Kansas - Live - 1978 -Sparks Of The Tempest (Columbia, Maryland)

[clocktime11]

people...put on here if it aint a vid.....stop wasting my time!!!

[rickyon]

If you don't want to watch a slideshow and be able to hear thousands of shows that you otherwise wouldn't be able to hear then don't waste my time by commenting. Kiss my ass and go somewhere else!

[tkeune2003]

Grillbouy: How is the bass fishing on Lake Seneca? Not really my speed I need to hit things periodically (I guess I shoulda been a drummer). Who do you play with in the area?

First time I saw Kansas was for my 17th Birthday also in '76 at Cap Centre. Went straight from Lacrosse practice (remember that thing about hitting) and I was a fan.

[tkeune2003]

Say whatever you want but 33 years later I recall this show was off-kilter. I still love their music but those shows gave me the impression they weren't very good on the road. I may only be an amateur musician (mostly) but I'm at least qualified to express my opinion of a show that I saw and heard completely sober. I was too toasted at the '76 concert to have an opinion about that one.

[rickyon]

I will close with this, this recording has not been doctored in any way and is exactly as I remember it as if it was yesterday. Walsh running around on stage from congas to keys to the mic. was certainly impressive. Finally the band setting down their instruments as the music continued without a seam to indicate where the tape was started and then the crowd going nuts. You live with your memories and I will live with mine and this recording.

[tkeune2003]

@rickyon Fair enough. You will note that I remain a fan.

I am sensitive enough that a small change in the speed of a a singer is noticable. I'd noddled out melody line for "Carry on Wayward Son" on Trumpet.

[rickyon]

Aside from a faulty memory (Just kidding!) we have a lot in common. We are both Kansas fans, musicians and we both attended one of these shows (both in your case). Did you live in Md. at the time of this show? I Still do. Unfortunately I no longer go to concerts because they cost too much. I did see Robin Trower a couple of months ago. I retired from music in 1989 and started playing again about a year ago. I'm in 2 bands now and having a blast! Drummer and backing vocals.

[tkeune2003]

@rickyon I grew up in Columbia so Merriweather was a big part of my life. Now reside in MoCo.

I know what you mean about tickets but Wolf Trap and the Birchmere are pretty reasonable places to see shows (~50/seat). The Strathmore in Bethesda is about the most beautiful venue I've seen (I wonder what it's like for performers. My instruments (Sax, Trumpet, Baritone) aren't real good for small groups so its the Community Band scene for me.

[rickyon]

I always wanted to play in a big band but sight reading just isn't my bag.I was in all tyhe bands in school.Pep band,Marching band, Symphonic band.So I just beat the hell out of my drums and play rock. Because I'm so old the rock I play is called classic rock now. I just call it great music. If you haven't seen them (hard to miss) I've posted a bunch of vids of my band Arsen from back in the '80s.

[tkeune2003]

@rickyon Dude you haven't lived until you've sight read and sight transposed (C to Bb) Christmas Music in Church. Lots of Fun.

[rickyon]

The guitar player in one of the bands I'm in now is fresh off a stint in a big church band.

[rickyon]

I think I just figured out why the volume drops off when they switch to the tape. Could it be because it was post effects or after the board feed which he used for the recording and all you get is the ambient venue volume and not the tape? Just guessing. He obviously wasn't mixing for the tape because it was already mixed. Not to beat a dead horse (something I do a lot) but here's what Jeff Glixman said of this recording..."Yet another example of the band's consistency during these years......

[rickyon]

.....This is a live performance of "Sparks of the Tempest" one of several shows recorded at Merriweather Post Pavilion,Md.Those who were at the show will relate to the end of the song where the band starts to fall apart. The re-intro that occurs is actually on tape. Kansas played on,and 1 by 1 the members put down their instruments and left the stage, leaving the tape performance winding down through the house system. What an ending. (House system?) that might explain it being in the background?

[GRILLBUOY101]

@tkeune2003 hello im here cause i been a kansas fan since i was like 8.my big brother was the kansas guru. my first concert was at the merriweather in 76 we went there to see kansas. me, mom, brother ,aunt, uncle and 2 cousins it was so loud we almost pooped ourselves as soon as the openiong act hit a note.lol.anyway the place was a 1 foot thick cloud of pot smoke in there i think we all had contact buzzes going on it was insane im sure my brother loved it since he was a baker. im still a rock

[GRILLBUOY101]

@tkeune2003 im in mo cty too  germantown i still play kansas now and sabbath and all classic rock and metal i like prog metal too nothing else no country or pop or rap.lol

[tkeune2003]

@rickyon That mixing board in the next to last pane looks a lot like the equipment I watched between shows July 1978. 

[rickyon]

Back in the day that was state of the art and prohibitively expensive. It's a big dinosaur now. That picture is a promo shot for the Leftoverture album. The mixing console is in The Studio In The Country in Bogalusa,Louisiana. They recorded Masque,Leftoverture and part of Point Of Know Return there. They left during POKR because Stevie Wonder had it before them and changed it badly for the worse!

[tkeune2003]

@rickyon I recall the Road Manager saying the board was a worth Quarter Million or more which is why they wanted it guarded. My first paid over nighter.

[tkeune2003]

All I know is what I heard. I just figured they had used studio tricks on their albums that didn't work so well on the road on a cool evening outside in Symphony Woods. I am still a fan but my ear is pretty even by Professional standards (or so I've been told by a retired USMC bandsman of 26 yrs) and my post represents my recollections.

[rickyon]

I'm not disputing that they could of had an off night. What I have an issue with is that you said they were horrible, notably bad, off key and sour most of the night.I was, at the time, a professional sound engineer so I have credentials although that proves nothing. In the 6 shows that I saw in 1976,1977,1978,1981,1982 and 1996 the only thing that was ever "notably" off was either the speed of a song or Walsh's vocals which were never off key but just plain toasted from singing so much.

[rickyon]

Of course each individual player made mistakes, all musicians do but nothing that would prompt calling them horrible. Your statement that they are great studio musicians but not always perfect on the road is closer to wrong than right. I have access to hundreds of recorded shows and I assure you that not one of them could be classified as horrible. You'd think that a couple would be bad but there are no examples of a horrible show that I've heard.

[tkeune2003]

I spent the night between shows at Merriweather watching the recording equipment. They needed some security guy to stay with it overnight and I needed the cash so I spent the night in Merriweather all alone.

[rickyon]

I was at one of these shows and I remember a little differently. I saw them in 1976 at the Cap Center opening for Bad Comp. I saw them at DAR Constitution Hall. I saw them 4 times at MPP and I would classify none of those shows as horrible! Off key and sour? I don't think that I could ever say that about any of their shows. I've posted at least 100 live songs from the early 6 original members and the most I can say is that they would play songs fast. Almost all of those shows were impressive!

[thelurkingbat]

my brother was backstage at this show. still swears up and down to this day that the whole show was prerecorded. I keep telling him that he doesn't know what he's talking about but I also have spent the last 27 years telling him that I don't paint guitars either...

...and he STILL keeps asking.

^0o^

[rickyon]

I was also at this show though not fortunate enough to be backstage. I can assure you that only the end of this song was pretaped and it was done so well that when they switched from the band live to the tape you could not tell. Each band member set down their instruments and walked off the stage with the music apparently continuing without them. They always did something tricky or goofy at their shows. Once they disappeared. Once a naked guy came out and danced in a strobelight!

[tkeune2003]

@rickyon I agree with your Brother. I was in the Pavilion working security and either they did some magic on that Master or this was not recorded at Merriweather. I love Kansas!  Still DO!!

At those shows they were off key and sounded sour most of the night. I also saw them at Cap Centre in '76 for my birthday (General Admission) and they ROCKED!! but those two nights at MWPP they were horrible. I worked over 100 shows at Merriweather and I've heard crap but Kansas was notably bad.

[rickyon]

To think that they would possibly sync an entire show is ridiculous. Kansas was known for nailing their songs, no matter how difficult, live. I've posted enough evidence spread out over 30 years of shows, a vast majority in the time frame of this show, to prove that. Tell me why a band would nail their performances night after night and then suddenly sing off key and sound horrible? A bad live performance for Kansas would still put a lot of other bands to shame.

[tkeune2003]

@rickyon Actually as I think on it what I heard (and I was completely sober having been working that show) would suggest that they hadn't faked it they were just having a bad night. At least that was the way it sounded at the fence. I think I stick with my original thought - great studio musicians not always perfect on the road.

[shire2005]

The monolith photo tells you something was different with the band. What rock stars in the 70s were photographed in jackets and ties?

Something happened from the Point of know return to Monolith. Like they grew up or something as they were about to turn 30. Still a great band doing great music but the rifts were starting.

[jgcaesar4]

By Jove rickyon, you've done it again.

Cheers,

jg

[rickyon]

Pip pip, cheerio and all that sort of rot!

Hail Caesar!

[tmharte]

Rickyon:

This recording is so excellent. I saw Kansas on the Leftoverture tour, the POKR tour, and the Two for the Show, in Illinois. This makes it almost like you're there. Craziness!

[rickyon]

Haha! I was there! But I know what you mean. This is a bonus track from the remastered "Point Of Know Return" CD. The band played here 2 nights and recorded both nights. You can see my ticket stub from this show on my Facebook page.

[mweiford]

Point of Know Return tour...Kansas at their zenith.

[rickyon]

This was actually the 2 for the show tour but close enough!

[rickyon]

Actually it was the Two For The Show tour but close enough! Agreed Kansas was at their Pinnacle if you will!

[kattavia92dva]

Is this John Elefante or Steve Walsh?

[rickyon]

The song opens with Robbie Steinhardt singing the verse and Walsh comes in with "They mold you and shape you so watch what you do" etc. back to Steinhardt and they trade back and forth some . This was 4 years or so before Elefante joined the band.

[arjis06]

Robbie Stienhardt and Steve Walsh

John joined the band much later

[flattireproduction2]

Awesome Band!

[rickyon]

Hey Justin, is that you playing the guitar?

[spinalcrackerbox]

Which year was this?

[rickyon]

This show was on July 12,1978. I was 10th row right center and the ticket was $8.50.

[spinalcrackerbox]

Wow! That happened to be my 16th birthday.

Thanks for your reply. I've certainly rediscovered Kansas these past months and will now buy my first product, the remastered version of "Two for the Show".

[rickyon]

That's a great start to your new Kansas collection! Anything up to and including " Vinyl Confessions" will be good purchases. After that most of their stuff is good but you have to give some of it time to grow on you. There's lots of stuff on you-tube where Kansas is concerned! Happy hunting!

[rickyon]

I'm sorry, I meant to say July 8th not the 12th.

[kansasnutt]

I really like that picture of Kansas in the studio...,wish I could get a poster of that

[rickyon]

You may be in luck! The guys last name that took the photo is Corbis. If you Google his name you may find a way to order a poster of that image.

[am2boni]

Very awesome song!!! Thanks for sharing!!!

[rickyon]

You're welcome.

[TOWLIBAN32123]

*me rolls up a cone head*

Lovely