May

31

Must See: Cowtown Ballroom… Sweet Jesus!

May 31, 2009 | Comments Off

cowtownballroom

This new documentary is a must-see for music lovers, local history fans, and aging hippies.  It’s centered on the short-lived Cowtown Ballroom, an early-1970s incarnation of the El Torreon Ballroom at 31st and Gillham in Union Hill. For a brief three years the Cowtown was an epicenter of Midwest music, hosting nationally syndicated live performances by acts like the Nitty Gritty Dirt Band, B.B. King, Frank Zappa, Alice Cooper, Steve Miller, Ozark Mountain Dare Devils, Van Morrison, and many more.

Beyond the music, the documentary is also a rare look into the hippy culture that thrived in KC during that time.  It’s hard to imagine now, but appareantly Volker Park (now Theis Park) in front of the Nelson-Atkins Museum was a free-for-all of sex, drugs, and rock-n-roll that drew the Patchouli-drenched masses from all over the Midwest.

Cowtown Ballroom… Sweet Jesus! is playing at the Tivoli in Westport through June 5th.

Categories: Arts/Entertainment, KC History, Midtown/Plaza


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