Kansas
Riverfest
Wichita, Kansas
May 8, 2009

By Jeb Wright

Set List: Magnum Opus | Howlin’ at the Moon | Musicatto | Belexis | Point of Know Return | On the Other Side | Hold On | Dust in the Wind | Song For America | Icarus: Borne on Wings of Steel | Down the Road | Portrait (He Knew)  

Encore: Fight Fire with Fire | Carry On Wayward Son 

Kansas was the climax of the opening day festivities for the Wichita River Festival, held every year in the Air Capital of the World.  The concert, costing only a five dollar Riverfest button, drew a huge crowd, who gathered together to rock out to their home state heros along the banks of the Arkansas River.   

The band took the stage at 8:45, just as darkness was beginning to creep into the blue sky.  Wichita had been ravaged with storms, on a daily basis, for three weeks prior to tonight’s show, the river’s water pushed to it’s edge and the ground refusing to soak up any more rain.  Luckily, for the capacity crowd, the gods were in agreement that the show must go on, as not one raindrop was coaxed from the few clouds that rested high above the city. 

Kansas began with “Magnum Opus” and “Howlin’ at the Moon,” which, of course meant the truly faithful fans looked upward, towards the full moon, and did their best impression of a wolf at song’s end.  The band then took a few minutes to show off as they blasted out the instrumental “Musicatto.”  Next up was “Belexis,” from the debut, self-titled album.  It may be 35 years down the road, but Kansas still plays “Belexis” with raw power and energy, interspersed with complex music passages and pounding drum beats, making this one of the best examples of the Kansas ‘sound.’  

Sing-a-long portion of the concert Part One followed, in the form of “Point of Know Return.”  “On the Other Side,” a much underrated tune from the group’s cannon followed.  The song, reminiscent of the oddly absent, “The Wall,” is mystical, lyrically, yet musically adventurous, as it swoons through many different facets of human emotion.  “Hold On” and “Dust in the Wind” provided Sing-a-long Moment II.  “Dust” was boosted from an anomalous breeze that began blowing vocalist Steve Walsh’s hair strongly backwards.  One could not have scripted a better live-in-concert moment.   

Billy Greer took time to thank the crowd for their support, adding that “Dust in the Wind,” “Put a lot of food on the table over the years.”  He then took the crowd back to 1974, and the title track to the band’s second album, “Song For America.”  This is perhaps the most perfect Kansas song ever written.  Walsh sings his ass off, as does Greer during his lead vocal portion of the song.  Musically, the tune is stunning and changes with musical passages ranging from sublime and flowing to powerful and stunning. While lengthy, the listener becomes spellbound at the virtuosity portrayed before them.      

“Down the Road,” a song from the same album, has found its way back into the set after many years of being absent.  Greer does a formidable job on lead vocals and the band seem refreshed by the songs addition.  Of interest was the reaction of Walsh during the song.  The enigmatic performer has long ago stopped his constant moving and shuffling of his feet throughout Kansas concerts, but as the band jammed on “Down the Road,” Walsh was clearly dancing and into the music.  

The main portion of the show ended with the ode to Albert Einstein, “Portrait” from Point of Know Return.   The crowd yelled for more, and it was not long before the band retook the stage.  Walsh greeted the crowd and announced that the band would play two more songs.  With that, Williams hit the F# opening note of “Fight Fire With Fire.”  With only one song to go, everyone at the show, and anywhere near the outreach of the amplified music blasting from the outdoor venue, knew that “Carry On Wayward Son” had been missing from the performance, and that the sound of the harmonic opening vocal was only moments away.  They were correct, and as soon as ‘no more’ was sung, Williams bashed out the opening guitar riff.  Sing-a-long Moment III was at hand.  The crowd, young and old alike, were glowing as they screamed out every word and grooved to every note.  Once the song was over, Kansas left the stage.  Wichita begged for more but it was not meant to be.   

Kansas prefer to let the music do the talking instead of relying on gimmicks or effects to overshadow their performance.  There was no fancy light show and, aside from one idiot crashing the stage and jumping around like a moron, there was no entertainment.  Instead, Kansas provided the thrill of performing their original blend of complex, yet inviting music.  One cannot help be spellbound watching Ehart make his drum kit his servant during daring musical passages, where one mistake would throw off the timing of the entire band.  Watching violinist David Ragsdale and Williams play tandem or harmonic leads, boggles the mind with much more power than a simple laser light show.  Walsh and Greer both send shivers with their vocal prowess, mixing thought provoking lyrics with emotional sensations.   

On this particular evening in South Central Kansas, the band didn’t fight fire with fire... they were the fire, as they pounded out a mixture of classic rock staples, deep album cuts and forgotten fan favorites, leaving a lasting impression on all who stood in their musical wake.