Squirrel Nut Zippers
Feb. 1, 7:30 pm
Kauffman Center, 1601 Broadway Blvd., KCMO
The Squirrel Nut Zippers have had around three dozen members since 1993, but the North Carolina band remains a champion of old-time genres from jazz to klezmer.
YBN Cordae
Feb. 1, 8 pm
The Granada, 1020 Massachusetts St., Lawrence
The hip-hop up-and-comer recently earned two Grammy nominations, which is no surprise once you listen to the confident Maryland MC’s acclaimed debut, The Lost Boy.
The Office! A Musical Parody
Feb. 4-9
Cohen Community Stagehouse at Starlight Theatre, 4600 Starlight Road, KCMO
This off-Broadway musical brings the irreverent, clever fun of your favorite binge watch to the stage, complete with songs like “That’s What She Said” and “We Have Fun Here.” Is there a Dundie for Best Musical?
Post Malone
Feb. 5, 8 pm
Sprint Center, 1407 Grand Blvd., KCMO
Rapper-singer-songwriter-rockstar Post Malone has only grown in popularity since his last Kansas City appearance as the headliner at the Flyover Festival in 2018.
Jeanine Cummins
Feb. 6, 7 pm
Unity Temple on the Plaza, 707 W. 47th St., KCMO
Jeanine Cummins’ new immigration novel, American Dirt, is one of the most anticipated literary releases of the year, having won praise from Stephen King and Ann Patchett and drawn seven-figure bids at an auction.
Miranda Lambert
Feb. 6
Sprint Center, 1407 Grand Blvd., KCMO
Miranda Lambert has become one of country music’s biggest stars by blending the playful (“Little Red Wagon”) with the personal (“Mama’s Broken Heart”), and she does so again on Wildcard.
Blood, Sweat & Tears
Feb. 6-May 24
Kemper Museum of Contemporary Art, 4420 Warwick Blvd., KCMO
The solo show from Oklahoma-born artist Summer Wheat features her eye-popping paintings created through her signature process of painting with aluminum mesh.
Jill Scott
Feb. 7, 8 pm
The Midland, 1228 Main St., KCMO
Not only did Who Is Jill Scott? turn its titular performer into an R&B torchbearer; it also made a soulful splash in the genre at the beginning of the century. Scott celebrates its anniversary twenty years later.
KC Brew Fest
Feb. 8, 1 pm
Union Station, 30 W. Pershing Road, KCMO
National brewing powerhouses like Firestone Walker and Jolly Pumpkin join notable locals like Casual Animal and Calibration at this festival inside Union Station.
Pepperland
Feb. 8, 7:30 pm
Kauffman Center, 1601 Broadway Blvd., KCMO
How to honor a landmark Beatles album: a dance choreographed by Mark Morris for the city of Liverpool to celebrate the semi-centennial of Sgt. Pepper’s Lonely Hearts Club Band, accompanied live.
Come From Away
Feb. 11-16
Music Hall, 301 W. 13th St., KCMO
When flights were diverted after the 9/11 terrorist attacks, some seven thousand passengers landed in the Canadian town of Gander, which welcomed them with open arms. The heartwarming 2017 Broadway musical Come From Away tells the stories of the bond that formed between locals and passengers.
The New Pornographers
Feb. 12, 8 pm
The Truman, 601 E. Truman Road, KCMO
In the Morse Code of Brake Lights returns the Vancouver rock collective to form: anthemic, full-power pop that demands to be heard — and sung along to — live.
Dustin Lynch
Feb. 14, 8 pm
The Midland, 1228 Main St., KCMO
It’s hard not to love a “Small Town Boy” like Dustin Lynch, the smooth-voiced country singer who makes catchy, poppy hits about girls, trucks on dirt roads and lively backwoods nights.
King Princess
Feb. 14, 8 pm
The Truman, 601 E. Truman Road, KCMO
Indie pop’s new royalty is a twenty-one-year-old genderqueer lesbian whom you can call King Princess. Her debut album Cheap Queen builds on the retro-inflected, balladeering pop of breakout single “1950”.
Damon Wayans
Feb. 14-16
ImprovKC, 7260 N.W. 87th St., KCMO
A sketch master who has the rare distinction of writing for both Saturday Night Live and Fox’s short-lived but influential competitor In Living Color, Damon Wayans will show over five standup sets.
Swan Lake
Feb. 14-23
Kauffman Center, 1601 Broadway Blvd., KCMO
It’s been just four years since the Kansas City Ballet performed Tchaikovsky’s Swan Lake, but they call it timeless for a reason.
Gordon Parks X Muhammad Ali
Feb. 14-July 5
Nelson-Atkins Museum of Art, 4525 Oak St., KCMO
Iconic Fort Scott photographer Gordon Parks shot boxer Muhammad Ali on two separate occasions for Life, during the period when Ali couldn’t fight after refusing to join the military. This exhibition features fifty-five photos, including some never published.
Kansas Vs Iowa State
Feb. 17, 8 pm
Allen Fieldhouse, 1651 Naismith Drive, Lawrence
When the Iowa State Cyclones stood between the Jayhawks and the Big 12 championship last spring, the birds got blown away.
Black History and the Vote
Feb. 19, 9 am
Rosedale Middle School, 3600 Springfield St., KCK.
KC has dozens of fascinating events on tap for Black History Month. With the 2020 election looming, of particular note is “Black History and the Vote.” The event is organized by Black Excellence KC, founded by Kiona Sinks (pictured). This issue includes stories about the Kansas City Monarchs (page 72), the twenties jazz scene (page 64) and the KC black community’s role in realigning national politics.
Jim Gaffigan
Feb. 20, 8 pm
Silverstein Eye Centers Arena, 19100 E. Valley View pkwy, Independence
Comedy’s biggest family man, Jim Gaffigan, tours after the release of his groundbreaking Amazon special, Quality Time.
Stacey Kent
Feb. 22, 8 pm
The Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th St., KCMO
The Folly Jazz Series continues with a performance by delicate vocalist Stacey Kent, who blends English and French but has no trouble translating emotion.
Saint Motel
Feb. 25, 8 pm
The Truman, 601 E. Truman Road, KCMO
Saint Motel’s upbeat arrangements foreground banging keyboards and copious horns. Live, they make for one of the most consistently fun rock performances.
Tennis
Feb. 25, 8 pm
Madrid Theatre, 3810 Main St., KCMO
The art-pop duo’s fifth album, Swimmer, will be fresh off the presses when Tennis plays the Madrid after its Valentine’s Day release. Expect a lush, synth-heavy night perfect for dancing.
Tig Notaro
Feb. 27, 7 pm
Uptown Theater, 3700 Broadway, KCMO
Tig Notaro has reached a comfortable stage in comedy, taking on projects that interest her like directing a short HBO series based on the podcast Two Dope Queens to joining Star Trek: Discovery.
Fabulously Funny Comedy Festival
Feb. 28, 8 pm
Music Hall, 301 W. 13th St., KCMO
After playing an accomplice to comedian Rudy Ray Moore in Dolemite Is My Name, Mike Epps proves his own as a comedian with a curated tour featuring Sommore and Gary Owen.
