The 1977 album "Point Of Know Return" is one of KANSAS' masterpieces, just like its predecessor "Leftoverture". In autumn the band plans to visit Germany as part of the "Point Of Know Return Anniversary Tour", so that local fans can experience all the songs of the album classic live for the first time. In addition, there are various hits and fan favourites as well as songs from the new album "The Absence Of Presence", which will be released at the end of June. eclipsed spoke with guitarist Rich Williams (70) and singer Ronnie Platt (58).
The interview with the two Kansas musicians takes place in early March before a concert in Wichita Falls, Texas - at a time when the Corona crisis has not yet largely paralyzed public life in Europe and the USA. Accordingly, Rich Williams and Ronnie Platt are optimistic about the autumn tour, and the two musicians' temperaments complement each other well: While Williams responds calmly and calmly, Platt is always interspersed with amusing comments. Although the upcoming concerts are more of a career review, Williams and Platt are also looking forward with excitement: The new studio work "The Presence Of Absence" is supposed to contain all Kansas trademarks
eclipsed: You want to give six concerts in Germany in October and November. The local fans will surely appreciate that, especially since you had cancelled your gigs in Europe in 2017 due to possible terrorist attacks. Did this have negative consequences for you?
Ronnie Platt: Yes, I received many emails from European fans who were very disappointed. Some of these mails were not nice! (laughs) But then the unfortunate accident with Ariana Grande happened in England. [On 22 May 2017, an Islamist suicide bombing occurred at her concert in Manchester, killing 23 people; note] Afterwards it seemed as if the fans understood our refusal
eclipsed: And what is the current situation?
Rich Williams: Well, our only concern is the Corona virus. It's possible that concert halls around the world will be closed and flights cancelled. That would be a disaster, but we don't expect it. Right now we are all looking forward to coming back to Europe. If this doesn't work out, it would be a huge disappointment, not only for the fans but also for us
eclipsed: Why are Kansas still popular in Germany? Is it related to the local classical tradition?
Williams: That does indeed seem to be the case. The German and European listeners are probably a bit more educated when it comes to music. They love metal and progressive rock and don't simply turn away from it when a new trend comes along
Platt: I also see parallels to classical music. Kansas' music seems timeless. You can also see that in the fact that more teenagers are now interested in it again. In general, our audience has grown since 2014 - much bigger!
