LOCAL

Topeka no stranger to big-time musicians

From the King to the Country Stampede, capital city has welcomed big-time performers before

Tim Hrenchir
threnchir@cjonline.com
Elvis Presley performed May 21, 1956, at what is now Topeka Performing Arts Center. Presley was the first of a number of high-profile musicians to entertain the capital city. [File photograph/The Associated Press

The stage is set for Jason Aldean, Clint Black and various other country music stars to appear in Topeka when the Country Stampede comes this month to Heartland Park.

But this won't be the first time the capital city has hosted big-time performers.

Elvis Presley, Bob Dylan, Cher, Aerosmith and KISS are among other musical powerhouses that have played Topeka.

Presley performed on May 21, 1956, at what is now Topeka Performing Arts Center. The Topeka Daily Capital reported security guards stayed close to the stage to ensure he didn't get mobbed by adoring female fans.

"But the guards were not needed," the newspaper reported. "The stage was too high and Presley was out of the building by a secret exit and into the Hotel Kansan before the youths caught on."

KISS, a band known for its elaborate live performances, appeared in concert on April 16, 1997, at the Expocentre as part of its "KISS Alive/Worldwide 96/97Tour."

Band members wore make-up during that tour, which came after a period in which they had gone without make-up.

The band's last song of their Topeka performance was "Rock and Roll All Nite," which had topped out at No. 12 on the Billboard singles chart in 1976.

Aerosmith kicked off its 18-month "Get a Grip" tour by performing on June 2, 1993, at the Kansas Expocentre's Landon Arena.

The band closed the concert by performing "Walk This Way," which had reached No. 10 on the Billboard singles chart in 1977.

Dylan appeared on April 21, 2001, at the Expocentre, performing for two hours. The show was part of "the Never Ending Tour," which is the popular name for his touring schedule since 1988.

Dylan ended his Topeka concert by performing "Rainy Day Women #12 & 35," one of his two biggest hits, which had reached number two on the Billboard popular singles charts in 1966. He had also reached No. 2 on the charts in 1965 with "Like a Rolling Stone."

Cher appeared on March 16, 2003, at the Expocentre as part of her "Living Proof: The Farewell Tour," which lasted from 2002 to 2005.

The Topeka Capital-Journal reported she performed on a 60-foot-by-48-foot stage, which needed to be that big "to hold all the spectacular set pieces and the on-stage entourage of Cher's finale tour, including a life-size elephant puppet the pop diva uses for one of her many entrances.

Cher ended the Topeka concert by performing "Believe," which had reached No. 1 on the Billboard charts in 1999.

Other notable musicians who performed in Topeka include Johnny Cash, George Strait, Garth Brooks, Rush, Kansas, Motley Crue, Alice Cooper, Carrie Underwood, Miranda Lambert, Little Big Town, Marilyn Manson and Eric Church.