Just a few words about the Kansas/Styx tour taking place this summer. Greg Borek and I attended the concert at the Merriweather Post Pavilion in Columbia, Maryland on Sunday, June 2, 1996.

The first time we saw Kansas perform in concert was in 1980, during the Audio-Visions tour. That was the last tour to feature all the original members of the band. Sixteen years later Kansas is touring again, albeit with only three members of the original lineup.

Steve Walsh is the voice of Kansas. We missed him during his absence, and welcome him back. Steve still sounds great, and jumps around on stage during the songs as much now as in 1980, although his middle-age is obvious. One puzzling thing is why Steve dances with his back to the audience so much. It's hard to tell if he loves looking at drummer Phil Ehart, or if he's simply proud of his ass, and wants the audience to have a really good look at it.

Rich Williams remains Kansas' lead guitarist, although he apparently spent most of the intervening 16 years eating. A bear of a man in the first place, Williams has really porked out. If anyone who knows Rich personally reads this, please tell him about the Fen/Phen medical weight loss system that has worked so well for so many people (including this writer - see my review of the system). (Update from December 2003 - I'm now on the South Beach Diet - working well so far.) Despite the fact that Rich looks like he can barely reach his guitar, he still plays with joyful power. It would be a tragedy to lose him needlessly.

Drummer Phil Ehart has always provided the driving beat behind the magical Kansas songs. It's hard to tell how the years have treated Phil, since he spent the entire set hidden behind his drum set. Those drum sticks can still be seen to fly around with gusto, and the beat sounds great. Dare we ask for more?

Of the Kansas replacements, David Ragsdale is the most important. After all, what would Kansas be without the violin? David manages to sound hauntingly like Robbie Steinhardt. I can't imagine that playing rock violin is easy, so Ragsdale must just be that good.

Billy Greer replaces Dave Hope on bass and backing vocals. He also plays acoustic guitar on softer songs like "Dust In The Wind", filling in for part of the job once done by Kerry Livgren. Suffice it to say there is no deficiency in the bass department.

It has been said that a Kansas performance consists of "a blend of six separate performances." If the Kansas of 1996 has a weak link, it is Greg Robert, the keyboard player who replaced Kerry Livgren. In all fairness, Mr. Robert may have been having a bad night musically or technically, but he was most certainly not adding much to the blend on June 2nd.

Kerry Livgren is sorely missed. Along with Steve Walsh, Kerry formed the musical core of Kansas. Working together to produce such classics as "Questions Of My Childhood", "Portrait (He Knew)", "Closet Chronicles", and my all-time personal favorite, "The Wall", Steve and Kerry will always be remembered as a team. Alas, they have not performed together with Kansas since the Audio-Visions tour of 1980. Whatever the cause of this split, it is a great misfortune for Kansas fans everywhere. We can only hope that they find it in themselves and each other to get back together some day.

As to the actual performance, it had its ups and downs. Starting off with "I Can Fly" from Freaks Of Nature, surely the most un-musical song that Kansas has ever recorded, they went on to perform classics like "Song For America", "Lonely Wind", and "People Of The South Wind". The crowd was enthusiastic and responded early, shouting the question "How long?" back to the stage during "Point Of Know Return".

The good news was that Kansas only performed two songs from Freaks Of Nature ("Hope Once Again" being the second). Much of the set was comprised of songs from their two classic albums, Leftoverture and Point Of Know Return. The final encore was, of course, "Carry On Wayward Son", which really got the joint rockin' (and brought out the lighters in force).

As much as Kansas has changed over the years, Styx seems to remain the same. Whether these guys are just lucky, or whether they did a deal with the proprietor of the place their namesake river flows past, is anyone's guess. In any event, Styx is touring with their original crew, save for drummer John Panozzo.

The headliners in this pairing, Styx plays last, and makes use of more props, lights and other gimmicks. In Columbia they started off with "Rockin' The Paradise", complete with a flashy reproduction of the marquee from the cover of the Paradise Theater album.

As a group who hasn't recorded together (at least with this lineup) for over a decade, Styx was free to concentrate on their hits from the 1970s. So the procession of songs from Equinox, The Grand Illusion, and Pieces Of Eight was nearly uninterrupted.

Dennis DeYoung, the keyboard player and main songwriter for Styx, gave a little introductory talk for two of his best songs, "The Grand Illusion" and "Come Sail Away" (both from the 1977 Styx magnum opus, The Grand Illusion). Although "Come Sail Away" is the most well known Styx song, at least in North America, "The Grand Illusion" is at least as meaningful, especially at a time when so many people seem to believe that the world "owes them" the things they see on the television and movie screen. DeYoung himself observed, speaking of fame and fortune, "It's all just bullshit."

Kansas and Styx are two of the three rock groups whose music has most influenced my life (Boston being the third, since I know someone will ask). Seeing them perform now, when my life is going through some profound changes (not the least of which is the swift approach of middle age), was truly magical. If either or both of these groups held any meaning for you in your youth, my advice would be go see them this summer if you can. You won't regret it. (See them outdoors if possible, your ears will thank you for that.)

This schedule is copied from the back of the Kansas t-shirt I purchased at the concert on June 2, 1996. I presume it was accurate as of when the shirt was created. Obviously there are no guarantees. Check with ticket outlets in your area before making specific plans.

June

• 1 Columbus, OH.
• 2 Columbia, MD.
• 5 New York, NY.
• 7 Burgettstown, PA.
• 8 Camden, NJ.
• 9 Hartford, CT.
• 10 Saratoga Springs, NY.
• 14 Tinley Park, IL.
• 15 Clarkston, MI.
• 16 Buffalo, NY.
• 18 Portland, ME.
• 19 Hampton Beach, NH.
• 20 Mansfield, MA.
• 21 Fulton, NY.
• 22 Adrian, MI.
• 23 Hershey, PA.
• 27 Memphis, TN.
• 28 Knoxville, TN.
• 29 Antioch, TN.

July

• 2 Muskegon, MI.
• 3 Little Rock, AR.
• 4 Dallas, TX.
• 5 Woodlands, TX.
• 6 Biloxi, MS.
• 7 Cape Girardeau, MO.
• 9 West Palm Beach, FL.
• 11 Raleigh, NC.
• 12 Charlotte, NC.
• 13 Virginia Beach, VA.
• 14 Wantaugh, NY.
• 16 Holmdel, NJ.
• 17 Rochester, NY.
• 19 Cadott, WI.
• 23 Houston, TX.
• 24 Tulsa, OK.
• 25 Oklahoma City, OK.
• 26 Camdenton, MO.
• 27 Maryland Heights, MO.
• 28 Bonner Springs, KS.
• 31 Salina, KS.

August

• 1 Englewood, CO.
• 2 Orem, UT.
• 3 Las Vegas, NV.
• 4 San Diego, CA.
• 7 Reno, NV.
• 8 Paso Robles, CA.
• 10 Portland, OR.
• 11 Quincy, WA.
• 12 Pasco, WA.
• 14 Los Angeles, CA.
• 16 San Bernadino, CA.
• 17 Phoenix, AZ.
• 19 Concord, CA.

Author's Addendum (July 18, 1996):
This review has garnered more feedback than any piece I've written in my career (which spans only four years, but I'm still amazed). Apparently more folks are interested in classic rock than I imagined. I would like to publicly answer the main points that correspondents have raised in e-mail:

• Apparently Rich Williams, the lead guitarist for Kansas, is losing weight. This is excellent news!
• It was not my intention to denigrate the violin playing of David Ragsdale. The paragraph about Mr. Ragsdale still reads (to me) as a positive statement on his playing, which was intended. I love Robbie Steinhardt's playing, and basically equate Mr. Ragsdale's playing to Robbie's.
• No, I didn't care for Greg Robert's keyboard work on June 2nd. I did point out that what I heard may not represent the peak of his ability. One can only hope it doesn't. In any case his fans were most eloquent in his defense, especially the gentleman who pointed out that Mr. Robert's keyboards are always "turned way down" in the studio and stage mix. I'm no musician, but this doesn't sound like the most ringing testimonial for the man's contribution to the Kansas sound.
• For those who think that classic rock fans are "wasting our time" with "burned out artists" who are only "in it for the money" - why did you read this review in the first place? Allow those of us who find meaning in old time rock to have our fun. Save your pity for those people who haven't found any meaning in their lives. Sheesh!