Music Forecast 7.10-7.16: Paul McCartney, Lucero, Pat Benatar, Rick Springfield, Cloud Nothings, and more
Paul McCartney
Basically everyone has a Beatles story, even that one guy who insists that he has never really cared for the band. And for many on Wednesday, seeing one-fourth of the Fab Four at the Sprint Center is the fulfillment of a dream — one that was almost cruelly snatched away from local concertgoers. The 72-year-old Paul McCartney is recently back on schedule after postponing his tour due to an illness, and if the reviews from his 2013 run are any indication, the good knight knows how to put on a show. He would, wouldn’t he?
Wednesday, July 16, at Sprint Center (1407 Grand, 816-949-7000)
Lucero, Murder by Death
How do you take your alt country? Shaken, with a mystery shot and a long pour? Gently stirred with a tender hand? Or neat, like the serious listener you are? Between the rowdy barroom sing-alongs and back-porch ballads of Lucero and the contemplative orchestrations of Murder by Death, there’s bound to be something to whet your palate. It all goes down smooth on Tuesday at Crossroads KC, when two of the genre’s heavyweights share the bill.
Tuesday, July 15, Crossroads KC at Grinders (417 East 18th Street, 785-749-3434)
Cloud Nothings
If you didn’t get to see Cloud Nothings at the Riot Room back in April, the sun may be shining in your corner of the lot this week. The Cleveland band is back in town, riding waves of raves for its recent live shows. This is unsurprising, given Cloud Nothings’ latest full-length, the excellent Here and Nowhere Else. Throughout the album, 22-year-old lead singer Dylan Baldi smashes his grunge-era whine against frantic guitar work for an imperfect marriage of 1990s garage rock and postmodern malcontent. He’s unafraid to push abrasive growls and full-throated yelps on otherwise lovely hooks, and somehow, the mismatch makes for an entirely enjoyable ride. Opening for Cloud Nothings on Wednesday is Brighton, England, band the Wytches.
Wednesday, July 16, the Granada (1020 Massachusetts, Lawrence, 785-842-1390)
Trampled Under Foot
You’d be hard-pressed to find a more dedicated group of fans than a Trampled Under Foot crowd. For what it’s worth, TUF is just as invested in its legion of devotees. Live shows tend to evoke a churchlike effect, with the smiting vocals of Danielle Schnebelen lifting the TUF congregation to jubilant fits. And there’s no better place to see this homegrown talent live than at Knuckleheads, where the open-air stage lets electric-guitar sermons rise up into the night.
Saturday, July 12, Knuckleheads Saloon (2715 Rochester, 816-483-1456)
Young & Sick
It’s almost too easy to hate on Young & Sick, the stage name for Nick Van Hofwegen. The Netherlands-via-Los Angeles musician calls Y&S a “music and art project,” which sounds a little highfalutin from a man who has done cover art for Foster the People and Robin Thicke and T-shirts for Urban Outfitters. Most of Young & Sick’s songs sound like they were created almost entirely on a MacBook in some super-exclusive coffee shop where all the patrons look like they just stepped out of a J. Crew catalog. But despite all that, the self-titled debut album is a weirdly infectious mix of bubblegum synths and nouveau soul, with Van Hofwegen’s startling soprano stretched luxuriously over. Hard to say how that sound translates in a live setting — it could be more hipster nonsense (likely), or it could blow your mind. We’ll find out Tuesday.
Tuesday, July 15, the Riot Room (4048 Broadway, 816-442-8179)
Pat Benatar, Rick Springfield
It was 1983 when Pat Benatar proclaimed that we stand together, heartache to heartache. There is no part of “Love Is a Battlefield,” from the heavy electronic drumbeats to Benatar’s defiant singing, that is not pop gold. The same can be said for much of the original heartbreaker’s catalog, which you’ll be able to hear reproduced live on Wednesday. Bonus: Benatar’s guitar-god husband, Neil Giraldo, is along for the ride, and former Zoot member and “Jessie’s Girl” singer Rick Springfield is also on deck. If you were a teenager in the 1980s, this night is your night.
Wednesday, July 16, Starlight Theatre (4600 Starlight Rd., Swope Park, 816-363-7827)
