I'm going to KANSAS!

[karpathion]

I don't think Kansas ever got the true respect they deserved. Them and Yes, seem to get passed by on the all time great rock lists. Glad you enjoyed it, and I hope I can catch them if they ever make it to my neck of the woods again.

[Dr. Vegetable]

I don't think Kansas ever got the true respect they deserved. Them and Yes, seem to get passed by on the all time great rock lists. Glad you enjoyed it, and I hope I can catch them if they ever make it to my neck of the woods again.

You could add Styx to that list, but then somebody will start talking about Rush and I would be forced to get violent.

[LesStrat]

Even the hired guns/temporary members were top notch players/singers: Greg Robert and Warren Ham.

[treyhaislip]

Sweet! I still remember the first time I heard Kansas was in junior high–the radio blasted "Carry On My Wayward Son" and to this day that song still never gets old. I live Kerry Livgren's solo/post-Kansas stuff...talk about an awesome song writer and guitar player! The thing I liked the best about Kerry Livgren's music was that the words/lyrics were so deep.

[Securb]

If you never played air guitar to "Carry On My Wayward Son" in someone's basement with a beer you didn't grow up as a teenager in America. 

[lreese]

If you never played air guitar to "Carry On My Wayward Son" in someone's basement with a beer you didn't grow up as a teenager in America. 

I didn't - on 2 counts.

1.  I had a real guitar.
2.  I never grew up.  

[Oinkus]

Yeah I first played this when me and a friend went to David Granthams house to jam before he went off to Berkeley , he also was probably the best guitar teacher in the area then too.Great player , great guy.

[LesStrat]

What's a "basement"?

I finally discovered why Rich didn't return for the encore. This is from a CCR interview:

It was between the end of the set and the encore. I turned around and walked to the area to where I had come up onto the stage, previously. Of course, we were led up and it was lit at that time. My tech was tuning my guitar and there was not much room so I was like, “I don’t want to go there.” It ruins the reveal of the encore if you’re just standing on the side of the stage picking your nose. I thought, “I’ll just stand on the other side of this curtain here where I came up.” Staring into the lights on stage and then being in this dark area everything is really black. I misjudged it, and when I went behind the curtain all I hit was air for four feet and then I slammed into—there is a ramp. My right thigh hit the ramp and my left foot hit something and my arm slammed into the ramp. I’ve got creases in my arm from the ramp. I cut the hell out of my left hand and I broke my left ankle.

I’m lying there in this dark hole and all of this screaming is going on for the encore. They find me and everyone wants to grab me and drag me around like a rag doll. I’m screaming in pain. I could have sworn my thigh bone was broken. I was bent over double. I couldn’t even feel the foot yet. Everyone is tugging on me and I was like, “Leave me alone. Get back.” I didn’t know if my back was broken or what. My hands were bloody but I didn’t know why. I had hit my head. I didn’t know if my head was bleeding.

Phil [Ehart] sticks his head around and I see the panic on his face. I was trying to get up and I couldn’t get up, so I just gave him a circular clock motion to keep going. The rest of the band didn’t know. Phil went out and started playing “Fight Fire with Fire” and he tells David Ragsdale, “You’re playing guitar.” So, Rags is nervous. Billy Greer was like, “Where is Rich?” Phil told him, “He fell off the stage.” They stuck me in an ambulance and took me to the hospital. We were on some reservation in Louisiana. We were staying in Lafayette, and this place was 44 miles to the East. A little town called Franklin was six miles away and they had a hospital. They x-rayed me and said I had a broken ankle. They put a temporary cast on it and I came home the day before yesterday.

[lreese]

I'll bet that whoever tole him to "break a leg" is regretting it. :wwe:

[LesStrat]

On Friday, September 23 Kansas is releasing the prelude implicit, their new album. Here is the second song they have released: