Kansas concert

[Lefty]

I saw Kansas last night at a theater in Wichita, Ks. Phil played as good as ever. I was on the balcony, center stage and could see him play real good. The sound was good in that place also. The band was great. They played the music pretty close to the originals. I don't like it when they change the music very much. It was very emotional. Their music is just great. One thing I noticed about Phil that I don't understand is, a tech would rush a fresh pair of sticks out to him, quite often. Why didn't he just have sticks available on his kit? He must have had some up there in case a stick breaks, or one gets dropped. His drums looked like Yamaha RCs. I think he's been playing RCs for a long time. My kids got me the tickets for my birthday. It was a great present, my wife and I really enjoyed it.

[SpazApproved]

If I had the resources to swap out sticks as I play I would. Nothing worse then in the middle of a song breaking a stick. Yes I can grab another stick quickly, easily and usually without anyone noticing but I just hate it. If I could use a pair of sticks for a couple of songs and tell someone to bring me fresh ones I sure would!

[FlyByNight]

Nice! I wanted to see them but they're not coming here. Interesting about the sticks.

[dangermoney]

Awesome birthday present and yes, I agree, Kansas is surely a treat. What a band ... it's amazing how long they've been at it, over 40 years.

I first saw them back in '79 and then many more times since in arenas and clubs. The last time that I saw them I was able to stand right behind Phil's kit while he was playing; watching him play up close and personal with the band was one of the highlights of my life ...

[The_Epsicle]

Aw man! I stayed in Wichita last night and I would've loved to see Kansas, well the band anyway, the only bit of the State I saw was the turnpike...

[gdmoore28]

I think Ehart always used white Maple Customs, but the latest pics I've found have him playing a natural Recording Customs set. Were they using their new vocalist, Ronnie Platt? It's going to be hard hearing Kansas with any other vocalist than Steve Walsh. Throughout their myriad personnel changes over the years, Walsh's voice and Ehart's drumming were the two elements that always defined Kansas for me. I'll always attend their concerts because their music helped to define the virtuosic and artistic side of rock and roll, but the departure of Walsh is a real bummer.

GeeDeeEmm

[Ricardo]

I think Ehart always used white Maple Customs, but the latest pics I've found have him playing a natural Recording Customs set. Were they using their new vocalist, Ronnie Platt? It's going to be hard hearing Kansas with any other vocalist than Steve Walsh.

I think Williams and Ehart are the only originals left standing.

[dangermoney]

Throughout their myriad personnel changes over the years, Walsh's voice and Ehart's drumming were the two elements that always defined Kansas for me.

I agree that Walsh and Ehart were driving forces in the band, especially Ehart whose passion kept the band alive all of these years. For me, the original lineup best defines the band's sound: Williams, Ehart, Walsh, Steinhardt, and Livgren as this lineup created the Kansas sound and wrote the majority of their best work.

I saw Kansas in a St. Louis club back in the mid '90s when Ehart was not playing with the band - I believe that he may have been managing the band which he still does. If memory serves me right, Walsh and Williams were the only original members on stage that night. While I enjoyed the show, it didn't sound the same at all.

[Lefty]

gdmoore.
The new vocalist was great. He sounded a lot like Steve did back in the day. On the newest CD's I have with Steve singing, his voice is not as good as it use to be. I don't know why he's not with the band now though. The natural RC's is what Phil was using the other night. I've seen lots of pics. of him on a cherry stained RC kit. I remember he use to use Slingerland on the early stuff, and was with Ludwig for a short while. He's been with Yamaha for a long time now.

Dangermoney.
I didn't know there was a time when Phil wasn't on the drums. I know when Kerry, and Dave became Christians, Steve left the band for a couple of albums. Vinyl confessions, and Drastic Measures. Michael Gleason from Wichita played keys, and John Elefante was on vocals. After that Steve came back and several other players have come and gone. Steve Morse was with them for a while also on guitar.

The Epsicle
Sorry you were so close and missed it. The Orphium is a really cool old theater. It sounds good, at least where I was sitting. The turnpike is all that most people see of our state. There are some really cool things here, but they are separated by a lot of boring between them. The cover of their 1st album, is a picture of a mural hanging in our state capital building.

[kay-gee]

I don't much about Kansas except for the big radio hits. Great sounding band and nice harmonies.

all the best...

[dangermoney]

Dangermoney.
I didn't know there was a time when Phil wasn't on the drums. I know when Kerry, and Dave became Christians, Steve left the band for a couple of albums. Vinyl confessions, and Drastic Measures. Michael Gleason from Wichita played keys, and John Elefante was on vocals. After that Steve came back and several other players have come and gone. Steve Morse was with them for a while also on guitar.

Lefty, I seem to remember that there was a brief period during the early 90's shortly after he became manager that Phil decided to step off the kit and focus on managing the band because managing and playing was just too much for him to handle at the time. It wasn't very long though, perhaps one tour or so.

In the summer of '93 I saw the band in a medium sized club in St. Louis, they billed themselves as Kansas, and Phil was definitely not behind the kit.

[Lefty]

Lefty, I seem to remember that there was a brief period during the early 90's shortly after he became manager that Phil decided to step off the kit and focus on managing the band because managing and playing was just too much for him to handle at the time. It wasn't very long though, perhaps one tour or so.

In the summer of '93 I saw the band in a medium sized club in St. Louis, they billed themselves as Kansas, and Phil was definitely not behind the kit.

Wow. I didn't know that. There is probably a lot I don't know about the band. They sure have been influential on me though. I was a teen when their first album came out. I still have quite a few of their recordings on vinyl. Something like the first 6 LP's on vinyl, a few cassettes, and a few CD's. Definitely one of my favorite bands.

[dangermoney]

Wow. I didn't know that. There is probably a lot I don't know about the band. They sure have been influential on me though. I was a teen when their first album came out. I still have quite a few of their recordings on vinyl. Something like the first 6 LP's on vinyl, a few cassettes, and a few CD's. Definitely one of my favorite bands.

+1

Kansas is also one of my all time favorites and I too still have quite a few of their recordings preserved on vinyl. I never grow tired of listening to their songs, especially the ones from the original band's creative years. I have seen them many times over the years and I still rank Phil in the top ten list of my all time favorite drummers who have influenced me the most over the years.

[gdmoore28]

Has anybody else noticed how much better "Carry On" was recorded than the rest of their early works? That song remains today one of the best recorded songs in all of rock history, yet almost all of the early albums had a very bland, flat sound to them. Does anybody know the story behind this? Was "Carry On" recorded at a different studio? I much prefer listening to live versions of their early works rather than the lackluster sonic quality of the early albums.

GeeDeeEmm

[nubdrummer]

Kansas was the first concert I ever went to, back in 1978 at the Nassau Colosseum, with the classic lineup. Still one of the best concerts I've seen.

[dangermoney]

Has anybody else noticed how much better "Carry On" was recorded than the rest of their early works? That song remains today one of the best recorded songs in all of rock history, yet almost all of the early albums had a very bland, flat sound to them. Does anybody know the story behind this? Was "Carry On" recorded at a different studio? I much prefer listening to live versions of their early works rather than the lackluster sonic quality of the early albums.

GeeDeeEmm

I believe that the whole Leftoverture album was recorded at Studio in the Country in Bogalusa, Louisiana, not sure where it was mixed. I do know that Carry On was also released as a single and has since been remixed along with a lot of other classic rock favorites for radio airplay during the digital age. I seem to remember that the songs on the original vinyl album sounded pretty much the same but it has been a long time since I listened to the album.

[dangermoney]

Kansas was the first concert I ever went to, back in 1978 at the Nassau Colosseum, with the classic lineup. Still one of the best concerts I've seen.

The first time that I saw them was in '79 on their Monolith tour and like you, I rank that concert as one of the best that I've seen as well ...

[Lefty]

Has anybody else noticed how much better "Carry On" was recorded than the rest of their early works? That song remains today one of the best recorded songs in all of rock history, yet almost all of the early albums had a very bland, flat sound to them. Does anybody know the story behind this? Was "Carry On" recorded at a different studio? I much prefer listening to live versions of their early works rather than the lackluster sonic quality of the early albums.

GeeDeeEmm

I've never noticed a difference from song to song on the same album, but the albums do vary as all recordings do. I think they sound fine considering when they were recorded. They were as good as other rock recordings from that era.

[The Green Man]

Carry On does sound especially well recorded.