Kansas celebrate the 40th anniversary of the release of Point Of No Return and make their debut at The Chicago Theatre.
Those who got to see Kansas on their 40th anniversary tour for Leftoverture will be familiar with the format of this current celebratory tour. The show began with all of the band bar Phil Ehart seated at the front of the stage for the acoustic part of their set. Starting the show with “People of the South Wind,” the acoustic portion of the night also included the likes of “Hold On” and “Lonely Wind,” during which Ehart made a dramatic entrance as the crashing drums marked his arrival.
Moving away from the acoustic segment, it was time to kick the evening up a notch as they started the electric part of the set with “Cold Grey Morning.” Cramming in as many of their hits as they could, this plugged in section also included “Song For America” and “The Wall” amongst others. With seven band members on stage it was refreshing to see that the spotlight didn’t remain solely on the engaging frontman, Ronnie Platt. Each member of the band made their presence known, and were able to take their own individual moments during their medley of “Mysteries and Mayhem” and “Lamplight Symphony.”
A lot of other bands might have called it a night after the first two parts of the show, but Kansas were far from done. The final set of the night was the whole reason they were here in the first place – to celebrate the 40th anniversary of Point Of No Return by playing it in it’s entirety. This portion of the night was kicked off with the title track from this album, and went on to include staples such as “Paradox” and “Dust In The Wind.”
Of course there could only be one song held back for the encore, as they rounded out the two and a half hour show with “Carry On Wayward Son.” This was a night crammed with classic rock hits, exactly what you would come to expect from a Kansas show. Whilst Phil Ehart and Rich Williams are the only original founding members left in the current line-up, this was still every bit the Kansas show the fans have come to know and love. Ronnie worked the stage like he had been with the band from the beginning, whilst also knowing when to take a back seat and allowing the other members their moment. This was classic Kansas, and something that even the biggest of fans would appreciate.
It’s hard to believe that after a lengthy career such as theirs, that this was their first time performing in the iconic Chicago Theatre. Looking at the number of fans who turned out for this one, surely it won’t be the last. This tour has dates scheduled through until May 2019, giving you plenty of opportunity to get along to see it, so go check out the dates and join in the celebration.
Wow Kirstine, excellent photos you took at this show! Really enjoyed seeing them. We saw the Leftoverture tour in August and we’re not on the schedule for the Point of Know Return tour, but I sure wish we were. Thanks again for the great pics!
Thank you Anita!