Kemper Arena

I had to give it one star because the city and the American Royal movers and shakers have decided it’s no longer the place to be.
We, the taxpayers, will always remember Kemper because it cost 22 million to build in 1974, another 23 million for the expansion in 1997, plus there were two livestock buildings added in the early 90’s at a cost of $ 33.4 million. Grand total spent on Kemper and other buildings: $ 78.4 million dollars. And now it’s going to be reduced to a pile of rubble.
Why doesn’t the American Royal move to Johnson County and let those taxpayers foot the bill for a change?

Kemper Arena is on borrowed time thanks to the new super shiny arena on the hill. But for me this was my first arena I was in as a kid when I went to see Tanya Tucker as part of the American Royal way back in the day. I’ve seen many events and concerts in Kemper, but my favorite memories were of the KC Blades and the KC Comets who made the place a lot of fun to be in.
Sadly today it’s considered to be a dump, and I expect to hear before long that it will be torn down. But while it still stands it’s still a good arena, and it gets a rock solid 3 stars. Thank you Kemper for many, many good memories!

Poor Kemper. It was once «the venue» I’m sure, but is now a white elephant in the will-​they or won’t-they West Bottoms neighborhood. Sprint has taken all, all, all of the first-​class business.
When I have been inside, for arena football games, it seemed nice enough. It’s location, location, location, and Kemper is just not in a vibrant part of town. Bad call.

Kemper Arena has decreased in popularity fast since the Sprint Center has risen, like a beacon, on the horizon. Before, good ol’ Kemper (built in the 1990s as an add-​on to the American Royal building) was the go-​to for large events in Kansas City. Now, it hosts an indoor soccer league, the annual American Royal BBQ competition, and the American Royal Rodeo and Horse Competition. All of these are great, fun events, but KC cannot have two profitable large event venues so close to one another. Kemper will continue to operate, but never at its former capacity.
As a venue, Kemper is your basic arena style event seating. It can host a basketball, hockey, or soccer game and has held many concerts and conferences over the years. I went to a concert at Kemper and I thought that parking lot was great for the size of the venue, we didn’t have a problem finding a spot. Although it can get easily crowded when it’s a large event, I think that finding your way around isn’t that difficult. The American Royal BBQ competition is a big deal in Kansas City, and it’s immensely popular. if you love BBQ, I would definitely check it out!