CARRYING ON

You know all the hits. You might even know all the words.

“Carry On My Wayward Son.” “Dust in the Wind.” “Point of No Return.”

This weekend, on Saturday, April 13, the band that brought us these classic rock anthems will be giving long-time fans—and new ones, too—what they want when they make a stop at the Genesee Theatre.

Kansas has been on an extensive tour of the country to mark its 50th anniversary, a remarkable achievement given the ups and downs of the business we call rock-and-roll.

The stop in Waukegan marks a homecoming of sorts for lead singer Ronnie Platt, who replaced veteran Kansas vocalist Steve Walsh about a decade ago. Platt grew up in west suburban Bellwood and now makes his home in Lombard.

Platt says that despite the length and grueling nature of the current tour, the experience of playing 50 years’ worth of Kansas tunes has been rewarding.

“It has been absolutely fantastic. We have been on a streak of sold-out shows, which has just been over-the-top,” Platt says. “It has been so much fun, time is flying by, and I’m so anxious to play Waukegan because it’s homebase for me and I can see my friends.”

One of the challenges of being in a band with the longevity of Kansas is that it can feel, to the audience, like a tribute band unto itself. The Kansas catalogue is filled with radio-friendly hits, but Platt has also recorded fresh material with the band over the past few years, giving their current live show a contemporary kick.

Early in his musical career, Platt played in popular cover bands on the Chicago summer festival circuit, and then replaced Walsh as the lead singer in the band Shooting Star. He’s somewhat bemused by the fact he has replaced Walsh in two different bands. But the experience prepared him well for his current role.

The Kansas cast has turned over throughout the years (and decades), but Platt views the band’s cannon more like classical music. It’s the notes that stand out, and the current players are just breathing new life into them.

“Right before my first show with Kansas, I’m watching television, and the “Behind the Music” program comes on. It’s the story of Styx and they’re interviewing Lawrence Gowan, who took Dennis DeYoung’s place as lead singer,” Platt says. “People in the audience were not very nice to Lawrence. They were yelling, ‘Where’s Dennis?’ So, this is on my brain when I’m taking over for Steve Walsh. I’m thinking, ‘I’m gonna have to move around on stage and wear a flak jacket’.”

Platt says he resigned himself to the idea if he could make half of the Kansas audience happy, he would count that as a win. Judging from the success of the current tour, he’s doing just fine.

“It’s really about the music. There’s no particular standout personality that takes the music over,” he says. “When you think of Aerosmith you think of Steven Tyler. That’s not the case with Kansas. When you think of Kansas you just think about the music.”

The history of Kansas is well-known to classic rock enthusiasts. The band fractured in the late 1970s when co-founder Kerrry Livgren converted to Christianity and decided he wanted to write music that was more aligned with his newly realized faith.

Livgren’s conversion was a considerable departure for a band that had, early in its formation, staged a concert and given away free beer in order to attract a large enough audience to impress a music executive from New York.

But the band also introduced some musical innovations to the rock genre. Like Ian Anderson, who somehow managed to incorporate the flute into the music of Jethro Tull, Kansas brought the fiddle into the mix with all of those electric guitars. They rocked, for sure, but they also infused a little rural, down-home Kansas porch music into the mix.

“Part of the reason I think Kansas is going to continue regardless of who the musicians are is because of the music,” Platt says. “Beethoven’s not around, but symphonies are still playing his music. The music stands out and it’s sustainable throughout generations. I really feel that way about Kansas.”

Kansas play the Genesee Theatre in Waukegan on April 13. For tickets, visit geneseetheatre.com.