Label: Insideout Music
Release date: May 28, 2021
Production: Richard Williams & Phil Ehart
Album length: 112.12 min
Genre: Progressive Rock
Rating: 9.5/10
“Point of Know Return: Live & Beyond” is the latest live album from American progressive rock giants Kansas. The cult band, best known for evergreens like “Carry On Wayward Son” and “Dust in the Wind” and epics like “Song For America” and “Miracles Out of Nowhere”, has pulled together 12 renditions of Kansas standards on this live document, taken from 22 different venues they played in 2019 and 2020 on the so-called “Point of Know Return Anniversary” tour.
As the name of the tour suggests, Kansas played the whole classic “Point of Know Return” (1977) album at every show. The tour also marked the band’s fortieth anniversary (in 1970, the band that drummer Phil Ehart, the only remaining member from back then, played in first went by the name Kansas), although most Kansas biographers count 1973 as the group’s official start, when their classic lineup came together (by then, current lead guitarist Richard Williams was already in the band alongside Ehart).
Just a glance at the setlist on this live document will make the heart of every Kansas fan skip a beat. Besides the complete “Point of Know Return”, it features a few beloved evergreens from other albums, two tracks from their second-to-last album “The Prelude Implicit” (2016, RockLine review), and a few almost ‘forgotten’ standards from the eighties and nineties.
The first big surprise comes right at the start with “Cold Grey Morning” from the relatively overlooked album “Freaks of Nature” (1995). The same goes for the rendition of “Two Cents Worth”, a standard from “Masque” (1975) that Kansas fans haven’t heard live in ages. The performance of the “Leftoverture” (1976) classic “The Wall”, on the other hand, is no surprise. Neither is “Song For America” from the album of the same name, the first epic highlight of this live document, or “Miracles Out of Nowhere”, another “Leftoverture” evergreen.
Next comes another big surprise with “Musicatto”, a standard from “Power” (1986), and a slightly smaller one with “Summer” from “The Prelude Implicit”. With that, Kansas wrap up the opening part of the show and, via the title classic, launch into a splendid, practically flawless run through the entire “Point of Know Return” album that will delight every longtime fan.
The first encore brings the obligatory, expected “Leftoverture” evergreen “Carry On Wayward Son”, while in the second encore Kansas surprise us once more and play acoustic versions ‘for dessert’: “People of the South Wind”, a classic from “Monolith” (1979), “Refugee” from “The Prelude Implicit”, and “Lonely Wind” from the self-titled Kansas debut.
Between songs, the band members don’t forget to thank two former members: guitarist Kerry Livgren, who is struggling with health problems, and retired singer Steve Walsh, who did the most to turn Kansas into a worldwide musical sensation. It’s worth noting here that singer/keyboardist Ronnie Platt is in great vocal shape throughout, and his voice is astonishingly similar to his predecessor’s most of the time. And since he’s got the experienced keyboardist Tom Brislin keeping him company, he’s free to focus more on the singing.
“Point of Know Return: Live & Beyond” will delight all the longtime fans of these American progressive rock icons, who know full well that all they can expect from Kansas is a top-notch live document. With the release of “Live & Beyond”, the anniversary of “Point of Know Return” and forty years of Kansas have been marked in the best possible way. After a string of excellent studio and live albums over the past few years, it’s safe to say that the modern-day Kansas, who in April 2021 were left without a second guitarist again after Zak Rizvi’s departure, are in superb shape, which only a handful of their musical peers can boast.
Author: Peter “Dr. ProgRock” Podbrežnik
Track list:
01. Cold Grey Morning
02. Two Cents Worth
03. The Wall
04. Song For America
05. Summer
06. Musicatto
07. Taking In The View
08. Miracles Out Of Nowhere
09. Point Of Know Return
10. Paradox
11. The Spider
12. Portrait (He Knew)
13. Closet Chronicles
14. Lightning’s Hand
15. Dust In The Wind
16. Sparks Of The Tempest
17. Nobody’s Home
18. Hopelessly Human
19. Carry On Wayward Son
20. People Of The South Wind
21. Refugee
22. Lonely Wind
Lineup:
Ronnie Platt – vocals, backing vocals
Rich Williams – guitar
Zak Rizvi – guitar, backing vocals
Tom Brislin – keyboards, backing vocals, vocals on track 4
David Ragsdale – violin, backing vocals
Billy Greer – bass, guitar, backing vocals
Phil Ehart – drums, percussion
