Man, this always happens. We have a little bit of calm, and then October comes in full force as the best concert month of the year. Clear all your weekends; you’ll be spending them here. If you’re REALLY into Halloween, there will be some costumed shenanigans for you all month long. Additionally, the Lawrence music scene is celebrating a major milestone with one of our venues, which means several shows stacked back-to-back, celebrating some of the rowdiest years of our life. Here are the biggest events of the month that you absolutely cannot miss.
Punk vs. Metal
The Bottleneck | October 6
Doom metal is having a hell of a year in Lawrence, and October is generally when all the metalheads come out and take over the venues (Happy Halloween, everyone!). So naturally, they’ve set up a friendly throwdown with the punk rockers in town.
Punk vs. Metal is a chance to showcase some of Lawrence’s finest in the two genres. The night will feature performances by The Soiled Doves, Iron Guts Kelly, Pit Hag, White Line Nightmares, Oxytoxin, and TheGutter Buds. This show is all ages (start ‘em young!) so expect a good mix of Lawrence music fans in attendance.
Bonus: If you don’t get your fill of metal, you can head back to The Bottleneck on October 21 for the Lawrence Metal Massacre, which also sports a HUGE lineup of local metal bands. There are a ton of bands listed on the flyer, but we can’t tell you who they are because READING METAL FONT IS HARD, OKAY?!
RIYL: throwing the horns and throwing down
The Cosmic Country Ball
Liberty Hall | October 13
Every now and then, a local band comes up with an idea that we hope becomes permanent. Unfit Wives has long wanted to throw honky-tonk shows where you can two-step, square-dance, and get down to country music. That dream is finally coming to fruition with the Cosmic Country Ball at Liberty Hall (which has a GREAT dance floor).
They’re recruiting a host of local roots music favorites for the event, including Weda Skirts, Kristin Hamilton & the Heat, The Beerbellies, and Damaris. We’re also promised special appearances by Patti Steel, Elexa Dawson, Carol Spears, and Lois Mead. What a lineup! Bluegrass and roots music tends to thrive in Lawrence, so we expect to see everyone out in their finest attire, ready to get down to these country crooners.
RIYL: Honky-tonk, doing the do-si-do, yeehaw stuff
Mac Sabbath
The Granada | October 14
This is Lawrence, and we like weird stuff. Not just a little weird, but like, a lot of weird. So it shouldn’t surprise ANYONE that the most sought-after show of the month is Mac Sabbath, the fast-food-themed Black Sabbath cover band. We don’t need to tell you anything more because that’s exactly what it is. There will be costumes and Ronald Osbourne at the mic. This is part of their “More Than Meats The Eye” tour, and they’ll be joined by Cybertronic Spree and Playboy Manbaby. We’re expecting plenty of puns and metal-themed fun. Because 1313 Mockingbird Lane is throwing this shindig, we know it’ll be tops (they knocked it out of the park with the Star Wars-themed show earlier this year featuring Galactic Empire).
Fun fact: if you’re REALLY into Ozzy you can head back to the Granada on October 20th for The Ozzy Experience.
RIYL: Uh, Black Sabbath and eating at McDonald’s.
Lacuna Coil
The Granada | October 19
We generally have this rule that if a band from overseas makes it to your town, you should go. So when we learned that Italian gothic metal band Lacuna Coil was stopping by The Granada this month as part of their “October Dawn” tour, we eagerly reserved our spot. They haven’t played live since the shutdown, so this will be one for the books, especially hot off their recent release “Never Dawn.”
Fear Factory and Lions at the Gate will be joining them on this tour.
RIYL: Theatre of Tragedy, Evanescence, Horned Wolf
Photo by Fally Afani
The Replay’s 30th Anniversary
Replay Lounge | October 20 – 22
The big story this month is obvious: The Replay is turning 30!! Have you seen how The Replay lives? It’s a damn miracle they made it to 30, we should all be celebrating!
In true Replay fashion, they’re going big in a small space, booking nonstop back-to-back shows the entire weekend. But if you look a little closer, you’ll see that the shows sort of fall into themes. For example, there was a time period when garage rock was big, so that’s the theme of one show. Another has bands from the Range Life Records era. They’re also pulling in bands that maybe don’t play out as much anymore for this event (holy crap, Baiowolf is playing!!), and the same applies to the patio, pulling past successful dance nights (#ASSJAMZ, anyone?).
Save your strength. We’re all going to be limping away from this. Be sure to congratulate your favorite rowdy dive bar on making it this far. It’s held together by blood, sweat, and tears… but mostly blood.
The rundown:
Photo by Fally Afani
October 20th, 6 PM show: Deadline Flat / The Roseline
October 20th, 10 PM show: Appleseed Cast / Muscle Worship / Greg Wheeler and the Polyamorous Mallcops / JC and the Nuns / Drugs and Attics
October 21st, 6 PM show: Suzannah Johanne / Luxem, Sauder, and Dixey
October 21st, 10 PM show: Mouthbreathers / Baiowolf / Young Bull / Psychic Heat / Approach
October 22nd, 6 PM show: Scroat Belly / The Frightened Stag
RIYL: SUPPORTING LOCAL MUSIC!!
Live Music Calendar
Concerts & Live Music
This is the place where Nirvana & Green Day played in a small, standing-room-only shack. This is the place where Janelle Monae packed in her hometown crowd. George Clinton has funked up our streets and we “fought the power” with...
