03/22/24
HyVee Arena, Kansas City, MO
It was a cold, windy day in Kansas City, MO, but that didn’t stop fans from coming out for power ballads and gold ole rock n roll.
As photographer and contributing writer, my role is not to sugarcoat my review, but to give my honest opinion about a venue and the bands on the bill. I have both good and bad things to say about this concert bill. Some may agree with me, some may just troll me, and I may get the middle finger. But keep in mind this is my opinion, and I’m not happy that I must write my first-ever, not-so-stellar concert review.
HyVee Arena, formerly Kemper Arena, opened in 1974 and has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places since 2016. From the 70s through the early 2000s, Kemper was the place to go for any type of concert, sporting event, or even the PBR Rodeo and American Royal. There has not been a concert in this arena since the T-Mobile Center (formerly the Sprint Center) in 2007. There is a lot of history with the former arena operations. I believe this is the first concert here since 2007, but don’t quote me.
I went in with many memories to compare and contrast with, but the arena layout has changed, so I had to keep that in mind. The most significant change, and not for the good, was the acoustics of the building. There were substantial problems with sound, and it seemed to aggravate a few of the artists. Audio engineers could not find a sweet spot until way later in the night, then the sound tanked again. I left with a horrible headache caused by the feedback and extremely high decibels.
Secondly, this concert took place on the second floor, a floating floor, and you felt everything. I had to get myself together and get past the movement to do what I agreed to come here and do. If you know anything about Kansas City’s history and the Hyatt collapse, you know where my mind went.
Finally, was how far back the crowd was from the stage. Usually, the crowd is 10-15 feet from the stage, and a barricade protects the pit space. The crowd was probably 40 feet away tonight, and there was no barricade. What does this mean? From an artist’s standpoint, they can’t see you until lights shine on your head. The first three bands probably only saw the photographers because the light show was lacking until Warrant hit the stage.
Enough about the venue. On to the show!
Jack Russell’s Great White started the night off with a 30-minute set, and as Jack said, “If you missed the 80s, you fucking missed out”. Set aside the Great White debate; leave that at the door. Jack still has the vocals despite his health issues. He still gets up and rocks the night away. No excuses will be heard or given. Robby Lochner and Tony Montana never disappoint with their stage presence and exceptional spine-tingling guitar riffs. The two are a force to be reckoned with. Bassist Dan McNay and drummer Ken Mary complete the rest of the band lineup. The crowd was no doubt loving this set, and at times, the crowd sang the song because Jack’s vocals were not audible.
FireHouse came out blazing and burning up the stage. With CJ Snare out for a handful of dates, Nate Peck filled in on vocals and all I can say is, “WOWZAS!” Nate’s vocal range is just as impressive as CJ’s, and the kid can work a stage. While Nate is just a fill-in, he keeps it authentic to the band’s original sound. I am guilty of picking my jaw off the floor from shock and aw. Guitarist Bill Leverty and drum master Michael Foster, who have played together since 1984, prove that FireHouse is still authentic as the day the band was signed and that power ballads such as “Love of a Lifetime” still matter. CJ, many prayers and healing vibes are being sent your way.
Next to take the stage is one of rock’s heavy metal queens and shredders, Lita Ford. With all due respect, it pains me to put negative words here, but I was angry for her, and so were many others. It is like the sound tanked even more at this point. Feedback was horrendous, and you could tell it was throwing Lita off. I was ready for cuss words to start flying from the stage to the crew. I was angry and upset having been to recent Lita Ford concerts and knew it would be a killer set. Tonight was the first time I would review the band and take photos, and the sound just killed my enthusiasm. The monitors were too high, reverb became an issue, speakers were popping, and the sound kept fading in and out. Lita kept moving her mic stand to different spots to try and prevent the feedback.
But, with the negative out of the way, Kudos to Lita and her bandmates for not losing their cool. The band remained professional and kept playing. Can we have a redo, please? Thank you. Despite the sound issues, I stayed up front and grabbed photos, and everyone in attendance still got their rock on. Bobby Rock even treated KC to one helluva drum solo during “Can’t Catch Me.” Lita was front and center with “The Twins” (white BC Rich Warlock double neck guitar) and treated rockers to Alice Cooper’s “Only Women Bleed,” while Patrick Kennison supported with guitar and vocals. In 2022, bassist Marten Andersson joined Lita’s crew.
Headliner Warrant closed the show out with a 75-minute set. Sound issues continued, and at this point, I was beyond fed up. I shot the first three songs and left the photo pit, even though photographers were allowed to stay there. It was like this with all the bands, which rarely happens. Have you ever been to a concert where the light show was better than the sound? I hadn’t until tonight. The sound was too loud and not pleasing, even from the back of the house. I don’t know if the sound quality was caused by the sound bouncing every which way off the building architecture or if the audio engineers were just having an off night. My brain felt rattled, and my ears rang for hours afterward, even with hearing protection. Even at different times during the set it sounded as if the band was out of time and key with each other.
There is no sugarcoating or bullshitting my way through this review. I honestly would love a redo at a different venue for Kansas City. This concert bill has a killer lineup, and I feel that each band was robbed of a stellar performance because of all the sound issues. The bands did their best, and many fans stuck with it until the end.
