Kid-rocker Jim ‘Mr. Stinky Feet’ Cosgrove and the Hiccups to play first-ever show for nothing but grown-ups

Jim ‘Mr. Stinky Feet’ Cosgrove. // photo courtesy the artist

For the last 25 years, Kansas City kid-rocker Jim “Mr. Stinky Feet” Cosgrove has been playing shows to young’uns the world over, with more than 4750 shows performed across North America and Europe. Add to that ten albums and three children’s books, to say nothing of his time as a parenting columnist for the Star, and Cosgrove has had a hand in the raising of several generations of kids.

For all of that, though, Cosgrove’s not yet performed the songs which have made him so well-known for an audience made up entirely of folks who can tie their own shoes. That all changes on Sunday, March 24, at the Aztec Shawnee Theater when Cosgrove and his band The Hiccups perform their first-ever grown-ups-only (18-and-over) concert for their “grown-up OG fans,” with proceeds benefitting Band of Angels, a 501c3 nonprofit “devoted to providing instruments, scholarships and all the support that children in need in the greater Kansas City Area require to succeed in music.”

“If you grew up with Mr. Stinky Feet, this show is for you,” said Cosgrove in a press release. “And we want the fans to create the set list. So, let us know what you want to hear.”

We were beyond excited to hear about this, and reached out to Jim Cosgrove via email to find out just how this all came together.

“For several years, my wife (and manager) Jeni has suggested doing a bar gig for my original fans who are now in their 20s and 30s — a full-on Mr. Stinky Feet show like they remember, but in an adult atmosphere,” wrote the musician when we asked what led him to put this show together. “We finally got around to making it happen.”

If it goes well, the Cosgroves would like to do it again in a different part of the city, he continues, explaining that it’s a way for them to say thank you to those who were there at the beginning.

Part of that is the fans being able to pick the songs, and Cosgrove’s fans can make requests by commenting on recent posts on Instagram and Facebook.

“We’ll likely do a ‘stump the band’ portion of the show to see if I can remember lyrics to some of the more obscure tracks,” Cosgrove explains, saying that he has somewhere near 130 published songs out there.

Other than a few surprises Cosgrove is keeping under his hat, expect him and the Hiccups to perform the songs as you remember them. There will be more origin stories and commentary on the songs, though, letting folks find out just where these beloved tunes came from.

When we ask Cosgrove if he expects a more or less rambunctious crowd when it’s 18+, he’s enthusiastic with his answer.

“I hope we get a rowdy crowd!” he replies. “We’ll be inviting people from the audience to come up on stage and perform with us – just like we do with the kinder set.”

Originally, this was a 21-and-over show, but Cosgrove and the band got some feedback from some 18-20 year-olds who felt left out. They talked to the management at the Aztec, who were cool with opening it up, and yes, there will still be a bar available for the over-21 crowd.

We concluded our interview with Jim Cosgrove by asking him what’s next after 25 years and nearly 5000 shows?

“I’m so grateful for this fabulous career, and I feel as strong as ever,” Cosgrove offers, saying they’re still riding the wave of the release of his 25th-anniversary album Scoops of Love which came out last year. He’s got a summer tour lined up, there are some new children’s books on the horizon, and he’s always writing new music. “We’ve got new fans born every day, so I’ll keep rockin’ as long as my body can take it.”

Jim Cosgrove and the Hiccups play an 18-and-over show at the Shawnee Aztec Theater on Sunday, March 24. Details and tickets available here.