Amazing Ameristar Casino Concerts are Headed for Star Pavilion in 2021
Our home away from home, Star Pavilion at Ameristar Casino in Kansas City, MO is making its return to live music with a load of amazing 2021 year-end concerts featuring a plethora of beloved ’80s bands and artists. A popular place for the nostalgic acts, we always look forward to the announcements and moments we get to spend there. Getting to see a variety of artists plus many that come back annually are just some of our favorite parts. Ameristar very often knows what shows we want to see even more so than we ourselves do. From pop to new wave and country to heavy metal, there is a little something for everyone there.
Springfield’s very own Southern rock group The Ozark Mountain Daredevils is set to perform in the first show of the year on the coveted Star Pavilion stage on August 21. Known for those early-’70s hits “If You Wanna Get to Heaven” and “Jackie Blue,” the band continues to play regionally and still features many of the original and classic members. Mickey Gilley and Johnny Lee are also scheduled to make their annual appearance. A true honor to witness, the country legends brought their “Urban Cowboy” reunion show to Ameristar in 2018 and again in 2019 to play the soundtrack hits from the 1981 movie plus a plethora of other. On August 27, they will ride again. The night includes three separate sets as Johnny Lee goes on first, followed by Gilley and then a tandem performance.
In September, regular acts Grand Funk Railroad and The Oak Ridge Boys are back in action on the 18th and 24th respectively. Led by original members Don Brewer (drums) and Mel Schacher (bass), GFRR delivers classics such as “We’re an American Band,” “Some Kind of Wonderful” and “The Loco-Motion.” They even include the biggest .38 Special hit “Second Chance” as frontman Max Carl is the voice of the tune from his earlier career. The country and gospel quartet will bring a load of chart-topping hits, including “Elvira,” “American Made,” “Love Song,” “Bobbie Sue” and many more. Former Eagles guitarist Don Felder will also appear on September 25 playing several of the band’s hits, including “Victim of Love,” “Hotel California,” “Take It Easy,” “Seven Bridges Road” and several others, as well as his very own “Heavy Metal (Takin’ a Ride).”
Hard rock band Slaughter will appear at the casino on October 1 with special guest Riley’s L.A. Guns. A product of the late-’80s, Mark Slaughter and band hit the charts with tunes in the early-’90s with “Up All Night,” “Fly to the Angels” and “Spend My Life.” Original bass player Dan Strum continues to play with the group plus original drummer Blas Elias just rejoined in 2019 after a 16 year absence. Drummer Steve Riley plus lead singer and guitarist Kelly Nickels lead this incarnation of L.A. Guns and will perform songs such as “The Ballad of Jayne,” “Never Enough” and “Electric Gypsy.”
Legendary funk and soul group The Commodores will grace the stage on November 6. The trio was originally scheduled to appear in May of 2020 right after the pandemic hit and shut down the live music. After a couple of new dates, we will finally see William King, Walter Orange and J.D. Nicholas perform those Motown classics such as “Easy,” “Lady (You Bring Me Up),” “Three Times a Lady,” “Night Shift” and “Brick House.” Led by original members Michael Wilton (guitar), Eddie Jackson (bass) and Scott Rockenfield (drums), pioneering progressive metal band Queensrÿche will make a trip back to Star Pavilion the following week on November 12. Their set will include songs like “Queen of the Reich,” “Eyes of a Stranger,” “Silent Lucidity” and “Jet City Woman.” Another week removed and Canadian rock band The Guess Who will perform led by original drummer Garry Peterson and renown artists Rudy Sarzo (bass) and Leonard Shaw (keyboards). Stemming back to the mid-’60s, the band’s tunes include “Shakin’ All Over,” “No Sugar Tonight,” “These Eyes” and “No Time.”
Country music superstar Travis Tritt will make his triumphant return on December 3. His concert at Ameristar in early 2018 sold out and featured a mixture of electric and acoustic songs. Fans can expect to here favorites such as “Country Club,” “I’m Gonna Be Somebody” and “Put Some Drive in Your Country.” Wrapping up the year is iconic pop artist Tony Orlando. He will bring along those Tony Orlando & Dawn hits from the ’70s such as “Candida,” “Knock Three Times,” “Tie a Yellow Ribbon Round the Oak Tree,” “Say, Has Anybody Seen My Sweet Baby Rose” and “He Don’t Love You (Like I Love You),” as well as a handful of covers.
Stay tuned here for all Ameristar Casino concert announcements and information, as well as coverage of all the exciting nostalgic performances happening there. Several amazing events are already booked for early 2022, including rescheduled live shows with Little River Band, Peter Noone, Dennis DeYoung and Crystal Gayle. Concerts are always on Fridays and Saturdays with an 8:30pm start time and no opening acts. There is not a bad seat in the house and it is one place where we absolutely love sitting at the very back. The ambiance, sound, lighting and staff all make it a top-notch and unforgettable experience.
