Looking for Live Music in KC: Six of the City's Best Venues
There’s nothing quite like enjoying live music again. Here, Maddie McBratney rounds up some of the city’s top spots.
Kansas City has always had an incredibly rich and diverse arts scene, and that is apparent in our music industry. We are known as the city of jazz, with incredible spaces to listen to live jazz while eating five star food. Venues such as Green Lady Lounge and Majestic are well known among the city, but where does one go if they are looking for something a bit more energetic and youthful?
The Truman | 601 E Truman Road
Located on, you guessed it, Truman Road in downtown Kansas City, The Truman is an amazing space with a history as rich as Kansas City itself. The Truman used to be Sterling Bearing Company, a car parts manufacturer, before it was taken over by Marathon Live. Marathon Live brought in professionals from around the area to work to make sure this space had great acoustics for a show, while maintaining the history of the building. Some of the history can be seen in areas such as the flooring, where one can see where machinery used to be, as well as by the giant swing arm located in front of the main bar.
This venue is stand only, creating an environment with lots of energy, and lots of dancing! The stage is fairly large, and allows plenty of room for the artists to move around the stage. It is a bit longer and skinnier than a typical venue, which can make it harder to see for some of Kansas City’s more vertically challenged folks. However, the acoustics in this space are incredible, and the show can be heard well from anywhere in the venue.
The Truman has four bars within the venue, allowing for short wait lines for anyone 21 and up. Three bars are located along the main floor, with the fourth bar located in their loft space. Patrons can purchase premium tickets for seating areas, a private bar, and a birds eye view of both the show and the crowd. A beautiful setup for the events that they host as well, such as maker's fairs and weddings!
This space is quintessential Kansas City through not only its history, but their friendly and tight-knit staff. Talking to venue managers Sarah and Amanda was a delight and gave me an idea as to how much of a family the staff is there. They even mentioned that they have gotten close with some of their frequent visitors. Talk about midwestern hospitality!
The Rino | 314 Armour Road
Located a bit further north, on Armour Road, is The Rino. The Rino is connected to Cultivar, which includes a bar, a vegan restaurant called Dead Beet Eats, and a vegan ice cream shop called Sweet Emotion. The bar continues to serve during the show, and features a bar top with seating. Morgan and Josiah, who worked the bar during the show I attended, were some of the friendliest bartenders in town. The spaces are connected by a large doorway, so one can still watch the show from Cultivar.
The Rino is a smaller and more intimate venue than a traditional space for live music, but don’t let that fool you. The acoustics in the space are incredible and give off an amazing energy. The smaller size makes it easy to get a good view from just about anywhere in the space. The smaller size also allows them to host weekly open mic nights for both musicians and comedians. With good music, good food, and a friendly staff, this venue is definitely worth visiting.
Aztec Shawnee Theater | 11119 Johnson Drive
Moving a bit outside of the Kansas City metro area is the recently renovated Aztec Shawnee Theater. Aztec Shawnee Theater is located in Shawnee, Kansas, about ten miles south of downtown Kansas City. The theater dates back to as early as the late 1920s, where it operated primarily as a movie theater, showing both silent films and “talkies.” In the early 2000s Aztec Theater was bought by Chris Calkins, a long time resident of Shawnee, and was brought to life by Chris and his brother Jeff.
While attending a tribute band show for The Police, Chris was kind enough to show me around and explain some of the renovation process of the building. The building is still set up like a movie theater, with new seating purchased from Glenwood Theater. The lights that can be seen along the side of the theater, as well as the incredibly beautiful chandelier, are all authentic to the theater. Before entering the main event space, one can even buy popcorn at a traditional movie snack stand!
Chris mentioned that future plans for Aztec Shawnee Theater include the addition of screens and projectors so that they can start showing movies again. This venue is definitely a must visit for any local family looking for a nostalgic night.
Vinyl Renaissance and Audio | 9038 Metcalf Ave
An adorable record store and live music venue, Vinyl Renaissance has been around for about 20 years. Recently moved to 90th and Metcalf from their previous location in downtown Overland Park, the new space offers them about double the space of their previous location. Covered primarily with tables full of records, Vinyl Renaissance also has a medium sized stage, centrally located in the venue.
The space is one that feels welcoming and warm upon walking through the doors. This, combined with the smaller stage, allows for a lot of interaction between the audience and performer(s). Though it is standing only, the audience pictured above elected to sit on the floor while The Greeting Committee performed an acoustic set. The venue is much quieter and intimate than any of the spaces that I have been to. This made it a bit difficult to hear what the acoustics would be like with a louder group, though the audio quality was not lacking.
Having hosted The Greeting Committee multiple times, as well as my own band in high school, Vinyl Renaissance loves to show their support of local musicians. Aside from local artists, they have hosted groups such as Joywave, Hembree, and Dierks Bentley. Every show at Vinyl Renaissance is recorded and posted on their website so you will never miss a thing. It is, however, absolutely worth going and checking out in person.
recordBar | 1520 Grand Blvd
RecordBar is located on Grand Boulevard in downtown Kansas City, Missouri. It has a long standing history in the Kansas City music scene, and has helped many local artists get their start. They have hosted artists from Walk the Moon to Grandson.
The venue itself is probably one of the coolest that I’ve been to in Kansas City. When you walk in you’re greeted by a huge bar all along the left side, with plenty of seating from high tops to regular tables. Just above the bar is a loft area, though it was closed while I was there. Off to the right on the back wall is a fairly decent sized stage that featured three local groups while I was there: Meyadi, Redder Moon, and Monta at Odds.
The Bottleneck | 737 New Hampshire St, Lawrence KS
Located the furthest outside the Kansas City metro area is The Bottleneck, located in Lawrence, Kansas. It’s just about a 40 minute drive from the metro; not too bad considering how extremely worth checking out this space is. Being located in a college town, this venue probably had the most energy and the youthful vibe of any venue that I went to.
The venue is set up in an old factory, similar to The Truman. It has worn many hats throughout its life, from being a roller rink to a paper warehouse. The Bottleneck got its name from the various varieties of beer that has been sold there. Upon entering the venue, one has to step down a couple stairs from a deck-like floor that continues along the left side of the venue. There are two bars in the space: a larger one off to the right, and a small bar to the left of the stage. It is set up with the stage in the far right corner, with empty space in front to dance and watch the show. There are small wooden bleachers behind the main floor for individuals to stand or sit on.
The staff is incredibly friendly and interactive with their patrons. The security guard working that night actually helped me push through the crowd to get a bit closer to the stage and get some better shots. This venue is one that is incredibly unique, welcoming, and worth visiting.
