Aarik DanielsenColumbia Daily Tribune
Summer is time for so many delights, not least of which meeting your favorite musicians as they take to the road for sprawling tours.
In addition to the number of great shows coming to Columbia, household names and cherished indie acts will be packing up and taking their shows to Missouri. Here are just 23 of the tours worth catching in our state through August.
More: From Needtobreathe to The Steel Woods, these acts will play outdoor shows in Columbia
June 4: Noah Kahan at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre (St. Louis)
It's not "Stick Season" per se, but it is the right time to catch Kahan, one of our moment's most popular singer-songwriters. Ryan Beatty shares the bill. Tickets range from $310-$487.
June 9-10: Sarah McLachlan at Starlight Theatre (Kansas City), St. Louis Music Park (St. Louis area)
Celebrating 30 years of her luminous record "Fumbling Towards Ecstasy" —which houses signature songs like "Possession," "Hold On," "Good Enough" and "Ice Cream" —McLachlan will visit Missouri back-to-back nights. The wonderful Feist shares the bill. Tickets are $25.50-$105.50 in Kansas City, $36-$110 in St. Louis.
June 12: Jon Batiste at St. Louis Music Park
The Roots N Blues festival veteran, former Stephen Colbert bandleader, and Oscar- and Grammy-winning American treasure tours behind his "World Music Radio" album from last summer. Tickets range from $29-$125.
June 21: Janet Jackson at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
A pop and R&B legend with too many hits to name, Jackson's "Together Again" tour is, in a way, her own Eras run. One of St. Louis' favorite musical sons, Nelly, will share the bill. Tickets run from $47 to $212.
June 23: The Flaming Lips at Uptown Theater (Kansas City)
Do you realize ... the Lips never fail to put on a Technicolor, mind-bending rock 'n' roll show? Hear one of the Midwest's great weirdo bands whenever you can. Tickets are $49-$79.
June 26: Kurt Vile at The Pageant (St. Louis)
The great shaggy dog of indie rock, Philly-area native Kurt Vile has crafted some of the best guitar jams of the past 15 years. Emily Robb shares the bill. Tickets range from $32-$35.
June 27, 28: Lyle Lovett and His Large Band at The Factory (Chesterfield), Uptown
You can't ever go wrong with Lovett, whose hall-of-fame caliber catalog stretches from wry and spry country ramblers to some of the best ballads you'll ever hear. Tickets are $69-$149 in Chesterfield, $49-$135 in Kansas City.
July 6: Iron and Wine at The Pageant
"Light Verse," the latest record from Sam Beam's Iron and Wine project is gentle and strange and sublime, a re-articulation of Beam's place among our best living songwriters. The dynamic Amythyst Kiah shares the bill. Tickets are $37.50-$50.
July 10: The Baseball Project at Record Bar (Kansas City)
A midsummer classic? Perhaps so, when this baseball-themed band featuring members of R.E.M. (Peter Buck, Mike Mills), Dream Syndicate (Steve Wynn), The Minus 5 (Scott McCaughey) and Filthy Friends (Linda Pitmon) pays a visit to the home of the Royals. Tickets are $29.
July 23: Alanis Morissette, Joan Jett and the Blackhearts, Morgan Wade at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Dubbed the "Triple Moon" tour, this bill revolves around Morissette, whose work seems as relevant as ever, but packs in a Rock and Roll Hall of Famer in Jett and the serious talent of Wade. Tickets are $37-$299.
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July 26: Olivia Rodrigo at T-Mobile Center (Kansas City)
Rodrigo is set to performe her "Guts" out on the tour named for her 2023 record, which yielded such smashes as "Vampire" and "Get Him Back!" PinkPantheress shares the bill. Ticket prices TBA.
July 27: Santana and Counting Crows at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Good songs seem to be the connective tissue between guitar god Carlos Santana's outfit and the resilient Crows; Adam Duritz and Co. remain tender road warriors after all these years, delivering their work with a painter's touch. Tickets range from $44-$200.
July 30: Red Hot Chili Peppers at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Feel both California's heat and cool washing over you as the legendary funk-rock hitmakers push into their fifth decade of music. Otoboke Beaver shares the bill. Tickets run from $83-$506.
July 30: Future and Metro Boomin at T-Mobile Center
Future and Metro Boomin didn't start the fire exactly, but "Like That," their recent collaboration with Kendrick Lamar, reignited a 21st-century rap beef. The pair's not one, but two collaborative records in 2024 propel them into this tour, which will no doubt feature a dynamic survey of their work together. Tickets are $44-$194.
July 30-31: Phish at Chaifetz Arena (St. Louis)
Fresh off playing Las Vegas' spectacular Sphere, the beloved jam band will venture on into the summer, playing — what will no doubt be —two nights that can never be repeated. Tickets are $78-$269.
Aug. 8: Jason Isbell at The Factory
A frequent visitor to Missouri —and to festivals such as the former Roots N Blues — Isbell remains at the head of the current class of American songwriters. His most recent record, last year's "Weathervanes," contains a generous handful of canonical cuts.Powerhouse singer Shemekia Copeland shares the bill. Tickets range from $59-$99.
Aug. 9-10: Blink-182 at T-Mobile Center, Enterprise Center (St. Louis)
The re-formed punks are older and wiserbut, thankfully, no less funny or filthy. Blink excels at anthemic singalongs that bridge the gap between the serious and absurd. Pierce the Veil shares both bills; Hot Milk will also play St. Louis. Tickets range from $44-$250 in Kansas City, $35-$176 in St. Louis.
More: These 13 summer music festivals are within a day's drive of Columbia
Aug. 12: Childish Gambino at T-Mobile Center
Back on the musical tip —but for how long? —Donald Glover has promised new Childish Gambino albums that may just conclude the project. Which, of course, makes it a crucial time to hear the entertainment polymath perform his artful blend of pop, R&B and hip-hop. Pop phenom Willow Smith shares the bill. Tickets range from $99-$343.
Aug. 15: Green Day at Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre
Showing off its staying power, the Bay Area pop-punk legends will play through not one, but two landmark anniversary albums: "Dookie" and "American Idiot." Rancid and The Linda Lindas share a stacked bill. Tickets range from $102-$510.
Aug. 17-18: Ben Folds at Gillioz Theatre (Springfield), The Factory
Gen X's piano man has revived his Paper Airplane Request Tour, in which fans can do just that —send their requests floating through venue space to the remarkable musical craftsman. Tickets are $42.50to$122.50 in Springfield, $55-$115 in St. Louis.
Aug. 20-21: Zach Bryan at T-Mobile Center
One of the most significant names in country music today, Bryan tours behind, well, his name —the self-titled 2023 album that landed him on numerous year-end lists and earned him a Grammy for his duet with Kacey Musgraves. Levi Turner and Matt Maeson round out the bill. Tickets are $54-$320.
Aug. 23: Dierks Bentley at T-Mobile Center
Now something like an elder statesman of country, Bentley has been one of the genre's most consistent —and stylistically interesting —hitmakers for more than 20 years now. The Arizona native will bring Chase Rice and Tanner Usrey out to Missouri with him. Tickets range from $25.75 to $115.75.
Aug. 23: Waxahatchee at The Pageant
Now calling Kansas City home Waxahatchee leader Katie Crutchfield will play the other side of Interstate 70, touring behind "Tigers Blood," far and away one of the best records of 2024's first half. Terrific songwriter Tre Burt shares the bill. Tickets are $35-$50.
Aarik Danielsen is the features and culture editor for the Tribune. Contact him at adanielsen@columbiatribune.com or by calling 573-815-1731.He's on Twitter/X @aarikdanielsen.
