LANSDOWNE — More than five decades after Kansas first introduced its distinctive blend of progressive rock and memorable melodies, the legendary band is still drawing audiences together — sometimes across three generations — with music that has become part of the soundtrack of their lives.
And according to lead vocalist Ronnie Platt, the band is nowhere near ready to stop.
“It’s hard to put Kansas into one genre,” Platt said during a recent interview with the Daily Times. “You’re going to get everything from ‘Dust in the Wind’ to ‘Carry On Wayward Son.’ They couldn’t be two completely different songs, right? But that’s one thing audiences don’t anticipate: the diversity of our music.”
That diversity, combined with an energetic live performance and exceptional musicianship, will be on display when BRE Presents Kansas, making its debut at the Lansdowne Theater in Delaware County on Saturday, Nov. 14. The concert begins at 8 p.m., with doors opening at 7 p.m. The band will also perform Nov. 13 at the Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collingswood, N.J.
In a recent interview with The Daily Times, rocker Ronnie Platt, above, talked about the timeless music of KANSAS, and how it has continued to appeal to generation after generation. The group has no plans to slow down, he said. (COURTESY OF ROBERT FRANCIS)
Platt, who has been the band’s lead vocalist since 2014, describes the current lineup as an “all-star team of rock ‘n’ roll.”
“The guys in this band are just the best of the best players,” he said, pointing to guitarist Scott Bernard, who spent 18 years playing with Kenny Loggins, and keyboardist Tom Brislin, whose credits include touring with Meat Loaf, Debbie Harry and Yes.
But the band’s musicianship goes beyond impressive résumés. Platt said Kansas rehearses relentlessly, even after performing songs hundreds of times.
“It’s musical surgery,” he explained. “If someone heard something that might have been a little off the night before, before that next show, we’re drilling it. … This music is not simple music to play. It commands that kind of attention.”
Platt said the band is particularly proud of another distinction: What audiences hear is being created entirely onstage.
“When you come see us live, you’re hearing everything being produced right there on that stage,” Platt said. “We are playing with no backing tracks, no click tracks. Everything you hear, we’re manufacturing right then at that moment, which is rare these days.”
The singer’s story
For Platt, being part of Kansas is something of a dream come true.
A longtime fan, he had performed Kansas songs in his Chicago-area cover bands long before he became its lead singer. Before joining Kansas, Platt lived what he called a double life: musician at night and truck driver during the day. Performing, however, was always his passion.
When he learned that longtime vocalist Steve Walsh was retiring, Platt took a chance and contacted original guitarist Richard Williams through Facebook.
“Rich, This is Ronnie Platt from the band Shooting Star,” he simply wrote in a message to Williams. “Give me some consideration.”
Williams called Platt the following day. Platt spoke with original drummer Phil Ehart on Friday, flew to Atlanta on Monday to meet with the band, and was back driving his truck in Chicago the next day when he received an email from Ehart congratulating him on getting the job.
“It really happened in the course of five days,” Platt recalled.
Twelve years later, he still sounds amazed by the opportunity and how it happened.
“I’m still numb about it,” he said with a laugh. “I keep thinking I’m going to wake up one day and go, ‘Oh, I got to go to work driving my truck.’ ”
The connection he feels with audiences has only grown, through the past 12 years he has been with Kansas.
Platt remembers a performance in Montreal where the band played before Post Malone at a major festival. An estimated 30,000 people were watching when Kansas performed “Dust in the Wind.”
“Every single person in that audience was singing ‘Dust in the Wind’ with me,” he said. “Usually people will sing the first verse, and then it falls off and they’ll listen to the band. Not this show. These people sang every word with me. It sent a chill down your spine.”
Fans of all ages
He sees that same connection when performing the song “Carry On Wayward Son.”
“When we do ‘Wayward Son,’ I get to stand onstage and watch that entire audience turn 18 years old again,” he said.
It’s also a connection that increasingly includes younger fans.
Platt credits appearances in video games such as Guitar Hero, television programs such as “Supernatural,” movies and other popular culture outlets with introducing Kansas to new generations. “Carry On Wayward Son” is featured in the trailer for Season 3 of the hit Prime Video series “Reacher” and the band made a special guest appearance on the CW television program “Walker,” among other national shows and programs.
“I no longer consider Kansas classic rock,” he said. “I now consider the music of Kansas as timeless rock.”
He recalled looking out into an audience at a recent concert and spotting 15 to 20 teenagers, roughly ages 15 to 18, enthusiastically following every song, not simply waiting for the familiar radio hits.
“They were into every song,” he said. “You could just see them sitting on the edge of their seat, just absorbing every note we were playing and singing along. It made me feel so good.”
The music also carries powerful memories for longtime listeners. Platt understands that connection personally, describing how a song heard after decades can instantly transport someone back to a particular time and place.
“That’s the magic of music and the power of music,” he said. “You have that dormant space in your brain that’s holding all that information. Something like a song can trigger that and just bring you back into that moment.”
While the familiar hits remain essential to a Kansas concert, Platt hopes audiences will explore the band’s deeper catalog, too.
One song he’d particularly like fans to appreciate is “Song for America,” the nearly nine-minute title track from the band’s second album. He calls it one of the most difficult songs in the Kansas catalog, a showcase for the group’s intricate musicianship and progressive-rock roots.
Platt shared that he also enjoys the freedom to bring his own personality to the band’s established material. While he stays close to the familiar arrangement of “Dust in the Wind,” he said a song such as “Carry On Wayward Son,” especially as the show’s finale, allows the musicians to stretch out and have some fun.
Not retiring types
As for the future, Platt said another studio album is a strong possibility, with the band potentially heading into the studio next year. And despite more than 50 years of history, he doesn’t see a farewell tour on the horizon.
“The music is more powerful than the individual players,” Platt said. “What’s up front is the music and not the performer. That’s why you’re never going to hear from this band doing their final tour. This band is going to live forever.”
The original band members laid the foundation in Topeka, Kan., in the early 1970s. Since releasing a self-titled debut album in 1974, Kansas has sold more than 30 million albums worldwide, producing such enduring recordings as “Carry On Wayward Son,” “Dust in the Wind” and “Point of Know Return.” Its catalog includes 16 studio albums, five live albums and multiple platinum and gold recordings.
The current touring lineup includes Platt, keyboardist/vocalist Brislin, guitarists Bernard and Zak Rizvi, violinist/guitarist Joe Deninzon, bassist/vocalist Dan McGowan and original guitarist Richard Williams. Eric Holmquist performs on drums as Ehart continues recovering from a health issue. Williams and Ehart are not scheduled to appear at the Lansdowne performance.
For anyone who has never experienced a Kansas concert, Platt has a simple message — bring the family.
He has noticed grandparents introducing their children and grandchildren to the band’s music, something he jokingly calls “good parenting” — and “job security” for the band. And when he hears someone say after a show, “I wasn’t expecting it to be that good,” Platt considers it one of the greatest compliments.
For a band whose music has outlasted generations, the next generation of fans may be the best evidence that Kansas is still carrying on.
If you go
Kansas will perform Saturday, Nov. 14, at 8 p.m. at the Lansdowne Theater, 31 N. Lansdowne Ave., Lansdowne. Doors will open at 7 p.m.
Kansas will also be performing at Scottish Rite Auditorium in Collinswood, N.J. on Nov. 13. Tickets are available for both BRE Presents Kansas shows through www.etix.com/ticket or by calling 610-920-0200.
For more details and facts about Kansas, go to the band’s official website: www.kansasband.com.
For more information about the show and about Lansdowne Theater, go to www.lansdownetheater.org.