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Meanwhile, on the other side of the state line and the other end of the blues-and-jazz equation lies the annual Jazz Lover's Pub Crawl on Thursday, June 27, at a variety of locations. Among the highlights: Duck Warner at Blayney's; Ice Cold at Kelly's; Greg Meise at McCoy's; Mama Ray at Harling's; Dave Stephens at Danny's; and plenty of other worthy artists playing at venues and restaurants with nonpossessive names (The Hurricane, Grand Emporium, Blue Room, New Point Grille). For a full list of participating clubs and performers, call 816-753-5277. The buses start rolling at 8 p.m.
Last but Not Least
Ashanti is a veritable superstar, with more singles on the chart simultaneously than any artist since the Beatles, but you wouldn't know it by her placement at Red, White and Boom, which detonates Saturday, June 29. Taking the stage at 3:25 p.m. and wrapping up at 3:45 without the benefit of a backing band, Ashanti will barely have enough time for even a hits medley before clearing the way for the infinitely less estimable Course of Nature. (O-Town, which is already so O-ver, gets to play at 5:20.) But Red, White and Boom has always been a great place to catch up-and-coming talent (Pink, Destiny's Child) suffering midafternoon indignities before ascending to headlining glory, so come feel Ashanti's pain before experiencing a supremely non-threatening bill that's equal parts Nickelodeon-friendly girl power (Michelle Branch, Vanessa Carlton) and VH-1 heavy rotation (Train) or Behind the Music fodder (Def Leppard). For grittier concertgoers who prefer much messier music, the Pretty Girls Make Graves (featuring ex-Murder City Devils) and Blood Brothers double-header at The Brick on Friday, June 28, makes for a gruesome twin killing.
