By Andrew Bansal
August 6th 2016, Pershing Square, Los Angeles CA: What are we doing featuring a band like Kansas on Metal Assault, you might ask? The answer is quite simple: they began as one of the earliest perpetrators of progressive heavy music, and a lot of what we hear in prog rock/metal bands today is directly or indirectly influenced by what Kansas did in their early years. So, it’s often worthwhile witnessing a veteran band of this nature, to rediscover the roots of some of what we listen to and like today. And it helps when the show is free and open to the public. As part of this year’s Saturday night summer concert series on the outdoor Pershing Square Downtown Stage, right in the heart of DTLA, the prog luminaries played last Saturday August 6th 2016, to an all-ages crowd of several thousand. Building up to the September 2016 release of their 15th full-length studio album ‘The Prelude Implicit’, their first in 16 years, Kansas are currently in the midst of an extensive U.S. tour, and in Los Angeles, they pulled out all the stops to deliver a show to remember.
But before that, opening act Blitzen Trapper from Portland, Oregon took the stage for an hour-long set. The rock n’ roll quintet showcased excellent musicianship and were certainly enjoyable in small doses, but the set lacked variety and felt a bit too long for the audience as the wait for Kansas got more eager. A good number of attendees had brought foldable lawn chairs with them, so they relaxed and soaked in the cool summer breeze while this band played, and gave them a generous round of applause whenever they paused between songs. Definitely not a bad choice as an opener for a band like Kansas, Blitzen Trapper came across as yet another group from Portland, Oregon that upholds the city’s enviable reputation of producing world-class musicians.
At 9:30, Kansas hit the stage with their seven-piece setup, and went on to orchestrate a tremendously enjoyable musical exhibition which pleasantly surprised and overwhelmed the entire audience, as even their staunchest, most diehard fans probably did not expect a performance this great, by a band in the fifth decade of their career. Kansas opened for Cheap Trick at the Los Angeles County Fair in 2014 and generated mixed reviews, but on this occasion, the same people saw a completely different and significantly more powerful Kansas. Performance and set list aside, this may also have something to do with the size and shape of the stage and the sound system, where this Pershing Square Downtown Stage undoubtedly excels and is better than most if not all other outdoor settings in LA County.
Playing as many as six tunes off of the 1977 ‘Point Of Know Return’ album, Kansas turned back the clock and transcended Pershing Square to that time period, simply through the quality of the performance which did complete justice to each song and made the band sound as tight and precise as ever. This incarnation of Kansas features two original members Phil Ehart (drums) and Rich Williams (guitar), and altogether boasts of a group of masterful musicians, lead vocalist/keyboardist Ronnie Platt filling the shoes of original vocalist Steve Walsh to perfection. With the use of three guitarists, two keyboardists, a violinist and all players contributing vocals, this was a richly layered 90-minute slab of quintessential classic prog rock, and the audience loved every minute of it as they got treated to a copious dosage of vocal and instrumental harmonies, solos, trade-offs and wild proggy shifts in tempo. Besides songs off of the ’77 classic, Kansas also mentioned that this year they’re celebrating the 40th anniversary of the 1976 release ‘Leftoverture’, and even though their biggest hit is indeed on this album, the song ‘Miracles Out Of Nowhere’ was the best selection from it, and one of the highlights of the entire set.Tunes like ‘Play The Game Tonight’, ‘Closet Chronicles’ and ‘Sparks Of The Tempest’ were some of the other memorable ones, but throughout this incredible 15-song performance, not a single filler song or dull moment was to be found, and perhaps the only surprise was them talking about the new album and single and then not playing it.
As expected, they saved their most popular item for the very last, ending the show with a solid rendition of ‘Carry On Wayward Son’ which left the crowd with their feet off the ground. On the whole, it was a mind-blowing and life-changing experience to be in attendance for this Kansas show, and upon closely observing each and every moment of the 90-minute set, it is clear just how highly influential the band is in their genre, as several of their successors have taken inspiration from (and in some cases, blatantly ripped off) Kansas’ music. That said, it is important that a band like Kansas isn’t resting on their past glory and is releasing new music, thus keeping the classic variant of prog alive. And speaking of this amazing setting, attending concerts in Pershing Square is quite a unique experience, and once again, free of cost, so if you’re a Los Angeles resident, forget all the negative things you’ve heard about this place and take the opportunity to see a show here as soon as you can.
If you enjoy any kind of progressive rock or metal, make it a point to see Kansas on their ongoing tour, because they’re the real innovators and flag-bearers of the genre, and are currently performing their songs in a manner that serves as an accurate representation of the brilliance of their music.
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Set List:
01. Point Of Know Return
02. Paradox
03. Play The Game Tonight
04. Keyboard Solo (Dave Manion)/The Wall
05. Reason To Be
06. Dust In The Wind
07. Miracles Out Of Nowhere
08. Icarus – Borne On Wings Of Steel
09. Closet Chronicles
10. Hold On
11. Down The Road
12. Portrait (He Knew)
13. Sparks Of The Tempest
Encore:
14. Fight Fire With Fire
15. Carry On Wayward Son
Kansas U.S. tour dates 2016:
08/12/2016 – Dallas, PA @ Wells Fargo Amphitheater at Misericordia University
08/13/2016 – Le Roy, NY @ Jam At The Ridge
08/18/2016 – Colorado Springs, CO @ Pikes Peak Center
08/20/2016 – Imperial, NE @ Chase County Fair
08/22/2016 – St Cloud, MN @ Paramount Theatre
08/23/2016 – St Cloud, MN @ Paramount Theatre
08/24/2016 – Mankato, MN @ Vetter Stone Amphitheater
08/26/2016 – Pocatello, ID @ Portneuf Health Trust Amphitheater
08/27/2016 – Salt Lake City, UT @ USANA Amphitheater
08/28/2016 – Billings, MT @ Alberta Bair Theater
09/01/2016 – Victoria, TX @ Victoria Fine Arts Center
09/02/2016 – San Antonio, TX @ Tobin Center for the Performing Arts
09/04/2016 – Darlington, SC @ Darlington Raceway
09/30/2016 – Pittsburgh, PA @ Benedum Center
10/01/2016 – Philadelphia, PA @ Merriam Theater
10/05/2016 – Wilmington, NC @ CFCC’s Wilson Center
10/07/2016 – Atlanta, GA @ Atlanta Symphony Hall
10/08/2016 – Nashville, TN @ Ryman Auditorium
10/15/2016 – Dallas, TX @ Majestic Theatre
10/21/2016 – St Louis, MO @ Peabody Opera House
10/22/2016 – Kansas City, MO @ Muriel Kauffman Theatre
10/27/2016 – Indianapolis, IN @ Murat Theatre at Old National Centre
10/28/2016 – Detroit, MI @ Sound Board at MotorCity Casino Hotel
10/30/2016 – Cincinnati, OH @ Taft Theatre
11/01/2016 – Akron, OH @ The Goodyear Theater
11/03/2016 – Milwaukee, WI @ The Pabst Theater
11/04/2016 – Chicago, IL @ Copernicus Center
11/06/2016 – Kalamazoo, MI @ State Theatre
11/11/2016 – Clearwater, FL @ Ruth Eckerd Hall
11/12/2016 – Fort Lauderdale, FL @ Au-Rene Theater at Broward Center
11/18/2016 – New Bedford, MA @ Zeiterion Theatre
11/19/2016 – Huntington, NY @ The Paramount
11/25/2016 – Baltimore, MD @ Modell Performing Arts Center at the Lyric
11/26/2016 – Boston, MA @ Berklee Performance Center
12/01/2016 – Daytona Beach, FL @ The Peabody Daytona Beach