BEST OF KANSAS LIVE (VHS) [AKA: LIVE CONFESSIONS DVD]

Although here we get to see a much younger band (20 years younger than in Device Voice Drum, which is a lot) this was not my favourite period of the band, the filming is not very good and neither is the tracklist. Filmed in Nebraska during the Vinyl Confessions tour in 1982 we have the band fronted by John Elefante, undoubtedly a talented singer and multi- instrumentalist but I never liked him much. His voice while not objectively too different from Steve Walsh's was just different enough to provide a different character to the band leaning more to American arena rock in the style of Journey or Boston, and his stage behaviour and body language was not my cup of tea. Guest musician Warren Ham provided support on sax, flute, harmonica, additional keyboards and backing vocals and while normally this should be a good thing, I get the feeling that he does not really fit with the band's traditional sound. On the plus side Kerry Livgren was still there and in good shape. Dave Hope was still on bass although we barely get to see him.

The track list focuses on the more commercial and arena-rock side of the band and this is the main drawback. We get nearly the whole Vinyl Confessions album, two tracks from Audio- Visions and some of the few older songs are rockers or headbangers like 'Sparks Of The Tempest' or 'Down The Road', and of course the obligatory 'Dust In The Wind' and 'Carry On Wayward Son'.

The highlights are 'Paradox', 'Mysteries and Myhem' and 'Portrait', but this is really too little in an 85 minute concert.

The filming is a bit dark and grainy, with very few sharp takes on the instruments playing, and most camera time is given to Elefante, Seinhardt and Livgren, while the great Phil Ehart sadly gets nearly none. I very much prefer 'Device Voice Drum' or 'There's Know Place Like Home'.