Kansas, the most successful rock band to originate from its namesake state, marks the 40th anniversary of Leftoverture by playing the hit 1976 album in its entirety on its current tour, which stops at in Kansas City on Saturday.
Three reasons we're listening to Kansas this week:
1. Kansas has always incorporated classical elements into its rock, making its appearance at the Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts less incongruous than it might seem.
2. Released last month, The Prelude Implicit is Kansas’ first album since 2000. Guitarist Rich Williams and drummer Phil Ehart are the only remaining members of the band’s original 1970s lineup, but the new vocalist, Ronnie Platt, sounds remarkably like the band’s former front man Steve Walsh.
3. The classic rock band from Topeka carries on.
Kansas, 7:30 p.m. Saturday, October 22, at Muriel Kauffman Theatre at the Kauffman Theatre for the Performing Arts, 1601 Broadway Blvd, Kansas City, Missouri, 64108; 816-994-7222.
Bill Brownlee’s writing appears weekly in The Kansas City Star and Ink magazine. He blogs about Kansas City’s jazz scene at Plastic Sax.
