Kansas and 38 Special with the Outlaws are coming to McGrath Amphitheatre on July 13th. Tickets go on sale to the public at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, Jan. 31 online at www.creventslive.com and at the Alliant Energy PowerHouse Ticket Office.
With a legendary career spanning five decades, Kansas has firmly established itself as one of America’s iconic classic rock bands. This "garage band" from Topeka released their debut album in 1974 after being discovered by Wally Gold, who worked for Don Kirshner, and have gone on to sell more than 30 million albums worldwide. Composing a catalogue that includes 16 studio albums and five live albums, Kansas has produced eight Gold® albums, three sextuple-Platinum® albums (Leftoverture, Point of Know Return, Best of KANSAS), one Platinum live album (Two for the Show), one quadruple-Platinum single “Carry On Wayward Son,” and another triple-Platinum single “Dust in the Wind.”
Kansas appeared on the Billboard charts for over 200 weeks throughout the ‘70s and ‘80s and played to sold-out arenas and stadiums throughout North America, Europe and Japan. “Carry On Wayward Son” continues to be one of the top five most played songs on classic rock radio, and “Dust In the Wind” has been played on the radio more than three million times. The summer of 2020 marked the release of The Absence of Presence, the band’s 16th studio album, which debuted at No. 10 on Billboard’s Top Current Albums chart. The wide-ranging progressive rock album, released by Inside Out Music, follows-up 2016’s The Prelude Implicit, which debuted at No. 14 on Billboard’s Top 200 Albums chart. Throughout 2016-2022, the band celebrated the anniversaries of multi-Platinum breakout albums Leftoverture and Point of Know Return with anniversary tours for both albums. Both tours were commemorated with live album releases Leftoverture Live & Beyond (2017) and Point of Know Return Live & Beyond (2021). The band is currently comprised of original drummer Phil Ehart, vocalist/keyboardist Ronnie Platt, keyboardist/vocalist Tom Brislin, guitarist Zak Rizvi, violinist/guitarist Joe Deninzon, bassist/vocalist Dan McGowan and original guitarist Richard Williams. Drummer Eric Holmquist is currently performing on drums while Phil Ehart continues to recover from a major heart attack. With no signs of slowing down, Kansas continues to perform in front of large and enthusiastic audiences.
After more than four decades, 38 Special continues to bring their signature blast of Southern Rock to over 100 cities a year. At each and every show, thousands of audience members are amazed by the explosive power of the band's performance. Their many Gold and Platinum album awards stand in testament to the endurance of a legendary powerhouse. With sales in excess of 20 million, most associate the band with their arena-rock pop smashes, “Hold On Loosely,” “Rockin’ Into the Night,” “Caught Up in You,” “Fantasy Girl,” “If I’d Been the One,” “Back Where You Belong,” “Chain Lightnin’,” “Second Chance” and more. These timeless hits remain a radio staple, immediately recognizable from the first opening chord, and paving the way to their present-day touring regimen.
Guitarist/vocalist Don Barnes says it's all about maintaining that intensity in their live shows. “We never wanted to be one of those bands that had maybe gotten a little soft or complacent over the years. We're a team, and it's always been kind of an unspoken rule that we don’t slack up, we stack up. We go out there every night to win.” Completing the team is bassist Barry Dunaway, drummer Gary Moffatt and keyboardist/vocalist Bobby Capps. The most recent addition to the band is legendary virtuoso guitarist and vocalist Jerry Riggs.