An overflow crowd packed themselves in at Knuckleheads’ outdoor stage in what turned out to be a lucky Friday 13th for Kiefer Sutherland and his fans. Dark clouds that threatened to ruin the outdoor stage setting devolved into a few moments of light sprinkles before it turned into a perfectly balmy spring evening.
As famous as Sutherland is for his acting ventures, his music, his band and his songwriting seem to bring him an even greater pleasure. Sutherland was relaxed and gracious and totally in his element as a musician. He looked like he was loving everything about being at Knuckleheads, which may arguably one of the most unpretentious little roadhouses in the country. He must have thanked the fans at least a dozen times for showing up to be a part of the “Reckless” tour.
Sprinkling in just the right amount of anecdotes to introduce some of his own songs, Sutherland appears to be a man who wants to feel all the edges of life – and write about them, which clearly was connecting with the some 1,000 fans last night. While he commands plenty of energy on stage, he also allows himself moments of groove that is the private pleasure of musicians who enter the zone during a performance. And yet he often turned to the crowd and spread his arms, seeming to drink in the energy and love from them.
Somebody yelled out, “I love you!” and he quickly replied, pointing from the stage “I love you back!”
If you don’t believe him, then give him an Oscar – but I don’t think he was acting. The dude truly looked like he was having the time of his life hanging out with a bunch of regular people singing about regular stuff that goes on in any ordinary human life. And, some of that stuff is probably reckless. But, hey, at least we’re all in this together.
Knuckleheads was just the third stop in the Reckless tour, so if you are interested in grabbing a great show and some great merch and CDs, check out the tour dates for the one closest to you. You can also check Sutherland’s Facebook page at Kiefer Sutherland.
Upcoming Tour dates for Kiefer Sutherland “Reckless” tour:
April 14 Bourbon Theatre – Lincoln, Neb.
April 17 Bluebird Theatre – Denver, Colo.
April 18 Park City Live – Park City, Utah
April 20 Crystal Bay – Crown Room – Crystal Bay, Nev.
April 21 Fremont Theatre – San Luis Obispo, Calif.
April 22 Mystic Theatre – Petaluma, Calif.
April 24 Crystal Palace – Bakersfield, Calif.
April 26 Coach House – San Juan Capistrano, Calif.
April 27 Music Box – San Diego, Calif.
April 28 Red Rock Casino Resort – Las Vegas, Nev.
May 1 Cactus Theater – Lubbock, Texas
May 2 Antone’s – Austin, Texas
May 4 Billy Bob’s – Fort Worth, Texas
May 5 Island View Casino – Gulfport, Miss.
May 7 The Cowan (Topgolf) – Nashville, Tenn.
May 10 The Phoenix – Toronto, Ontario
May 20 Birchmere – Alexandria, Va.
May 23 Bottle & Cork – Dewey Beach, Del.
May 25 Stone Pony – Asbury Park, N.J.
May 26 Bethel Woods – Liberty, N.Y.
May 27 Daryl’s House – Pawling, N.Y.
May 28 Stephen’s Talkhouse – Long Island, N.Y.
June 7 Kantine – Cologne, Germany
June 8 TivoliVredenberg – Utrecht, Netherlands
June 9 Parkbuehne – Leipzig, Germany
June 10 Gruenspan – Hamburg, Germany
June 12 Columbia Theatre – Berlin
June 13 Hirsch – Nuermberg, Germany
June 14 X-Tra – Zurich
June 16 Teatro Barcelo – Madrid
June 17 Bikini – Barcelona, Spain
June 19 Zappa – Antwerp, Belgium
June 21 Electric Ballroom – London
June 22 Waterfront – Norwich, England
June 23 Black Deer Festival – East Sussex, England
June 25 O2 Academy Oxford – Oxford, England
June 26 Komedia – Bath, England
June 28 Albert Hall – Manchester, England
June 29 Queens Hall – Edinburgh, Scotland
June 30 The Academy – Dublin
It should not go without mention that two acts that opened for Sutherland for this event on Friday, April 13th at Knuckleheads were two of the most righteous, crowd-rousing performers a headliner could hope for – first Ian Moore, touring for his new EP “Toronto!” followed by Macon, GA singer-songwriter Rick Brantley. Between their two separate performances, they slathered the crowd with tasty tunes that came to a crescendo when Brantley insisted the crowd sing the chorus of “Just a Little Bit More” from his album “Hi-Fi”.
Brantley’s boyish smile and youthful good looks are coupled with stage confidence and enthusiasm as he coaxes the audience into his lair of his superb storytelling lyrics.
And no one can argue that Ian Moore isn’t willing to blur the lines of any music genre he feels like playing. From blues to rock to country, it becomes clear that Moore is one of the rare humans one could call a “true artist”: one who isn’t interested in categories but, rather, in following his own muses. You can waste time trying to fit him into a box or you can just come along with him and enjoy where he takes you.
So, Mr. Sutherland couldn’t have had a better lineup for his Friday 13th night in Kansas City. In fact, for the $25 ticket price, the only thing remotely shocking about it was that concert goers got a bloody bargain.
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