Kansas
Two for the Show

THE REVIEW

"I close my eyes, only for a moment…" and the music begins.

Baroque arias from a distant past, yet so current.

The Kansas sing their America, with their art rock that encapsulates the most varied influences. From classical to folk, even touching on progressive sounds. All filtered through the rock soul of their land. The band certainly represents the most convincing response to European progressive, at a time when the latter was already showing the first signs of creative crisis. Although they had nothing to envy of their overseas colleagues in terms of technique and compositional ability, what distinguishes them most is the great sense of melody and the constant search for airy and captivating refrains. "Two for the Show" is a double live album that captures the group at the peak of their artistic career and simultaneously marks their inevitable downward trajectory. This is their point of no return.

I let myself be overwhelmed by the wave of freshness of their music, in a stormy sea of moving emotion. Steve Walsh's keyboards are decisively placed at the center of a structure teetering between impulse and romanticism. Upon which rise the guitars of the eclectic Kerry Livgren (also on keyboards) and Ric Williams, alternating between powerful riffs and acrobatic interweavings. The refined textures of Robby Steinhardt's violin seal everything, drawing enchanting melodies. The notes flow, moving from the baroque embellishments of the anthem "Song for America" to the hard rock incursions of "Icarus – Borne on Wings of Steel". The live songs gain more power and dynamism compared to the studio versions, and the sound is more aggressive.

It is impossible not to be swept away by the drive of "Carry on Wayward Son". The perfect alchemy between Steinhardt's deep voice and Walsh's more powerful one constitutes a significant added value. And what about the splendid and timeless ballad "Dust in the Wind"? One of those songs for which any artist would sell their soul to write.
However, Kansas are not only excellent musicians but also give us verses of great substance and depth, that brush against poetic language. Lyrics that know how to move both when they sensitively embrace naturalistic and humanitarian themes, and when they touch on more introspective topics. Like in the poignant "The Wall", which addresses the theme of doubt and human fragility, while guitar and voice vie to give us moments of great intensity. "Mysteries and Mayhem" and "Magnum Opus" finally make us understand on which scores the beloved/hated Dream Theater practiced for years to give rise to the "progressive metal" phenomenon.

The silence reclaims the room. The calm after the storm. As the mind begins to process the wave of notes, images, and emotions. That sense of excitement that music and art, in general, can give us. Reason meeting passion. 

"… Dust in the wind, all we are is dust in the wind."