Music Forecast September 22-28
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Journey, with Foreigner and Night Ranger
Steve Perry, the legendary voice of Journey, hasn’t performed with the band since the mid-’90s. Guitarist Neal Schon is still around, but a Filipino named Arnel Pineda — who can sing in English but not speak it very well — currently serves as frontman. Foreigner, too, is a shell of its former self. Its only remaining original member is guitarist Mick Jones, who has missed a number of shows on this tour due to illness. Such a band technically would be called a tribute act. As if anybody gives a shit. Play the anthems and the power ballads, let the people pump their fists, and move along to the next city. It’s capitalism, baby. Supply and demand.
Wednesday, September 28, at Starlight Theatre (4600 Starlight Road in Swope Park, 816-363-7827)
Mac Lethal, with CES Cru, and Reggie B and the Solution
Mac Lethal has been somewhat scarce on local stages of late, having grown a not-insignificant fanbase outside his hometown. This show at Riot Room will be his only Kansas City show of the year. He’s joined by CES Cru, whose star might be on the rise — credible rumors have the white guy and black guy rap duo entering the fold of Strange Music, Tech N9ne’s powerhouse hip-hop label.
Saturday, September 24, at the Riot Room (4048 Broadway, 816-442-8179)
Dodos, with the Luyas
The Dodos are among a recent wave of indie-rock bands blending oddball percussion with prominent acoustic guitars. Guitarist Meric Long favors a frenetic fingerpicking style, and drummer Logan Kroeber tapes a tambourine to the bottom of his shoe for performances. Weave in looped electric guitars, vibraphones and other effects, and the result is something that sounds much bigger than the work of a duo. Montreal’s Luyas, an orchestral pop-rock act, open.
Sunday, September 25, at the Bottleneck (737 New Hampshire, in Lawrence, 785-841-5483)
Electric Six, with Drop a Grand and Kitten
Like Andrew W.K. and the Darkness, its mid-’00s contemporaries, Detroit’s Electric Six takes a hedonistic, high-energy, balls-grabbing approach to its songs. Its brand of dance rock — a fusion of funk, hair metal and garage — dovetails nicely with its lyrics, which usually are funny and address topics like gay bars, body shots, and Taco Bells that may or may not be on fire. Electric Six is one of those great bands where the joke is on you if you hate them.
Sunday, September 25, at RecordBar (1020 Westport Road, 816-753-5207)
All Star Rock Tour
Orleans (“Still the One”), David Pack (Ambrosia, “How Much I Feel”), and Robbie Dupree (“Steal Away”) have banded together to sing for their supper on the sadly named All Star Rock Tour. Along with John Cafferty (Eddie and the Cruisers) and Jimmy Hall (Wet Willie), the former stars play their various hits, sometimes performing together onstage. Meanwhile, cut-rate versions of Journey and Foreigner trot across the country playing to crowds of thousands. Is there no justice in this world?
Friday, September 23, at the Uptown Theater (3700 Broadway, 816-753-8665)
Deva Premal and Miten, with Manose
Sick of the scene? You’re not alone. We all get sick of the scene. Too many overly serious posers, not enough easygoing funny people. All that shameless self-promotion and ladder climbing. It’s disgusting. A suggestion for coping: Participate in an occasional musical experience that’s far removed from the rock clubs. The Stone Spirit Lodge brings Deva Premal and Miten (“the Johnny and June Carter Cash of sacred music,” says a publication called Yoga International) to town to perform their mantras — songs chanted in foreign languages such as Sanskrit, Tibetan and Nepali. Definitely a nice change of pace. Possibly an opportunity to gain the spiritual wisdom required to ignore other people’s conversations about moving to New York.
Wednesday, September 28, at Unity Temple on the Plaza (707 West 47th Street, 816-561-7900)
