Hosting local acts and touring musicians, here are the top five indoor places your band needs to play in the greater Kansas City area
1. Memorial Hall- Memorial Hall takes first place for its combination of traditional small venue charm with the professional arena feel of larger venues. Big enough to boast a capacity sized crowd of 2,500 people, and a sizable stage with more than enough special effects and movement room for the artist, this venue has the size needed to give it a big-time feel. Yet despite this, Memorial Hall’s high vaulted ceilings and historical décor give it a local feel, along with the venue’s other aesthetic charms. If you like chandeliers and hardwood floors with your musical experience, Memorial Hall is the place for you. Memorial Hall has catered to some big names including Madonna, AC/DC and even Elvis Presley, but also hosts local acts and concerts regularly. If someone you know has played here, they have more or less hit the big time. Most local acts here open up for travelling national artists.
2. The Uptown- The Uptown is hard to pin down. Recently passed into the hands of new management, this venue is a popular destination for concerts. But while the Memorial Hall is basically only for big name bands, The Uptown is a venue for the people, by the people, and books local bands like Cherry Tree Parade and The Leo Project just as often as its books Rob Zombie or Bret Michaels. Opening its doors in 1928, The Uptown has been immensely popular for concerts, theater, opera, weddings and parties throughout its vibrant history. With amazing gilded-age architecture and maybe the best live sound on this list, The Uptown only barely comes in second, and any venue list for Kansas City would be remiss without it.
3. The Beaumont Club- Taking the third place spot by storm, the Beaumont is arguably the most popular music venue on this list. Chances are if you’ve been to a concert or two in the greater Kansas City area, you’ve been to the Beaumont. This club/bar can’t make up its mind what kind of venue it wants to be, and has at times in its history been a nightclub, a country music hub, and more recently a haven for artists playing in almost all genres. For sheer numbers of concerts and musical variety the Beaumont can’t be beat. For example a post-punk band like Atreyu might play on a Friday with a Kiss tribute band playing Saturday night and a singles techno club taking over on Sunday. A professional looking stage, great live sound, and two bars help give the recently remodeled club its aura of a gritty yet well loved live music destination. The mechanical bull is also still in place from the Beaumont’s country club days, and proves to be a draw for this Westport staple.
4. The Midland- Like the Uptown, the Midland has been alive with music and history since its opening as an opera and symphonic theater in 1927. With more room than Memorial Hall and comparable beaux-arts architecture to the Uptown and Union Station, the Midland has been renovated in recent years and is slowly regaining popularity as one of the premier indoor music venues in Kansas City. With a towering balcony housing ample seating and a large floor space with a great view of the stage, there is no bad seat or place to take in a concert. The Midland is another venue that attracts many genres of artists and even several comedians and other performers. If Bob Dylan and Yo Gabba Gabba have performed in the same space, it’s got to be good. Local bands can be booked here, but like Memorial Hall or the Uptown, it helps to know somebody important or be on good terms with a local radio station to get a show.
5. Crosstown Station- The best of the bar music scene in Kansas City, this small to midsize live music venue is known more for its drink specials than the bands that pass through it. Most of this downtown bar’s patrons are not here for the music. Yet despite this focus on reasonably priced adult beverages, the stage is decently large, the sound is passable, and the lights are above par. Your band needs to play the Crosstown Station to move on to bigger and better things, and this venue could be a lot worse. Look for local acts and smaller touring regional acts to play here primarily on the weekends.
