The Kauffman Center Presents series has announced artists in a new season which features a lineup of world class performers ranging from legends of pop and country music to Rock and Roll Hall of Fame members. The annual series showcases a variety of events which deliver performances that complement the programming offered by partner arts organizations so that audiences, performance types, and even ticket prices are diverse at the Kauffman Center.
“The Kauffman Center Presents series features some of the most notable performers of our time, from a variety of genres,” said Paul Schofer, president and CEO of the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts. “We know our patrons are going to be excited about the entertainment opportunities we have planned for the remainder of 2017.”
Blondie & Garbage: The Rage and Rapture Tour
Tuesday, July 18, 2017 at 7 p.m.
Blondie & Garbage: The Rage and Rapture Tour brings two quintessential rock acts together. The members of punk/new wave band Blondie are undeniable pop icons, their sound and sensibility as fresh as when they first topped the charts in the late 1970s. Blondie’s brand of cross-genre rock has spawned hits including “Call Me,” “Rapture” and “Heart of Glass.” Garbage made a name in the mid-1990s with singles including “Only Happy When It Rains,” “Stupid Girl” and “#1 Crush.” Since the band’s self-titled debut in 1995, Garbage has crafted a blend of dark, industrial noise, sci-fi pop melodies and whirlwind guitar.
Mary Chapin Carpenter with special guest Sarah Jarosz
Wednesday, July 26, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
Five-time GRAMMY Award-winning singer-songwriter and Nashville Songwriters Hall of Fame inductee Mary Chapin Carpenter hits the road in 2017, performing songs from her expansive 14-album catalog and new songs from her latest record, The Things That We Are Made Of. Produced by 2016 Producer of the Year GRAMMY nominee Dave Cobb (Jason Isbell, Chris Stapleton), the album features 11 new songs written by Carpenter, and has received critical acclaim from NPR and Rolling Stone, among others. The Associated Press calls it, “. . . an evocative collection of songs,” while The Huffington Post declares, “. . . Carpenter is now at the height of her musical career, painting a compelling, relevant piece of art tinged with mixed feelings of grief and joy, all without preaching or darkening our minds with sadness.”
Sarah Jarosz took home this year’s GRAMMY awards for Best American Roots Performance and Best Folk Album. A gifted multi-instrumentalist, a singularly expressive vocalist and a songwriter of rare insight, Jarosz has been described by The New York Times as “one of acoustic music’s most promising young talents: a singer-songwriter and mandolin and banjo prodigy with the taste and poise to strike that rare balance of commercial and critical success.”
Herbie Hancock
Saturday, Aug. 12, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
Now in the sixth decade of his professional life, Herbie Hancock remains where he has always been: at the forefront of world culture, technology, business and music. As a member of the Miles Davis Quintet, which pioneered a groundbreaking sound in jazz, Hancock also developed new approaches on his own recordings. His work in the 1970s — with record-breaking albums such as Headhunters — combined electric jazz with funk and rock in an innovative style that continues to influence contemporary music. Rockit and Future Shock marked Hancock’s foray into electronic dance sounds; during the same period he also continued to work in an acoustic setting with V.S.O.P., which included ex-Miles Davis bandmates Wayne Shorter, Ron Carter and Tony Williams. In honor of his work, Hancock was awarded the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award in 2016.
YES featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman
Tuesday, Sept. 5, 2017 at 7:30 p.m.
YES, featuring Jon Anderson, Trevor Rabin and Rick Wakeman, bring their 2017 tour to Muriel Kauffman Theatre on Tuesday, Sept. 5. The progressive rock band YES was co-founded by Anderson and the late Chris Squire in 1968, and went on to sell millions of records with releases such as Fragile, Close to The Edge, Tales from Topographic Oceans, Going for the One and 90125. The band charted progressive rock and pop-rock hits through the 1970s and ’80s, with tracks including “Roundabout,” “Owner of a Lonely Heart” and “Cinema.” YES was inducted into the Rock and Roll Hall of Fame in April.
Several VIP packages are available for this performance, including Meet & Greet options.
Tickets for these and other events are available through the Kauffman Center Box Office at (816) 994-7222, on the Kauffman Center’s mobile app, or online at kauffmancenter.org.
The Kauffman Center Dining Experience will be available for pre-performance dining on each of these dates. A seasonal three-course dinner menu features fresh, local flavors. The Dining Experience also offers a small plates menu with lighter fare and a rotating selection of craft cocktails. For more information or to make a reservation, visit kauffmancenter.org/dining.
–Megan Felling
