Calendar

WHERE YOU WANT TO BE IN FEBRUARY

February 02

GO: Country Jam Nights are Thursdays at Jerry’s Bait Shop (13412 Santa Fe Trail Drive, Lenexa). The twenty-year reunion of Jerry’s Wednesday rock jam night is February 2. 8 pm-midnight. No cover.

COUNTRY COUSIN

Jerry’s Bait Shop needed a new lure.

The classic Lenexa dive bar, which hosts live music five nights a week on a little corner stage by the door out to Santa Fe Trail Drive, was slow on Thursdays. The owner asked Mike Shields, a long-tenured bartender/bar manager, to toss out some ideas. Maybe poker or karaoke?

“I knew I didn’t want any part of a poker night or karaoke,” Shields says. “I’m not into country so much myself, though I do like some old-time Western swing music. But I looked around, and it’s weird to me that there are just no bars that have live country music.”

And so Jerry’s Bait Shop launched its Country Jam Night. It’s the only one of its kind in the metro area, and Shields says he hopes it’ll “bring back a piece of the area’s heritage.” On a recent Thursday night, the bar was packed, with the band playing a lot of country crossover fare like Steve Earle’s “Copperhead Road.”

“I put out my feelers with a lot of the musicians that come through on jam night,” Shields says. “There was enough interest that I almost immediately knew it was going to be a success.”

Rather than one band hosting the country night, with jammers joining, Shields set up a weekly rotation of three groups, including The Prospectors and Vigil Annie & Fast Times.

The Country Jam is a companion to the bar’s longtime Wednesday rock jam night, which will celebrate its two-decade run with a twenty-year reunion party on February 2. That night is such an institution that the current host, Brandon Miller, started playing Jerry’s jams when he was just thirteen years old. —MARTIN CIZMAR

February

WHAT YOU WANT TO DO THIS MONTH

01

Elton John

February 1, 8 pm

Elton John, the prince of piano rock, has been on his Farewell Yellow Brick Road tour since 2018. The usual setlist has twenty-six songs—you’ll know at least half of them by heart. February 1. 8 pm. T-Mobile Center.

Ms. Holmes & Ms. Watson

February 1–20

A world premiere, this production from Kansas City Repertory Theatre is a modern take on the characters developed by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. The play was written by Kate Hamill and will be directed by José Zayas. February 1-20. Times vary. Copaken Stage at 13th and Walnut in downtown KCMO.

Wale

February 2, 8 pm

In an era of mumble rap, Wale is perhaps the last holdover of the clubrap glory days. His September single, “Poke It Out,” borrows the hook from Q-Tip’s underrated “Vivrant Thing” and will have your head bobbing in a way no pill-popping sad boi with face tattoos ever will. February 2. 8 pm. Uptown Theater.

Indigo Hour

February 4, 5 pm

After taking a break for the month of January, the American Jazz Museum brings back its popular Indigo Hour in its venue, The Blue Room. The first show back will have two sets on Friday, February 4. February is Black History Month—look for more events in the Jazz District to be announced after our publication deadline. February 4. First show at 5 pm. The Blue Room at the American Jazz Museum, 1600 E 18th St., KCMO.

The Beach Boys

February 9, 7:30 pm

It’s billed as the Beach Boys, but it’s Mike Love and Bruce Johnston with nary a Wilson or Jardine to be found. While Mike didn’t write the band’s most memorable songs, he remains the best-preserved performer in the group thanks to his longtime commitment to vegetarianism and meditation. February 9. 7:30 pm. Kauffman Center.

Not Quite Fatal

February 1-15

A group show of seven artists whose practices include printmaking, sculpture, and drawing, Not Quite Fatal was curated by Chelsea Smith. The works address “place/displacement within the environment and the urgency of community care.” The show opened at the Charlotte Street Foundation’s new gallery (3333 Wyoming St., KCMO) in mid-January. Through February 15. Noon–5 pm Tuesday–Friday and 11 am–5 pm Saturday.

18

Eric Church

February 18, 8 pm

Country superstar Eric Church tends to focus on timeless American institutions in songs like “Springsteen” and “Talladega.” He’s also picked up the cannabis advocacy mantle from Willie Nelson. February 18. 8 pm. T-Mobile Center.

Ali: Fear Eats the Soul

February 16, 7 pm

Part of the “Bargain Bin Film School” series at Stray Cat microcinema (see page 28), this screening of prolific and influential West German director Rainer Werner Fassbinder’s masterpiece tells the story of an elderly German woman’s romance with a young Moroccan migrant in post-World War II Germany. February 16. 7 pm. Stray Cat Film Center, 1662 Broadway Boulevard, KCMO. 19 Tyler, The Creator February 19, 7 pm More than decade removed from launching his career as a teenage member of the L.A. hip-hop collective Odd Future, Tyler, The Creator has shed his horrorcore roots to become a reflective—dare we say emotional—artist with a Grammy award and Kylie Jenner video cameos. February 19. 7 pm. Cable Dahmer Arena.