Melissa Etheridge is bringing a free outdoor concert to Kansas City's riverfront Monday night, giving fans a rare chance to see the Grammy-winning rocker without paying concert-ticket prices. There is one catch: Even a free show requires advance registration.
The concert begins at 7:30 p.m. at Current Landing Town Center, next to CPKC Stadium, as part of the Current Sessions summer concert series. The Kansas City Star reports that the series runs through Aug. 18 and that Etheridge's appearance is intended to be family-friendly.
Registration, Parking And The Streetcar
KC Current Vice President of Communications Dani Welniak told the Star that Etheridge's set will be “intimate and short,” with no opening act. Free parking is available for Current Sessions experiences, but attendees still need to register ahead of time to get through the event's very-free-but-not-entirely-casual admission process.
Current Landing is the Kansas City Current's new waterfront district, anchored by CPKC Stadium and the Missouri River. The Kansas City Current says new public spaces, a reopened riverfront trail and improved pedestrian access are now in place, while the CPKC Stadium transportation guide says the Riverfront Streetcar stop is less than a five-minute walk from Current Landing and the stadium.
According to the Federal Reserve Bank of San Francisco, its report summarizes "Key findings from the VALI Study (the report is available on the NEA and Urban Institute websites)," indicating the broader VALI research that informs how cultural programming can affect public perception and use of urban spaces.
Etheridge brings a particularly strong Kansas connection to the event: She was born in Leavenworth and built a career around raspy rock anthems including “Come to My Window” and “Bring Me Some Water.” She is a two-time Grammy winner, with a Best Female Rock Vocal Performance Grammy for the 1992 song “Ain't It Heavy,” and later won an Academy Award for “I Need to Wake Up,” written for An Inconvenient Truth.
The show also fits Current Landing's larger ambition to function as more than a place people visit for soccer. With a major touring artist, a family-friendly setup and a riverfront backdrop, Monday's concert is an early test of whether the new district can pull Kansas City crowds even when there is no match happening next door.
