DEVICE - VOICE - DRUM (DVD)

When I heard thaht Kansas had released a live DVD I just went to the store right away and bought it without even bothering to know what was all about. After all, to see Kansas live was - up till tenn - something very hard to happen specially if you´re living outside the usual live circuit where you can actually go to their concerts (which is my and my compatriots case). Device-Voice-Drum, however, is not really a dream come true affair like Nightwish´s From Whishes To Eternity or IQ´s Forever Live, just to name two. It´s not bad at all either. It has positive and negative points.

On the positive side: they are in great form, the setlist has some fantastic, complex songs they play like it was a child´s play. The sound is wonderful, very well balanced and clear. They respect the original arrangements and the few novelties work very well (like the added strings on Dust In the Wind). The lightning and stage are also very good. And, boy, do those guys like to play! You can see in their eyes that they just love it! The inclusion of two Elefante-era AOR hit singles are a treat for fans, even if they are in a medley format. The vocal parts are stunning, they know how to reproduce those studio harmonies with cirurgical precision (they gained an extra punch with Billy Greer´s help).

On the negative side: the video images are not the best, a bit dark and grainy. Nothing too bad, but could be better. Walsh´s vocals are not the same anymore: the guy who once had one of the most beautiful voices ever in rock music now struggles to hit some high notes. The years of heavy drinking and drugs has taken their toll. And yet, he is still a fine singer and delivers a good perfomance overall. And I was too pissed when I realized they don´t play the whole Pinnacle, but only a small instrumental portion of it. They could have played it all, as it is one of Kansas best songs ever. They could have also dropped Howling At The Moon and The Preacher, but otherwise the repertoire is fantastic. The public is a bit too quiet for a live concert too, isn´t it? And, to top it all, I miss Kerry Livgren on the stage.

Until the recently 30 year anniversary video, this was the only official live document of the band and it is a must have for any Kansas fan. You may wish Kerry Livgren would be on it (no chance!) and the setlist won´t ever totally satisfy everybody, but those guys can put on a good show! Not real ideal due the flaws I pointed out above, but Device-Voice-Drum is still is very good. 4 stars.