Photos by Andy Argyrakis

Farewell season may be ramping up for so many rock and roll greats, but one act that won’t be calling it quits anytime soon is Kansas, who despite embarking upon the “Another Fork In The Road” Tour to honor of a half-century together, is already looking ahead.

“We’ll see you for our 60th anniversary,” exclaimed longtime bassist Billy Greer to a moderately crowded Chicago Theatre, who nonetheless let out a mighty roar capable of matching the arenas the band used to play back in the day.

Perhaps they were already cheering for the unexpected but welcome proclamation, though it was more likely they were still soaking in over two hours of symphonic, progressive and downright classic sounds that saturated the 1970s into the ‘80s.

Outside of guitarist Rich Williams, drummer Phil Ehart (who performed the back portion of the show) and Greer (whose been a member since 1985), the line-up of Illinois’ own singer Ronnie Platt, keyboardist Tom Brislin (previously with Yes), violin player Joe Deninzon and front half beat keeper Eric Holmquist may look a lot different from back then, but this was truly as precise and potent as any edition.

Though all the musicians are of world-class caliber, a considerable part of the equation is Illinois’ own Ronnie Platt, who more than ever, seemed to hit a confident stride as he flawlessly sang something from practically every Kansas period.

In fact, an enormous appeal of this concert was the promise to include at least a little something from almost all the albums, rotating between era-defining essentials (“Point Of Know Return,” “Play That Game Tonight,” “Fight Fire With Fire”) and going super deep (“Icarus II,” “A Glimpse Of Home,” “Bells Of St. James”).

It’s always impossible for an act of such rich history to please everyone, but Kansas came pretty close, even unplugging for “People Of The South Wind,” the iconic “Dust In The Wind” and “Reason To Be,” before revving back up come “Lonely Wind.”

The injury-recovering Ehart took over for possibly the most technically complex tune of them all, “Song For America,” while also firing up “Can I Tell You,” “Hold On,” “Down The Road,” “The Wall” and “Miracles Out Of Nowhere,” all stuffed with superb collective playing and solos.

Of course, Kansas saved “Carry On Wayward Son” until last, but it was more than worth the wait, plus it officially reset the countdown clock towards the next benchmark on a journey that’s just as unique now as when it turned the radio completely upside down all those years ago.

For additional information on Kansas, visit KansasBand.com.

For a list of upcoming Live Nation concerts, visit LiveNation.com.

Upcoming concert highlights at the Chicago Theatre include KARD (Jul. 23); Jill Scott (Jul. 24-25); Ed Sheeran (Jul. 28); K. Michelle and Mario (Sept. 2); Fantasia (Sept. 16); Ray LaMontagne (Sept. 27); Gregory Alan Isakov (Oct. 1); Ringo Starr And His All Starr Band (Oct. 5); Bonnie Raitt (Oct. 8); Raphael Saadiq (Oct. 12); The Temptations and The Four Tops (Oct. 14); My Morning Jacket (Nov. 9-11); Liz Phair (Nov. 18); Faith Evans, Kelly Price and Jon B. (Nov. 24). For additional details, visit TheChicagoTheatre.com.

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