Kansas
10 Kansas City concerts you just have to see in January
Whether you’re fulfilling a New Year’s resolution to more fully engage with the arts in 2024 or simply trying to shake off the bleak midwinter blues, live music is almost always a fulfilling pursuit.
Knowing where to begin, however, can be challenging. We’re here to help with our monthly concert guide. As usual, our recommendations range from high-brow art music to raucous rock and roll.
The homegrown opera star Joyce DiDonato’s concerts with the Kansas City Symphony open our picks, followed up with the luminescent pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason, and WindSync, one of America’s leading chamber ensembles. They all make the month brighter for classical music enthusiasts.
Rock fans will be treated to performances by the storied troubadour Elvis Costello, a band led by Alabama native Jason Isbell and Kansas City’s beloved annual tribute to David Bowie.
A pair of ensembles from New York City, the Hot Sardines and the superlative party band Too Many Zooz, will heat up the Folly Theater and recordBar. A showcase by pop upstart Lyn Lapid and the praise-and-worship celebration Winter Jam round out our suggestions for kicking off a happy new year filled with rewarding music.
Joyce DiDonato: January 12-14
- When: 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 12; 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 13; and 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 14
- Where: Helzberg Hall, 1601 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri 64108
- Tickets: Starting at $39
Michael Stern, music director and conductor of The Kansas City Symphony, characterizes Joyce DiDonato as “one of the preeminent mezzo-sopranos of our time” ahead of the star’s forthcoming appearance with the Symphony at Helzberg Hall.
DiDonato became an international sensation after growing up in the Kansas City area. With an imagination no less extraordinary than her voice, DiDonato continues to expand the possibilities of operatic music.
The hometown hero will apply her instrument to classic works by Charles Ives and Gustav Mahler, as well as to Joel Thompson’s recent composition “The Places We Leave.”
Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit: January 18
Alysse Gafkjen
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Jason Isbell
- When: 8 p.m. Thursday, Jan. 18
- Where: Liberty Hall, 644 Massachusetts St., Lawrence, Kansas 66044
- Tickets: Starting at $71
The entertainment lineups at summer festivals are often the musical equivalent of buffet restaurants. Sampling a wide variety of flavors can be gratifying, but perfect main courses aren’t to be expected.
And though Jason Isbell and the 400 Unit were excellent as the top-billed act at the Boulevardia festival in Kansas City last summer, disruptive revelers and a condensed setlist disappointed some Isbell loyalists.
Neither limitation should be an issue at the sold-out Liberty Hall concert. Passionate aficionados will thrill to modern day Isbell classics like “Cover Me Up” without any distractions. It’s sure to be a lengthy night of literate root-rock.
Lyn Lapid: January 19
Nicole Hajjar
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Lyn Lapid
- When: 8 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 19
- Where: recordBar, 1520 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri 64108
- Tickets: $22
Lyn Lapid creates the sort of frothy pop that has propelled peers including Olivia Rodrigo to stardom. The 21-year-old Filipino American songwriter is on the precipice of similar fame.
The giddy “poster boy” and the wistful “do u really?” reflect Lapid’s commercial potential. She’s signed to Republic Records, the label that’s also home to blockbuster stars like Taylor Swift and Ariana Grande.
Having refined her sound and honed her style during several years as an increasingly prominent YouTube personality, Lapid should thrive onstage at recordBar.
Winter Jam: January 21
- When: 7 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 21
- Where: T-Mobile Center, 1407 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri 64106
- Tickets: $15 at the door
Evangelical tent revivals aren’t an antiquated aspect of America’s past. The old-fashioned Bible-based gatherings have made a successful transition into new-fangled arenas in the form of the annual Winter Jam tour.
A fast-paced mix of preaching, fundraising, and music, Winter Jam events in Kansas City are attended by youth groups from hundreds of area churches and individuals seeking spiritual solace.
Lecrae devotees will also squeeze into the T-Mobile Center. The Texas rapper is the conscience of the contemporary Christian music community. Lecrae calls out religious and social hypocrisy on songs like “Still in America.” Crowder and Katy Nichole are also part of Winter Jam’s expansive lineup.
Royal Philharmonic Orchestra: January 23
Robin Clewley
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Isata Kanneh-Mason
- When: 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 23
- Where: Helzberg Hall, 1601 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri 64108
- Tickets: Starting at $73
The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra performed on the 1981 K-Tel novelty smash “Hooked on Classics” and on the posthumous Elvis Presley album “If I Can Dream.” The storied institution is unapologetic about its crossover strategies.
The Orchestra proclaims it is “equally at home recording video game, film and television soundtracks and working with pop stars, as it is touring the world performing the great symphonic repertoire.”
The latter pursuit will be exhibited in a concert presented by the Harriman-Jewell Series. Vasily Petrenko will conduct the Orchestra and star British pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason in works by Claude Debussy, Sergei Prokofiev and Sergei Rachmaninoff.
Too Many Zooz: January 23
Shervin Lainez
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Too Many Zooz
- When: 8 p.m. on Tuesday, Jan. 23
- Where: recordBar, 1520 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri 64108
- Tickets: $23
Making an impression on the bustling streets of New York City isn’t easy, yet Too Many Zooz gained a following by busking on sidewalks and in subway stations.
Frenetic, fun-loving, and internet-savvy, the trio adds sprightly pop and infectious electronic dance music to its foundation in the New Orleans brass band tradition.
Too Many Zooz selections, such as a charming cover of Miley Cyrus’s recent hit “Flowers” and a delightful arrangement of the Gloria Gaynor anthem “I Will Survive,” are capable of inciting uncaged parties. Cloudchord opens the show.
The Band That Fell to Earth: January 25-27
Too Much Rock
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Band That Fell to Earth
- When: 8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25; 8:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 26; and 8:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27
- Where: recordBar, 1520 Grand Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri 64108
- Tickets: $50 on Thursday, and starting at $25 on Friday and Saturday
Kansas City audiences love cover bands, and few locally-staged tributes are more beloved than the annual homage to the late icon David Bowie.
More than a dozen of Kansas City’s most prominent musicians comprise The Band That Fell to Earth. Michelle Bacon on bass, Katy Guillen on guitar, vocalist Steve Tulipana and drummer Stephanie Williams are among the ensemble’s ringers.
The band invests interpretations of Bowie songs like “Golden Years” with admirable energy. This year’s tribute opens with an interpretation of Bowie’s 1971 album “Hunky Dory” on Thursday. Evenings of eclectic Bowie-mania follow on Friday and Saturday.
Elvis Costello & The Imposters: January 25
Mark Seliger
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Elvis Costello
- When: 8 p.m. on Thursday, Jan. 25
- Where: Uptown Theater, 3700 Broadway Blvd., Kansas City, Missouri 64111
- Tickets: Starting at $69
Elvis Costello’s gradual evolution from angry young man to genial elder statesman is documented in an astoundingly varied discography that includes 38 studio albums and six live recordings.
The 69-year-old has tackled punky new wave with “No Action,” classic country on “A Good Year for the Roses” and arty chamber music in “I Thought I’d Write to Juliet.” His collaborations with the Kansas City native Burt Bacharach are no less compelling — take “Toledo” for example.
Abetted by his veteran band the Imposters and guitar slinger Charlie Sexton, Costello is expected to offer an expansive career retrospective at the Uptown Theater.
The Hot Sardines: January 27
Shervin Lainez
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Hot Sardines
- When: 8 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 27
- Where: Folly Theater, 300 W. 12th St., Kansas City, Missouri 64105
- Tickets: Starting at $25
Gypsy jazz, the life-affirming music perfected by guitarist Django Reinhardt and violinist Stéphane Grappelli in 1930s France, has never gone out of style. The form is now more popular than ever.
The Hot Sardines are leaders of the current gypsy jazz renaissance. The New York group’s renown is reflected by its multiple bookings in the Folly Jazz Series.
Nostalgic seniors and younger fans are smitten with the Hot Sardines’ ebullient renderings of vintage material like “When I Get Low I Get High” and “I Wanna Be Like You.”
WindSync: January 28
- When: 2 p.m. on Sunday, Jan. 28
- Where: Polsky Theatre, 12345 College Blvd., Overland Park, Kansas 66210
- Tickets: Starting at $25
WindSync celebrates its 15th anniversary in 2024. The quintet of flutist Garrett Hudson, oboist Emily Tsai, clarinetist Graeme Steele Johnson, bassoonist Kara LaMoure and French horn specialist Anni Hochhalter has big plans for the year.
The Houston ensemble is slated to release an album recorded at the hallowed Studio Two at Abbey Road Studios in London.
Known for unusual instrumentation and performing its forward-thinking repertoire without sheet music, WindSync opens 2024 with an extensive tour of the United States.
Kansas
Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. killed in hit-and-run crash while riding his scooter
KSHB 41 reporter La’Nita Brooks covers stories providing solutions and offering discussions on topics of crime and violence. She also covers stories in the Northland. Share your story idea with La’Nita.
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Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. was killed in an early morning hit-and-run crash while riding his scooter March 21.
Kansas City barbecue pitmaster Arthur Lee Sr. killed in hit-and-run crash
Lee was turning left from Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Boulevard onto Eastwood Trafficway when a car ran a red light and hit him. A small memorial now grows at the intersection.
Chris Morrison
“Devastated. Everybody’s hurt, it was really unexpected,” his son Arthur Lee Jr. said. “I loved him to death. My dad was like my best friend.”
Lee was well known in the barbecue community, working as a pitmaster at Gates Bar-B-Q for the past eight years after spending two decades at Arthur Bryant’s Barbeque.
“He loved working at Gates,” Rose Qualls, Lee’s sister-in-law, said. “He was always making us slabs and turkey sandwiches.”
Chris Morrison
The morning of the incident, Lee was preparing to move into a new home with his wife and children, getting ready for a fresh start before a tragic end.
“He was really special, you know. He was one of a kind and everybody that he was around just loved him,” Qualls said. “It’s just a sad situation.”
Lee was 60 years old. His family said while his life was cut short, his flame will burn forever.
“My sister, she is really going through it, we all are,” Qualls said. “And I’m here for her, whatever she needs, when she need a shoulder to cry on, I’m here.”
Courtesy of Arthur Lee Jr.
The family is pleading for answers and for the driver, who fled the scene, to come forward.
“I would pray that they would have some type of compassion, some type of heart, possibly turn themselves in,” Lee Jr. said.
This story was reported on-air by a journalist and has been converted to this platform with the assistance of AI. Our editorial team verifies all reporting on all platforms for fairness and accuracy.
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WICHITA, KAN. – A Kansas man was sentenced to 120 months in prison for selling methamphetamine to an undercover police officer, according to the United State’s Attorney.
According to court documents, Wayne F. Fleming, 41, of Wichita pleaded guilty to one count of distribution of a controlled substance.
In May 2021, Fleming sold drugs multiple times to an undercover officer with the Wichita Police Department. Testing by the Sedgwick County Regional Forensic Science Center showed the total amount Fleming sold to the officer to be more than 200 grams of pure methamphetamine.
“Mr. Fleming was federally indicted in 2021, but before a plea agreement was reached, Mr. Fleming went to state prison to serve time for offenses unrelated to the federal case,” said U.S. Attorney Ryan A. Kriegshauser. “The Department of Justice doesn’t forget. Not long after his release from a state prison, Mr. Fleming is now an inmate in a federal prison.”
The Wichita Police Department investigated the case.
LEAVENWORTH, Kan. (KCTV) – A Kansas inmate will spend more time behind bars after a dispute over an extra slice of pizza turned physical.
Leavenworth County Attorney Todd Thompson announced on Wednesday, March 25, that Wyatt C. Parnell, 42, an inmate at Lansing Correctional Facility, was sentenced to 16 additional months.
Prosecutors indicated that the sentence is the result of an attempt to assault a corrections officer during a December 2019 dining hall confrontation.
What Happened
Court records noted that the incident happened around 6:30 p.m. on Dec. 26, 2019 – the day after Christmas – in the facility’s maximum-security dining room.
According to prosecutors, Parnell entered the dining hall, picked up a dinner tray and grabbed an extra slice of pizza from a separate tray.
A corrections officer repeatedly ordered him to put the tray down and leave the area; however, court documents revealed that Parnell refused.
When the officer moved to retrieve the tray and again ordered Parnell to leave, prosecutors said he yanked the tray away and threw it on the floor.
Parnell then tried to push past the officer to reach the serving line for another tray, according to court records.
The officer reported that they attempted to detain Parnell, but he resisted, leading to a physical fight.
The Charges & Sentence
Court records indicated that Parnell pleaded no contest to attempted aggravated battery. His new sentence will run consecutively – meaning it is added to the sentence he is already serving.
“Correctional facilities rely on order and compliance to maintain safety for both staff and inmates,” Thompson said. “This sentence reflects the seriousness of disregarding lawful commands and engaging in behavior that puts others at risk.”
Parnell’s Criminal History
Corrections records show that Parnell was already serving time for:
- Kidnapping
- Aggravated battery
- Two counts of criminal threat
Prison records also show a lengthy disciplinary history, including violations for:
- Contraband possession
- Fighting
- Threats
- Lewd acts
- Entering restricted areas
Copyright 2026 KCTV. All rights reserved.
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