Classic rockers Kansas to carry on with tour launch Friday in Pittsburgh

PITTSBURGH – When they saw their first-ever backstage deli tray, the members of Kansas thought they had stumbled upon rock and roll heaven.

A mere garage-rock band in those days, they didn't realize the pre-show lunchmeat provided by a Lincoln, Neb. concert hall was part of the band's reward for opening a show for the J. Geils Band.

A half-century later, Kansas guitarist Richard Williams remembers it like yesterday.

"We had a skeletal road crew, and we were all backstage wondering what do we do?" Williams said. "Someone said 'Your dressing room is over here.' So, we walked in and just stood there and stared. We said 'You sure this is our room? This has got to be the wrong place.' There was a deli tray with bologna and cheese and Wonder bread. We'd never been fed before a show. We attacked it like cave men. That was a long way from our normal shows in Dodge City playing a saloon."

That first taste of the big time soon was followed by a career-changing appearance at the Stanley Theater in Pittsburgh. Watching a sold-out Stanley crowd of nearly 3,000 going wild for the band's original songs, Kansas members realized for the first time they were headed toward rock stardom.

It's no coincidence the band, including original members Williams and Phil Ehart (drums) picked the former Stanley, now known as the Benedum Center, as the launch pad for a 50th-anniversary tour. Rounded out by bassist/vocalist Billy Greer, vocalist/keyboardist Ronnie Platt, violinist/guitarist David Ragsdale and keyboardist/vocalist Tom Brislin, Kansas will thrill concertgoers with two hours of hits, fan favorites and deep cuts rarely performed live.

"From what I'm hearing it's selling pretty quickly," Williams said of the June 2 Benedum concert. "If you want to go, you'd better get on board quick, or you'll miss the boat."

Kansas side-stepped concert industry conglomerates to make sure Sewickley Heights promoter Rich Engler booked the Benedum show.

"We have a really long history with Rich," Williams said. "He's one of the reasons we made it to where we are. He was the first guy who brought us anywhere outside of Topeka, there to the old Stanley Theater. That show was very special, and we've been loyal to Rich ever since."

Williams elaborates on that 1974 Stanley show, which Queen was supposed to headline, but backed out due to personal reasons. Kansas members assumed the entire show would be scrapped.

"Well, Rich called us and said, 'No, people don't want their money back. They're not turning in their tickets.' People were counting on us to play there so we did," Williams said.

The band hadn't realized its self-titled debut LP had struck a chord in Pittsburgh with newfound fans who had heard local radio spin the single "Can I Tell You." Those fans quickly snatched up the album and shared the music with friends.

"Of course, there was no social media then. Word of mouth got back to us slowly and we had no idea that first album was doing really well in Pittsburgh," Williams said. "We were very stunned our show there was sold out and that people had come to see us. It was a shock to us. And The Stanley was a bit rundown at that time, but to us it was great. Now, of course, it's beautiful. They must have put millions into it. We played our 40th anniversary there and it looked wonderful, and it was sold out. A full circle moment."

For many fans who attended that 40th-anniversary show, it probably doesn't feel like it's been 10 years since that reunion that also featured original members Dave Hope (bass), Kerry Livgren (guitar) and Steve Walsh (vocals/keys).

I can't believe it's been 50 years since we started," Williams said. "And the next 10 years will go even quicker. It's pretty shocking."

Time off the road goes slow, "but once we start performing it just zips by," Williams said. "Someone will say 'Weren't we just talking about that' and then someone else says, 'No that was five years ago.'"

It all blends together, Williams said in an early February phone chat from his in-home guitar studio one day before his 73rd birthday for which his wife promised a celebratory dinner in a new steakhouse near their North Carolina residence.

Thinking back 50 years to Kansas' origins, Williams said "our loftiest goals were to write enough songs for one album, record them and get to open for national bands playing the Midwest."

That original lineup didn't foresee its destiny to represent America in the British-dominated art-rock genre now ubiquitously called progressive-rock or "prog-rock."

"It wasn't like a think tank. We didn't discuss what we'd be known as then, or 50 years later," Williams said. "What drew the original six together was not just writing original material, but the idea we didn't want to follow any trends. We wanted to be original, original. We started out as straightforward rock with a twist, then we were influenced by what came to be called progressive rock, which were mostly bands from England."

Dazzling virtuosity, the novelty of violin, and philosophical lyrics powered Kansas songs like "Carry on Wayward Son," "Point of Know Return" and "Dust in The Wind," all cornerstones for FM rock radio and the genre that aged into "classic rock."

Few hard-rocking bands could match Kansas' prowess at writing hooks, where a bit of quiet space sets up an epic riff.

"A lot of great performers like John Coltrane and Isaac Hayes have said the most important part of the song is what you leave out. What you're not playing," Williams said. "Even Gentle Giant had lots of syncopation but not a wall of sound. Like on 'Wayward Son,' the solo I take in the middle (he hums it over the phone) I was sort of channeling Gentle Giant. I decided I'm not playing along with the rest of the band; I'm playing completely opposite them. I'm going to try to experiment. There were lots of experiments and some mistakes. We were always trying to do something a little different."

After 50 years of shows together, Williams and Ehart share telepathy, but an ability to surprise each other, too.

"When we're performing, I know when Phil is going to begin a drum roll. But there also are moments of 'Wait, where did that come from?' After the show, I'll tell him, 'Remember that thing you did? Do that again. That was really cool. That caught me off guard.'"

Williams said, "All we're trying to do is capture the excitement of live music in the moment and not worry about absolute perfection."

With Pittsburgh, the opening night of the tour, Williams staunchly refuses to identify any of the deep cuts planned for the setlist.

"We want to leave it open to keep people guessing. But I'll say this: I've had to relearn some things I haven't played in 45 years. I have to remember how I played it on the neck, and which guitar I used."

To further celebrate the band’s 50th anniversary, the formerly Pittsburgh-based InsideOutMusic released "Another Fork in the Road–50 Years of Kansas," a three-CD career-spanning collection that includes a new version of "Can I Tell You" updated by the current lineup.

"Entering our 50th year, we thought what would be better than redoing the song that really got us there," Williams said. "But we didn't want 'Can I Tell You' 2.1. We really approached it as an original. I realized I get to reinvent my solo, which was exciting because I've always kind of cringed when I've heard the original version. I'm a better player now than I was at age 23."

Can he imagine himself still performing 10 years from now for a 60th-anniversary tour like the Rolling Stones did?

"There's no plan not to," Williams said. "Touring is what we do, except for a two-year break where we never officially broke up, we just didn't have a team to put on the field. It's hard for me to be a civilian. My comfort zone is being around the guys and crew. You miss the guys and the adventure.

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"Sure, I could attend a dinner party with lawyers, bankers, tradesmen and other professionals, I don't have a whole lot in common with, and I'd be bored. But put me in a cocktail party with 50 other musicians and we'll talk till dawn, even if not one of us had known each other before. Because we'd have so much in common and be able to tell funny stories and terrible stories. We'd speak the same language," Williams said. "Because with a life in music there are a lot of really bad times, but you get through them with a sense of humor and realizing good times are always right around the corner."

Great times are around the corner with that tour launching in Pittsburgh.

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"We'll be a little nervous for that first show of the 50th anniversary," Williams said. "You're always a little tense for the first show, though it is Pittsburgh, which was one of the most crucial towns of our career. There's such a tremendous fan base there, so this is like a homecoming gig. And homecoming gigs are the hardest because you expect more from yourself. Kansas City, Topeka, Atlanta, where we spent a lot of time, and Pittsburgh are all like that. We'll be running on adrenaline before the show, but then once we start playing then it's 1-2-3 and all is fine. But that first song we'll be feeling a lot of pressure. That first song will be a little quick."

Scott Tady is entertainment editor at The Times and easy to reach at stady@timesonline.com

This article originally appeared on Beaver County Times: Classic rockers Kansas carry on with Pittsburgh tour launch in June