The Family Arena in STL Hosted Kenny Loggins on His “This Is It!” Tour
When 2023 commenced, Kenny Loggins was deemed as the No. 1 bucket list concert to cover. Unbeknownst, the legendary singer-songwriter and guitarist would soon announce his farewell tour. He historically has not made many stops in Kansas City, though we have seen him here in somewhat recent years. Loggins performed at Crown Center in August 2012 and most recently appeared at the then Sprint Center downtown as a part of the Night of the Proms show in June 2014 where he played a 5-song set. However, we were extremely fortunate that our I-70 counterpart scored a live date on his final trek.
Dubbed the “This Is It!” tour, Kenny Loggins took his retirement outing to The Family Arena in the St. Louis suburb of St. Charles, MO on August 17, 2023. Barring any additional legs, the stop was exactly the midway point of his 23-date route. Loggins stated that he would songs that he feels sum up the emotional story of his music—90% hits and 10% deeper cuts. Combined with his fun-filled stories—like how an extreme case of fate and coincidence allowed “Return to Pooh Corner” to get recorded—he took the audience on a sweet and sentimental journey spanning his entire career.
Loggins played a handful of songs that were very rarely part of his live shows, including “Keep the Fire,” “Heart to Heart” and “If You Believe.” The latter one along with “Conviction of the Heart”—both of which are from his “Leap of Faith” (1991) album—closed out the core part of the set and possibly stole the show. They most certainly inspired the thousands of fans on hand. Even the recordings have the capacity to move mountains, but hearing them live was completely transformational. Lyrics to “Conviction of the Heart” were thrown up on the video screen mid-song for the audience to sing along; an unprecedented soulful moment, which will last a lifetime.
Fans were quickly taken from heartfelt to hyper as Loggins hit us with the best encore in the business. Known as the “King of the Movie Soundtrack,” his first reprise featured those ever-energetic tunes from our favorite ’80s flicks. He had fans singing along and dancing in the aisles with “I’m Alright,” “Danger Zone” and “Footloose.” A whirl of emotions, he took us right back to heartfelt with his second reprise, a captivating performance of “Forever,” which he has regularly played as his last song of the night throughout the years. He started out solo on stage in low lighting before his incredible backing band joined him, thus raising the lights, picking up the tempo and taking ahold of us with another bout of affection. True to the song’s lyrics, Kenny Loggins, his music and this night are eternally in our hearts.
Kenny Loggins Setlist at The Family Arena in St. Charles, MO on August 17, 2023:
“Keep the Fire,” “Heart to Heart,” “This Is It,” “It’s About Time,” “What a Fool Believes,” “Whenever I Call You Friend,” “Return to Pooh Corner,” “Danny’s Song” (Loggins & Messina), “Celebrate Me Home,” “If You Believe” and “Conviction of the Heart”; Encore 1 – “I’m Alright,” “Danger Zone” and “Footloose”; Encore 2 – “Forever”
