The second annual Restart the MusiKC charity concert will be taking place tonight at the Country Club Christian Church on Ward Parkway, featuring a variety of local high school singers and bands. Tickets were on sale now in the cafeteria for $5 or for $10 at the door.
All proceeds will go to Restart KC, an organization helping homeless teens get back on their feet through counseling, sheltering and other services. A representative from the charity will be speaking at the beginning of the concert to bring awareness of homelessness in Kansas City, which is the sole purpose of the event.
This year, the singers come from East, Pembroke, Blue Valley West and multiple Blue Valley schools. Returning performers Gracie Beaham and Will Rowland of Pembroke High School will open the show. The concert will showcase East students like seniors Christian Kennedy, Reagan Flora and sophomore Iris Hyde.
“I’m really looking forward to seeing so many talented local musicians play live,” Hyde said. “Also, a lot of my friends have never seen me play live before, so I’m excited for that. I’ve been practicing a lot and had a show Sunday that I kind of used as a rehearsal for [tonight’s show].”
Restart KC is teaming up with SHARE to put on the event. This year, SHARE was responsible for decorating the venue, publicizing through flyers and social media and meeting with representatives from Country Club Christian Church to discuss the concert setup. According to project executive and senior Anna Harding, the church has taken on a greater role in planning this year, compared to last year when former executive Charlie Jensen took the lead.
Harding adds that throughout the entire preparation process, curating and securing musicians to perform in the show has been the most difficult obstacle in the planning process.
“We’ve had two instances where performers bailed and couldn’t do it anymore, so we had to find more people to back them up,” Harding said. “That was probably the hardest part of it, figuring out who’s gonna play when and for how long.”
To get the word out, project chairs created a Facebook page and Twitter account for the event. The SHARE executives are hoping this will help them see a large turnout this year, given that last year’s concert generated unexpectedly high attendance rates.
“I just think it’s a fun way to hang out with your friends but also benefit the community,” Harding said. “I’ve never been to a concert that benefits a homeless organization or any charity, so it’s cool.”
For exclusive videos, interviews, photos and coverage from last year’s Restart the MusiKC Concert, click here.