Kansas

Each one of us contributes something to the history of all that is with every minute of our day. There are those events, however, which are Historical.

Tonight was the 35th anniversary concert of the band Kansas, performed at White Concert Hall accompanied by the Washburn University Orchestra. It was being recorded for a DVD release, and each ticket holder is to receive a copy when completed.

I sat in the silver section. My ticket was numbered, my seat assigned. I sat along with two friends from church on the last row of the front section of seats. My seat was the third from the left of the hall. One would imagine this not the best seats in the house. I found it otherwise.

At the back of the front section, our seats had the benefit of some shallow rake before the dramatic rake of the cheep seats behind us. Therefore, I could see the stage floor clearly over the heads of those seated before me. And, unlike those with front row seats, I didn’t have a cameraperson’s butt passing back and forth in front of me interrupting the moment.

I had the delightful pleasure of seeing Kansas with my brother at a tiny venue in Phoenix twenty years back. They performed from a small rotating stage, and sitting on the front row I could have touched them if the guard rail and body guards would have allowed it.

That was an almost acoustic performance compared to tonight. And White Concert Hall, with seating for less than 2000, was almost as intimate.

The orchestra was amazing, and I cannot imagine the honor and prestige each young performer felt. They played for the venue, and they played for Kansas. I mean, their performance – it was a Kansas performance: worthy of the state!

And the band was in great form. All of them.

I cannot describe the experience sufficiently. The floor vibrated. I felt parts of my chest and brain rattle, literally. The high end was a touch too brash for my sensitive ears, but every note was there in crisp form. The light show gave depth to the stage and drew me closer to the performance.

I cried that my brother was not there with me. I had watched my budget, looking for some way to fly him up for the weekend, but it could not happen. So I determined to watch it thoroughly, so that someday, he could come back and see the show through my eyes.

It was simply… magical.

There were also great gaffs. On one song, the orchestra failed to come in on cue, and of course, the song fell apart. The band picked it up from the middle, and the finish was flawless. After the concert, we were asked to remain while some songs were reperformed up to the band’s standard for the DVD. We were treated to a reperformance of the first part of Song for America, and another song in its entirety, which while distinctly Kansas, I could not recognize.

It may have just been a jam for the audience! Encore!

I was on my feet, teaching from 10am through 5:30 this evening. I am mostly deaf now, and mostly hoarse. I’m sipping elm-bark tea. I’ll sleep with earplugs in, and hope that my hearing returns to normal quickly. But it is a small discomfort for the honor of being a part of something Historic.

Thank you Lord!