Photo: Kevin Winter / Getty Images Entertainment / Getty Images
Four of the six original members of Kansas reunited for one unforgettable performance in Bonner in their home state of Kansas last Friday night. The real highlight of the show came during the final part of the band’s set when longtime guitarist Richard Williams, who recently announced he was scaling back touring due to macular degeneration, joined the group for “Dust in the Wind,” “Can I Tell You,” “Down the Road,” and “Miracles Out of Nowhere.”
For the encore, Williams returned alongside drummer Phil Ehart, guitarist and songwriter Kerry Livgren, and bassist Dave Hope. Ehart, who stepped away from touring after a heart attack last year, was a welcome sight behind the kit. Livgren, who left the band in the early '80s but has made occasional appearances since, and Hope, who departed in 2000, rounded out the reunion. Together they rocked “Hold On” and the iconic “Carry on Wayward Son.”
Notably absent was former lead singer Steve Walsh, who left the band in 2014, and violinist/vocalist Robby Steinhardt, who passed away in 2021. Williams reflected on the band’s legacy, saying, “My theory on Kansas was it was the individual pieces and as they came together — it’s not like each one of us was so amazing, but really what we did together as a team. I look at us kind of like a living Mount Rushmore. If you don’t even like us, we’re part of American rock history and we’re a force to be reckoned with.”
[Source: Premiere]