Kansas, already guitar heroes, become symphony heroes

Mercer County HamiltonSpace.com

Classic rock and Trenton’s brand of orchestra music will join forces onstage at Trenton’s Patriot’s Theater at the War Memorial on Saturday, Oct. 17 when the Greater Trenton Symphony Orchestra backs legendary southern rock band Kansas at the renowned concert venue.

Kansas, known for 1970s hits like “Carry on Wayward Son” and “Dust in the Wind,” are still touring and performing 35 years after their founding, albeit with a different lineup. The Oct. 17 Trenton performance will feature singer and keyboardist Steve Walsh, guitarist Rich Williams, violinist David Ragsdale, bassist Billy Greer, and drummer Phil Ehart, with help from former guitarists Steve Morse and Kerry Livgren performing as well.

The lineup features members from different eras of the band, which has been in flux as it continued playing through the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s, before officially reconstituting for a reunion album in 2000.

But perhaps the largest musical assist of the evening will be coming from the 88-year-old Greater Trenton Symphony Orchestra. The band’s music will complement the offerings of the historic symphony quite nicely, Ehart said.

“Kansas music is perfect for the addition of a symphony. It adds a huge expanse to our music,” Ehart said. “The symphony in Trenton has a musical history that spans 80 years. We are proud to be playing with them. It will be great.”

Symphony leadership reciprocated those feelings.

“The orchestra musicians are very excited about playing this concert,” said the orchestra’s conductor, John Peter Holly. “We’re always interested in new musical experiences and this concert will definitely be a new experience for most of our musicians.”

The orchestra will be made up of approximately 60 players, according to Holly, who said his musicians already have copies of Kansas’ music in hand for practice. There will, however, be only a single live rehearsal with the band itself due to time constraints.

The collaboration is actually not that unusual for Kansas. The band’s lineup has traditionally included at least one violinist through its long history, and the instrument is featured prominently in several songs, most famously in “Dust in the Wind.” In fact, playing in Trenton isn’t even something new for Kansas.

Ehart said the band had made stops there in the past, and when a promoter called Kansas’s booking agent about the orchestra event, the show was booked.

The Trenton event follows a February show that saw the band work with the 50-piece Washburn University Orchestra, back home in Kansas. That successful collaboration was recorded and turned into the “There’s Know Place Like Home” DVD, which celebrated the 35th anniversary of the release of Kansas’ self-titled 1974 debut. The live DVD will be released just days before the band’s Trenton concert, on October 13th.

Members of Kansas, who continue to receive heavy airplay on many U.S. classic rock stations, attribute some of their recent resurgence to their inclusion in the video game “Rock Band,” which allows gamers to use mock-up guitars, drums, and mics to reproduce rock hits from many different eras.

Kansas songs like “Carry on Wayward Son” have introduced the band to younger folks who might never have been exposed to the band, according to Ehart.

“Thanks to video games like Rock Band and Guitar Hero, where Kansas music resides, a lot more young people are attending our shows,” Ehart said.

Attendees of the Trenton show should expect to hear a varied set list from the band, according to Ehart, who said Kansas’ symphony show “spans Kansas music over a 35-year career.”

What keeps the band going today, performing for crowds in places like Trenton, almost four decades after Kansas’s founding. “What keeps (Kansas) going, like most bands, is that performing is how we earn our living,” Ehart said.

Tickets for the show are $35 to $75 are available The Patriot’s Theater Box Office at (609) 984-8400, (800) 955-5566 or online at http://www.thewarmemorial.com or tickets.com. A 10 percent Military Discount (Box office only, must show ID) is available. Showtime is 7:30 p.m. Parking is always free and directions can be found at the Patriot’s Theater Web site.