TWO FOR THE SHOW

The first Kansas live album is drawn from various shows on the Point of Know Return tour - but though songs from that feature heavily, a healthy range of selections from the previous four albums also feature on the setlist. It's an apt capstone to what is arguably their most widely beloved phase, and captures the band at a glorious peak - by this time Carry On Wayward Son has being a monster hit for them, giving the band the confidence to double down on their musical direction and make Point of Know Return an unabashedly progressive release, and that's exactly the side of their sound they showcase here.

The thing about peaks is that you don't stay there long - if you did they'd be plateaus. The Monolith album has its advocates for sure - but it's hard to deny that there's a bit more naysaying and a bit more enthusiasm about that one, a discontent that only becomes more pronounced once you push forward into Kansas' 1980s discography. Whilst their most loyal fans would stick with them through thick or thin, the good ship Kansas would undeniably face choppy waters after this - making it all the more valuable that they produced this live document of their imperial phase right as it reached its apex.

At the same time, I find that one double album of live Kansas is about all the live Kansas I feel like I have an appetite for; Kansas were always very capable when it came to capturing their best side in the studio, and so the original album renditions of these tracks generally feel more compelling than these live run-throughs, which are capable and solid performances but don't really offer much that make me see the compositions in question in a new light.