KC Confidential.com

A moment of silence, please…

Kansas City Missouri Assistant City Manager Rich Noll, only 51 years of age, passed away Sunday from a massive brain aneurysm. A dedicated servant of the city for more than 20 years, Rich was taken without warning.

To every project that Rich touched, he brought energy, honesty and respect. His position as Assistant City Manager cast him as the gentle giant behind the scenes supporting any number of City Managers through the years. Continue reading

When’s the last time you had a martini while you were getting a manicure?

Could happen if you stroll into the the Midland by AMC’s stunning new Indie bar on Thursday August 26th for our new Martinis & Manicures night.

I’m serious…

We’ve teamed with our neighbor Zafar Salon and they handle the manicure portion of the festivities while we take care of the martinis. How cool is that?

So while you guys party like rock stars, the peeps at Zafar peeps pamper you like Lady Gaga and our bar staff will keep your glasses chilled and filled. Continue reading

Why is it as we get older – we get older?

When I was young and dumb, I had a great time abusing my body. So why do our bodies change as we age?

I’m pretty sure my parents took out the extended warranty. Continue reading

Okay sometimes I’m guilty…

I don’t always pay close attention, don’t connect the dots to align my universe.

Here’s my dilemma.

A couple of weeks back I was having lunch with my pal Kelly Urich, the afternoon drive DJ on GenX radio.  I know Kelly is a big time cyclist, so I decided to brag a little about my cycling prowess.  I have a road bike and I have set a goal of 167 miles per month.  No biggie, but when you multiply by 12 that comes out to 2,000 miles a year.

Sound impressive?

Well, dumbass that I am, I didn’t know Kelly was the lead organizer for the Tour de BBQ.   Continue reading

By now there are a lot of folks out there saying dang, shucks and a few more not-so-subtle Midwestern expletives after missing Lyle Lovett’s show Sunday at the Midland…

The show was fantastic, Lovett is a true showman.  His band was chocked full of all-star musicians and his professional road crew set it all up for concertgoers to enjoy with incredible ease.

Which brings us to the concert’s behind-the-scenes. Continue reading

Talk about worlds of fun…

Monday my wife and I set a course for Schlitterbahn to celebrate daughter Emily’s 10^th birthday.

My wife decided we needed to try something new for her since she was entering the age of the double digits.

And we were able to drag our six-year-old nephew Dillon along also.  Dillon was out of town for her group birthday party on Saturday and Emily wanted her cousin along to celebrate her birthday.  Dillon’s Mom gave him a choice; go to camp or the water park for a day.  The future Royals pitcher chose the slider.  He made the right choice.

Here’s the rundown… Continue reading

The long hot – and this year wet – summer is upon us…

Had enough?

Soakings at Starlight,  sunburns at Sandstone, charbroiling in the Crossroads. Time to beat a path to the great indoors where the weather’s always agreeable. Like the Midland by AMC - my place.

So what rocks your musical boat?

In July at the Midland we hosted concerts with Gaslight Anthem, Adam Lambert, Cinderella, Mint Condition and Thrice

We also had our first Global Dance Festival featuring Paul Van Dyk. We were close to having all 31 music flavors in one week alone.

But there is more on the horizon – a lot more. Continue reading

April is a most excellent month…

The trees are changing, grass is growing again and you know summer’s almost here.

And you start thinking about stuff you wanna do with family and friends during those three short, boiling hot months we all look so forward to.

Kansas City’s a great summer town. You can hit Kauffman Stadium and support the Royals, since you know Zach will be coming back.  Or head to CommunityAmerica Ballpark and catch the Wizards, who are off to a great season start.  The T-Bones - remember them? – open their season there in May, so sports fans can choose their ball size then head to the exact same place.

But hang with me a minute… Continue reading

I showed you mine, lemme have a gander at yours…

Now that I’ve  shared my nightmarishly ridiculous April Fools Day story from hell about Billy Joel, hows about sharing yours?  Lay it down in the Comments Section, then check back  to see if you win two tickets to wild and crazy guy Steve Martin April 22 at the Midland.

Oh yeah, you maybe wanna use your real email address so we can verify your ID for the ticket schmooze. Continue reading

I know there are a lot of people who joke, kid and tease all of the time…

I’m a funny guy, just ask me and I’ll tell you. I was upset when I did not get the prized “Class Clown” award in my high school yearbook.

And while I’m no longer the official court jester, I enjoy practical jokes and April Fools Day.

It is a day – a ridiculous day, at that – which has been celebrated worldwide for centuries.

And hey, I can appreciate a harmless practical joke any time of the year. You know, if it’s not at my expense and all.

There are lots of gullible people out there – I’m sure you can think of someone right now – but pulling an April Fools gag on a friend isn’t always in their best interest.

So it is that I become very suspicious on April first.

On April 1, 1994 when my family and I returned home from dining out the message light on our answering machine was blinking.  I was listening to the frantic message when the phone rang again.  I picked it up and the tour manager for Billy Joel said he was  glad to finally be speaking to me. Continue reading

We have had every type of music you can imagine at the Midland by AMC since our renovation in 2008…

In a single week the range of entertainers can cover an incredibly wide swath of musical styles. Most of which do not involve moshing. More on that later.

One that did:  Killswitch Engage.  The majority of the audience was young men and women in their late teens.  No sappy love songs here.

Killswitch Engage was all about power and energy cascading off the stage.  And the audience reacted in dance with a large mosh pit and more crowd surfing than we’d seen in a long time.

The night before we had The Elders.  Their vocals and instruments told the stories of the Irish coming to America searching for opportunity and grabbing it with all their might. No moshing there. Continue reading

The Big 12 Tournament is just around the corner…

There will be a ton people coming to the Kansas City area to enjoy the games in the Sprint Center.

My brother Steve and I think we should all pay a little more attention to our driving to insure these visitors have fun and are safe while traveling to and from downtown.

And there will be tailgating! But not just of the variety so well-established at Arrowhead Stadium.

We’re talking following too closely.

Some people do it full time and have no clue they are guilty. I mean they just drive in one lane fast as they can.

They have not learned the skill of changing lanes. Continue reading

Valentine’s Day was created by one of the card companies...  

Yes, I know there’s a real St Valentine, but work with me and we can plow through this together.

Valentine’s Day should be about more than flowers, candy, balloons and big ticket baubles. But if you happen to own a card shop, candy store or flower shop it is one of the biggest celebrations in sales you experience all year long probably, so congratulations!

Now that we agree Valentine’s Day has become a day for nonstop commercial hoopla, let me try to right the ship and share with you some thoughts on giving and taking throughout the year to grow closer to the one you love. Continue reading

We got 4g coverage on shows in the next two weeks…

So what are you looking for? The Midland by AMC has a show for you.

A hot looking super talented rocking violin player? Got it – David Garrett – October 20

Ask any woman when they see his picture – hot. And he plays as hot as he looks.

I’m secure in manhood – I can type that.

Want a Grammy award winning humorist? Got it – David Sedaris – October 21

You want to do something with the kids – get them out of the house and burn some energy?  Imagination Movers – October 22. You too could be a Juice Box Hero.

Of course you’re always a hero to your kids, right? That is unless you use the word no more than once in their lives.

Say you feel the need to dress up early for Halloween without being mugged or arrested.

The Rock 98.9 FM’s and Freaker’s Ball is totally what the party doctor ordered.

Got it – Freaker’s Ball – October 24? Be there as the Kill Switch is engaged Continue reading

Do people come to hear the band or see the band? That is the question…

For years as a concert touring lighting designer I argued with audio engineers about our craft.

I’ll admit, sound is not an easy task.  When the sound system has an earth wrenching squeal, everyone in the audience knows that the feedback is a mistake.

And in lighting, a single light can have a dramatic effect, and even a blackout can be art.

A lighting designer paints on a large canvas.

I actually started out mixing sound.  I got my first taste of being a front of house engineer in college.  It was a free concert in the college union at Fresno State.  During sound check the drummer in a reggae band stopped playing and came out front to listen as another member of the band continued stomping on the kick drum

“No man, I need more duff - duff ,” he told me.

I switched to lights the next day and never looked back. Continue reading