Photo provided Chipster PR
From the outside looking in, it seems like there’s no end in sight for veteran rock band Kansas. Over the course of fifty years, the long-running act has survived numerous lineup changes, produced 16 studio albums between 1974 and 2020, and logged plenty of miles on tour for generations of fans worldwide.
And by all accounts, they still love being… Kansas.
“It’s a pleasure and an honor being in this band”, said lead singer Ronnie Platt proudly via a brief phone chat. “2024 is my tenth year with them, and at times it still seems surreal.”
He continued. “First and foremost, I’m a fan of Kansas. I’ve loved this band for years. I take a lot of pride in doing my best to do justice to such an iconic catalog of music.”
That “iconic catalog of music” includes several radio mainstays such as Point Of Know Return, Carry On Wayward Son, Dust In The Wind, and Play The Game Tonight to name a few.
The current incarnation of Kansas also includes original guitarist Rich Williams and drummer Phil Ehart, along with more recent members Tom Brislin on keyboards, violinist Joe Deninzon, and second guitarist Zak Rizvi.
However, Ehart will not be in the drummer’s seat for the upcoming show in Mesa on Fri. Sept. 27 at Mesa Arts Center. Filling in for Ehart (who suffered a heart attack earlier this year) will be his longtime drum tech Eric Holmquist.
It should also be noted that last week, longtime bassist Billy Greer departed from Kansas after 39 years. Bassist Dan McGowan of The Tea Club has just been confirmed as Kansas’ newest member.
I asked Platt about some of the bands and artists he grew up with, given that he “came of age” at a pivotal time in popular music history.
“Oh yes, I can’t tell you how lucky I am to have been a teenage music fan during the late 70s”, he said. “When I was growing up, bands like Journey, Foreigner, Styx and Boston were all over radio”, Platt happily recalled.
He added. “You also had (bands like) Van Halen, Bad Company, and The Police. There was literally something for everybody then.”
Of course, there was one other band among the aforementioned six from those glorious teen years of his. Care to guess which one?
“Of course, Kansas as well”. he said with a laugh. “I remember the first album I bought from them was Leftoverture. I was blown away by the diversity of it. This wasn’t just your average, basic rock. It was a combination of both quality songwriting and musicianship that I was drawn to.”
On the current tour, the band tries to cover as much musical ground as realistically possible— hits and deep cuts alike. As with many veteran artists on tour in 2024, coming up with a set list always gets more difficult over time.
Platt stated . “I have to say that I never get tired of singing Carry On Wayward Son, simply because it’s a song that everybody knows. As you know, there are some songs that we have to play— and rightly so by the way.”
Without hesitance, Platt quickly added: “Having said that, I also know that there’s a lot of hardcore Kansas fans who have grown up with our music who want to hear obscure songs. We throw in a few of them, and believe me, we love playing those too”, Platt assured.
I was curious if Platt ever got to see Kansas live in its prime during the 70s.
“Unfortunately, no I didn’t”, he said. “However, I did see them in the early 80s, I believe in 1983 on the Drastic Measures tour. If memory serves, I think Night Ranger opened the show— it was amazing”, he recalled.
To date, Platt has recorded two studio albums with Kansas: 2016’s The Prelude Implicit and 2020’s The Absence of Presence, respectively. Does he foresee more new music from the band in the not-too-distant future?
“Truthfully, I don’t see us ever stopping. I’m so proud of what we accomplished with Prelude and Absence. Overall, I think both records can be judged on their own merits, while sitting comfortably alongside the classic Kansas albums.”
“Right now, we still have shows booked through the end of 2024. But yes, I would love nothing more than to write a third record with this band”.
He concluded. “As long as everyone is happy and healthy, I see no reason for us to stop.”
IF YOU GO:
Kansas is scheduled to perform on Fri. Sept. 27 at Mesa Arts Center. At press time, a LIMITED amount of tickets remain for the show.
Ticket prices range from $50-$140 and can be purchased at mesaartscenter.com OR the Mesa Arts Center box office.
