Sheryl Crow, a pile of funny guys named in 1st round of KC Big Slick celeb guests
This should make a lot of people happy: Sheryl Crow is coming back to perform for Big Slick Celebrity Weekend.
Two years ago, the nine-time Grammy winner and Missouri native lit up T-Mobile Center with three songs during the fundraiser for pediatric cancer research at Children’s Mercy Hospital.
This year’s 15th fundraiser takes place Friday and Saturday, May 31 and June 1. Crow will perform Saturday night at the Big Slick Party & Show at T-Mobile, organizers announced Friday.
And, because sometimes you wanna go where everybody knows your name, actor George Wendt — lovable barfly Norm on “Cheers” and uncle to Big Slick co-host Jason Sudeikis — will also appear.
More celebrity guests will be announced daily over the coming days in The Star, on Big Slick’s social media channels and its website, BigSlickKC.org.
Comedians Fortune Feimster (“The Mindy Project”) and Jeff Ross will also appear. Ross, known as the “Roastmaster General,” made news recently when he hosted the new Netflix roast of former New England Patriots quarterback Tom Brady.
At the roast Brady made a crack about Taylor Swift fans who cheer for the Kansas City Chiefs because she’s dating tight end Travis Kelce.
It remains to be seen if Brady will be invited to Big Slick, which is hosted by a group of celebrity superfans of the Chiefs: Sudeikis, Paul Rudd, Eric Stonestreet, Heidi Gardner Rob Riggle and David Koechner.
Organizers said Wendt will participate in a reunion of “Bill Swerski’s Superfans,” the “Saturday Night Live” skit whose characters famously cheer for “da Bears.”
Wendt, who grew up in Chicago and attended Rockhurst College, will appear with fellow superfan, comedian and Big Slick regular Robert Smigel (the voice of Triumph the Comic Insult Dog) and unnamed “special guests,” said organizers.
Comedian Mike Meyers and the late Chris Farley played the other Chicago superfans on “SNL.”
YouTuber Sean Evans, who hosts the popular “Hot Ones” show where celebrities test their ability to eat/survive hot sauces, will return to host another live version of his show on the T-Mobile stage.
The event’s biggest slate of celebrity guests last year helped Big Slick raise more than $3.5 million, a record. Kansas City Chiefs stars Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce appeared at the party.
To date, Big Slick has raised more than $20 million, helping to attract top medical and research talent by exposing a national audience to the work of the Children’s Mercy Research Institute.
Big Slick began in 2010 as a celebrity poker tournament and party hosted by Riggle, Rudd and Sudeikis. Stonestreet and Koechner became co-hosts in 2014; Gardner last year.
Now the weekend involves two core events:
▪ The Big Slick Celebrity Softball Game will be played on the main field at Kauffman Stadium on May 31 before the Royals play the San Diego Padres. Everyone with a Royals ticket can watch the softball game.
If purchased through the Big Slick website (or using this link: mlb.com/royals/tickets/specials/big-slick), a portion of ticket proceeds is donated.
▪ The Big Slick Party & Show. That includes comedians, musical performances and an auction for big-ticket prizes, which in past years have included red carpet movie premieres and an evening with Bill Self and Kansas basketball. Tickets starting at $75 are available at the Big Slick website or T-MobileCenter.com.
Donations can also be made directly to Children’s Mercy at BigSlickKC.org.
