selena Gomez, Lady Gaga, and more!
katy perry sparks social commentary during performance in kansas city
In the 18 years I have been going to live shows, I have cried less than a handful of times. In fact, I can only remember twice that I’ve cried at shows. And they both happened relatively recently. (But I digress.) And I’ll admit, I’ve seen Katy Perry several times and she had yet to pull even a single tear from me. But on Friday, October 27th, there were waterworks instead of fireworks, and it made for the feel good musical moment of the year, quite frankly.
Katy took the stage to a large crowd in Kansas City at Sprint Center that night. She dazzled, of course, dripping in diamonds while she sang hit after hit. This time around, she took an 80’s spin to a lot of her tracks, pulling out all the stops in neon outfits and touting ginormous props around like it was no one’s business. She floated on planets amongst the crowd playing acoustic guitar and captivating us with a particularly heartbreaking version of “Thinking Of You”, told her mom during a personal call on speakerphone that – to her dad’s chagrin – she was going to play “I Kissed a Girl” again, and pulled out all the stops for her “California Girls”. Props and dancers supplemented the evening, making tracks off of Witness bigger and bolder than anticipated, leaving quite the mark both politically and spiritually. Katy is about harnessing your own power, and it’s thrilling to watch her inspire generations at her shows. The woman is an entertainer, and you never once question that during a performance.
But the most magical part of the night was when Katy called a random girl up from the audience to make a wish on a giant, glittering prop star. She chose the girl because of her neon orange sweatshirt. (And the fact that she was jumping up and down maniacally in her seat.) And, boy, did Katy’s intuition prove to be correct on that decision.
Zoe Black is twelve years old and – while your pre-teen is losing phone privileges and struggling to figure themselves out – her one big wish was that the kids at her sister’s high school would stop bullying her for her autism. That’s right. A twelve year old wished for that, on stage, in front of an arena full of people.
And we all lost our shit.
I was sitting in front of a row of teenagers, and I turned to them and just exclaimed, “I’m not crying, you’re crying!” And Katy teared up, holding on to Zoe for a few long moments before we all yelled “NO MORE BULLYING!” at the star. It was goosebump-inducing, and really put the night into perspective.
Below are a few photos from Katy’s set, with photos of her opener Noah Cyrus to come.
Learn more about autism and how to make a difference at autismspeaks.org.
andrew mcmahon + lo moon @ music alley
On September 29th, Andrew McMahon headlined an out of character stripped down show at Music Alley in Lenexa, KS following an all-too-brief set with Lo Moon. The night was absolutely gorgeous, the music the perfect backdrop to the sunset and subsequent starry night sky.
overcoats, yoke lore at recordBar
Last month, Yoke Lore and Overcoats impressed a pretty substantial crowd at recordBar during a moody, beautiful, warm evening in Kansas City. A full gallery can be found at PlaylistPlay.com, but we’ve got some more snapshots to share!
cherry glazerr, winter at recordbar
In September, Los Angeles-based band Winter opened for the ever-incredible Cherry Glazerr at recordBar in Kansas City. Their songs and words were slathered in empowerment, and we may have fallen in love.
Keep up with Cherry Glazerr here.
manchester orchestra, tigers jaw, foxing at terminal 5
On September 29th, Manchester Orchestra’s tour in support of their latest release, A Black Mile To The Surface, took over New York City’s Terminal 5. Establishing a wide fanbase throughout the years, Manchester fans had been waiting for this show since its first announcement.
Accordingly, the crowd arrived early, a beeline of people streaming into the front. Not only was this the perfect tactic to score the best seats for Manchester, but both Tigers Jaw and Foxing are well-known and beloved bands in their own right; most of the fans already loved all three and eagerly anticipated each performance.
Foxing kicked off the show with dim, moody lighting to set the tone. Singing out to the audience and moving about the entire length of the stage, singer Conor Murphy rounded out the set with a slightly darker depth that was absent within the other two. There were only cheers when he played the trumpet; the crowd was fixated.
Tigers Jaw amped up the energy as the lights snapped on. Jumping up and down to buoyant pop-rock, emo tunes off their latest release, Spin, Tigers Jaw was more than cheerful. They were truly happy to be there, and in turn, the audience responded. There was singing, dancing, and jumping; Tigers Jaw delivered.
Lastly, Manchester finished out the night. As they walked out to very little lighting, the crowd roared. And as the lights rose, so did the voices, an entire venue of approximately 3,000 people singing and screaming with emotion. Manchester’s performance was like no other; their enormous experience cultivated throughout the years was self-evident as they flawlessly sang and played. They lifted the audience up at some points and brought them down for others. It was a rollercoaster of a ride, one in which everyone excitedly leapt on and reluctantly got off at the end—and only because they had to.
sylvan esso, helado negro @ crossroads kc
On Tuesday, September 26th, Sylvan Esso and Helado Negro took on the first crisp autumn evening in Kansas City to play to an all too eager audience at Crossroads KC. Photographer Suzanne Corum-Rich was there to take it all in for us. Here are a few snapshots, though a full gallery is up on PlaylistPlay and do816.
Keep up with Sylvan Esso here.
andrew w.k. @ recordBar
On September 20th, Andrew W.K. blew the roof off recordBar in Kansas City, MO. If there were actual words to describe what happened at that show, we’d try. Within two songs, I was hip checked pretty hard and then had two drinks spilled on me. And I couldn’t even be angry, because the amount of positive energy that was rattling the room was too overbearing.
Check out a (small) selection of the photos we captured that day.
Check out the selections we nabbed for do816 below.
Keep up with Andrew W.K. here.
shells @ riot room
In late July, Shells unleashed a debut album unto the world. In celebration of its release, they performed on the patio stage at Kansas City’s Riot Room with support from local talent Jake Wells and Slowdive. The ethereal set added a breezy feel to the otherwise sweltering day. Here are a few photos from the event.
Keep up with Shells here.
