Tim SchumannKansas brings Another Fork in the Road / 50 Years of Kansas 2024 to the Plaza Theatre
Well, the fans of Classic Rock here in El Paso, Texas certainly got what they asked for last Sunday night when Kansas brought their 50th Anniversary tour Another Fork in the Road to the epic Plaza Theater in the heart of downtown El Paso.
This makes my second time covering the band for a publication, but I’ve been a fan for years, my first time seeing them was in February of 77 in Lakeland, Florida, they were in support of Styx on the Crystal Ball tour, their careers taking off, Steve Walsh, Kerry Livgren, Rich Williams, Phil Ehart and Robby Steinhardt. The landscape has changed as it should over these past 50 years, Rich Williams and Phil Ehart are the only original members left and as fate would have it, Phil suffered a heart attack recently and isn’t on this current tour, we all hope he gets better soon. 
During their 50 years, like some bands, lineup changes are the norm and Kansas is no exception to this, but still managed to crank out 16 releases and tour the world with their special brand of Hard Rock/Southern Rock, their sound is unmistakable.
Show started at 8 with no support, they opened with Belexes and did an encore of Carry On Wayward Son to wrap up this 2 hour and 10-minute journey down memory lane, 20 songs in total. Ronnie Platt bouncing back and forth between his position as a front man and his set of elevated keys, yeah, he’s really fun to watch and the last time they were here, I did get a chance to meet him, very cool, super fan friendly, that goes a long way with me. The timeless Rich Williams on his Goldtop Les Paul and Billy Greer on Bass, staples of the classic rock band. All in all, still going strong, sounded great as they always have and if I were a betting man, I don’t see this training stopping any time soon.
Set List-
Belexes
Point of Know Return
Play the Game Tonight
Fight fire with Fire.
Icarus- Borne on Wings of Steel
Icarus II
A Glimpse of Home
The Pinnacle
Throwing Mountains
People of the South Wind
Dust in the Wind
Reason to Be
Lonely Wind
Song for America
Can I Tell You
Hold On
Down the Road
The Wall
Miracles Out of Nowhere
Encore-
Carry On Wayward Son
Story and Photography by Tim Schumann
