Amy's Blog

I listen to all kinds of music, and I’m not ashamed to tell people when I like a band even if it isn’t the most popular thing to say.  I also try not to judge others for their tastes in music.

Today is one of my favorite local musician’s birthday.  He is a well-known piano player in Kansas City.  I always use him and his music as examples when I explain my love for music to people and how I have to feel an emotional connection to the music for it to mean something to me.  The very first time that I heard him play piano, I felt it in my soul and I was hooked and I’ve been following him ever since.

Mark, my favorite Jazz piano player, and I at one of his gigs on my birthday 4-5 years ago.

This week was a whirlwind week of live music for me and although I’m utterly exhausted and ready to collapse, I loved every minute of it.

Last Saturday I headed out to a rooftop bar at the Legends

http://www.kc1021.com/event/dave-and-busters-summer-concert-series-odyssey-road-726-dave-busters/  (I know, right?) and saw my friend’s pop cover band, Hot Caution https://www.facebook.com/hotcaution/?fref=ts , come off of their hiatus to play upbeat tunes on a breezy summer night.  My favorite thing about this band, in addition to their wide repertoire of pop favorites spanning several decades, is their lead singer’s voice.  She just belts out the chords and I can feel her voice in my soul.  This band is a great group of Kansas City folks and their followers are always super friendly, so I made new friends which is always great!

The lead singer of Hot Caution at their gig at the rooftop bar at Dave and Busters at the Legends in Kansas City.

That same friend invited me to the debut show of a new project, Bloodletters https://www.facebook.com/bloodletterskc/?fref=ts, a rock band with a set of local Kansas City musicians.  They played the VIP stage at Starlight Theatre for the Weezer/Panic! at the Disco concert last Wednesday.  They sounded great and I’m really looking forward to seeing them develop and progress as a band.

I learned a valuable lesson at this show…never, never, never, attend a concert at Starlight in the summer without getting a VIP ticket. The VIP ticket gets you access to the air-conditioned lounge, with private  (clean) bathrooms, unlimited free ice water, two private (cash) bars, and an optional buffet dinner for purchase.  The lines to get in are almost nonexistent compared to the hundreds of people waiting in line for general admission access to the venue. I’m forever spoiled! It was 95 degrees outside, but I was able to literally chill out in the air conditioned lounge and watch the opening band on a nice video screen while hydrating in preparation for the headliner.  There is no way that I would have survived for 4+ hours in the Missouri summer heat and humidity.  LOVE the VIP lounge!

I also learned that I am WAY too old and don’t have nearly enough body piercings and tattoos  to go to a Panic! show.  But they were high energy and put on a good show.  This was my first time seeing Weezer live, and they did not disappoint! It is so great to see that they have such a strong following nearly 25 years into their career.

Panic! at the Disco and Weezer

I headed back out to Starlight on Friday evening for the Shinedown/Halestorm/Blackstone Cherry concert.  I’m surprised at the number of people who I’ve talked to this week who don’t know who Shinedown is.  My college boyfriend was in various rock bands and introduced me to them.  I LOVE them.  Their lead singer has a voice that really resonates with me.  Their rock ballads are very moving.  I had also seen Halestorm and Blackstone Cherry at Rockfest several years ago.  Shinedown was so amazing.  I don’t know what else to say, other than that I’m in love with Brent Smith, their lead singer.  It was crazy hot out, but taking ice water breaks in the VIP lounge made it bearable.  The bonus of the night was the band playing the VIP stage.  The summer rock camp kids from the Kansas City School of Rock played a set.  They were a great group of kids who were really great performers and I could tell that they were having a blast on stage.

Saturday night brought a first for me -I attended my very first rap concert.  Some friends and I went to the Rihanna concert back in March, and she does a lot of collobarating with Drake, this rapper from Toronto.  So, after going to that show, I started getting into Drake’s music and saw that his tour was making a stop at the Sprint Center in Kansas City.  I knew that I had to go. It was a very unique experience.  It was probably the only show I’ve been to (I have no idea how many shows I’ve been to since I graduated high school -100? Maybe more?) that was a true diverse crowd.  There were people from their teens on up to their 60s, black, white, gay, straight, small town, big city, suburbanites, and urbanites all there bonding over their love for this Canadian rapper.  The people watching at the Sprint Center was interesting to say the least.  I witnessed a dance off ala Save the Last Dance in one of the lower level sections.  And I saw two guys napping in their seats. I made some new friends and was exposed to a whole new genere of music that I had not experienced via live show.

Show number five tonight was the show of the week that I was most looking forward to.  Last year I got to go to South by Southwest in Austin for the very first time. https://amyguerich.com/2015/03/23/things-i-learned-at-sxsw-2015/  It was an item that had been on my bucket list for a while, which isn’t surprising considering how much I love live music and how much I travel to see shows.  I stumbled upon this folk/bluegrass duo, the Lowest Pair http://thelowestpair.com/ and got to see them play twice at SXSW.  I really felt a connection to their sound.  They are very talented songwriters and musicians.  And I’m a sucker for the banjo!  Since then I’ve followed them on social media, bought all of their albums, and I check their tour schedule every couple of months.  It worked out for me to drive up to Omaha to see them one weekend.  But today, they were in my home town!! It was so awesome.  They played a cool patio with a great vibe downtown.  I’ve been waiting for them to come to Kansas City so that everyone here will love them as much as I do! Traveling to see shows is a blast, but it is even better to have one of your favorite bands come to your hometown.

#NowPlaying The Lowest Pair Say Darlin Say from I Reckon I’m Fixin’ on Kickin Round to Pick a Little