Story and Photos by Andy Lyons, Editor-in-Chief
A change of scenery from the usual Sporting KC soccer games, Children’s Mercy Park was home to a variety of indie-rock last weekend as more than 15,000 people attended 96.5 The Buzz’ annual Buzz Beach Ball concert that featured two separate stages with more than 20 bands.
Day 1
The first day of Buzz Beach Ball started off a bit sluggish, with both the performers and concert-goers weighed down by blistering heat as temperatures reached the high 90s Saturday afternoon. It took KITTEN lead singer Chloe Chaidez bringing the show to get the crowd warmed up, and she did so in spectacular fashion.
Chaidez made it a point to be everywhere at the second stage. She ran and hopped all over the stage and made it into the crowd, surfing out several feet before standing on a fan’s shoulders and holding her microphone out so the crowd’s vocals could be heard over the PA. She never let up, smashing a guitar before the band’s set was over.
The performance was a welcome change from earlier in the day. While two local Kansas City bands, Brave the Spirit and Hembree, were both solid. It was the energy Chaidez put out that reminded fans they were at a live show.
While stages at either end of the stadium allowed the festival to have a back-to-back schedule, technical issues caused Bleachers to be delayed by more than 40 minutes. Organizers bounced the action back to the second stage, and Bleachers made up for it when Jack Antonoff and company hit the stage ready to reenergize the crowd.
Fitz and The Tantrums did the same, their soul-pop sound and solid performance keeping the tempo up for Violent Femmes and Cage the Elephant to bring the first day to an end.
Day 2
Despite the continued heat, Sunday’s crowds continued to swell as the day went on, with the first sizable crowd assembling for Eagles of Death Metal on the main stage, only to become even larger for Portugal. the Man. By the time CMN hit the press box for a bird’s-eye view for Glass Animals, the crowd had grown past the back sound stage with a few stragglers gathered near the beverage tent, a popular destination throughout the weekend.
The largest crowd of the entire weekend was saved for the finale act, Alabama Shakes, who still rocked the crowd even when offering multiple ballads in a row during the middle of their set.
Alabama Shakes brought the house down Sunday night, closing the main stage. Lead singer and guitarist Brittany Howard’s powerful voice, along with three backup singers, provided the anchor to the group as the bluesy set was well received. The 70-minute set was a primal display of the music, and the fans responded in kind singing through the volume of the stadium’s PA system.
Kansas City’s own Madisen Ward and the Mama Bear drew quite the crowd at the second stage. The folk-rock duo made up of Ward and his mother, Ruth, had a warm reception by the crowd who lent their vocals to hit song “Silent Movies,” one of the loudest moments of crowd participation from the entire weekend.
On the main stage, The Head and the Heart maintained the folky feel of the music with a deep lineup featuring extra percussion and all six members adding to the vocals. Again, the crowd seemed to know the group’s songs equally as well, singing along throughout the set.
The entire event was a stark contrast to many of the concerts typically attended by CMN. While there were some horns shown during Eagles of Death Metal and Portugal. the Man, the crowd never turned rowdy or did much more than jump around or sway side-to-side. In true beach fashion, concert-goers, dressed in outfits that ranged from trendy and tasteful to the remnants of an outfit clearly sacrificed to the scorching sun, brought blankets to save their spots or stayed to the side sitting cross-legged.
It was the first year Buzz has offered a Buzz Beach Ball Day Two, and from the response given to the station’s DJs when asked their opinion of a two-day event, KC may be again treated in 2017 to two days of summer music.
For more, visit 96.5 The Buzz’ website. To view CMN’s gallery on Facebook, click here.