Customer Reviews

Kansas - Device, Voice, Drum

5 star:		(71)
4 star:		(15)
3 star:		(9)
2 star:		(4)
1 star:		(6)

 

 

Ignore the knuckleheads with their irrelevant reviews. I've been a Kansas fan forever, and thoroughly enjoyed the DVD. I've seen them live three times in the 70's and 80's, and no, this isn't quite as good as those shows, but it still rocks, and is a MUST-HAVE for any Kansas fan, even the casual one. Religion and stage distractions aside, here's what I thought of the DVD:

1. Video: 3 out of 5. They used some kind of grainy effect in the production of the video, I suppose to give it an extra artistic look. Not my cup of tea. The shots they used, and the fact that they stayed on the band members for a reasonable amount of time was good (as opposed to some concerts I've watched where they bounce back and forth so quickly you get a headache).

2. Audio: 4.5 out of 5. Excellent sound. Not quite up to "Hell Freezes Over" (Eagles) or "In the Flesh" (Roger Waters), but very enjoyable and a good use of all 5.1 channels. I would have liked to have been able to hear Robbie Steinhardt's violin a little better. Phil Ehart's drums will knock you out of your chair.

3. Instruments. 5 out of 5. Awesome. These guys haven't lost a single beat when it comes to playing their gear. Steve Walsh was excellent on keyboards, and Richard Williams was awesome on lead guitar.

4. Vocals. 4 out of 5 because of Robbie Steinhardt. I agree that Steve Walsh should have kept the ad-libbing to a minimum, though he was still very good. Robbie was AWESOME on Cheyenne Anthem and Child of Innocence in particular.

5. Song Selection. 4 out of 5. Some great tunes, and certainly most of their biggest hits. Point of No Return, He Knew, Carry On Wayward Son, Song for America, (and more) - not a bad set list at all.

6. Audience - a bunch of old farts like me. What were you expecting, a bunch of 15 year-olds?

Seriously, if you've ever been a Kansas Fan, or think you might be, get this DVD. You won't be disappointed.

I have been a Kansas fan since 1973, when I saw a video on Don Kirshner's Rock Palace. I have seen them 5 times over the years, but only once since 1982. Interesting story on how I last saw them in 2003, when I purchased the DVD, (on Robby's recommendation).
In November 2003 I stopped in a Wegman's Market in Nazareth Pennsylvania for lunch with my family. I looked over in the sub shop aisle and I saw this guy with long, curly, wild, reddish hair and a beard. You don't see that much anymore, and I looked again. It looked like Robby Steinhardt, but I was about 75 feet away, so I wasn't sure. I moved closer and by now the guy saw me staring at him. I figured I would talk to him and appologize on the front end for bothering him and staring, if it wasn't him. Well it was Robby, and we spent the next 30 minutes talking about many things. He couldn't have been nicer. He was there with his wife and manager. What a class act! At the end of the conversation he asked me if I would like tickets to see Kansas play. Of course I said yes, even though we had just had a death in the family. He offered me tickets either in Camden NJ that night or in Reading PA the next night. I took the tickets to Reading, and he said he would leave them at the Will Call window. He also wrote a nice note to my son who was 8 years old at the time, and was taking violin lessons. To make a long story shorter, I went to the concert and the tickets turned out to be 4 tickets, 2nd row center. What a concert, just incredible. Robby sent his manager out at intermission to ask me if the seats were ok. Again what a class act!!!!! I found out later when I returned to Wegman's at a later time, that after we left, someone had a camera, and Robby spent another 20 minutes taking pictures with the many fans who realized who he was, after they saw me and my family talking to him. Again what a class act!

Now for the DVD review: What can I say? This is the best one I have ever seen! The band is incredible. Everyone should own this, even if they are not particularly Kansas fans, just to see what incredible musicianship is about. Phil Ehart has to be the best drummer of his era. Steve Walsh does a superb job on the vocals and keyboards. Rich Williams does a fine job on the guitars, he is not quite a fluid and flowing as Kerry but he is extremely credible and solid, especially since he is covering 2 parts. Billy Greer is very good and extremely likeable as well. To describe Robby Steinhardt: words just do not do justice. His technical expertise, his phrasing and sensitivity are beyond any musician of the era. He is equally comfortable playing Kansas songs or playing in concert orchestra, which he did prior to joining Kansas. His playing is the stuff that legends are written about.
Negatives: I could have done without the anamatronic virtual machine sequences. It spoiled Miracles Out Of Nowhere for me. I would have liked to see the musicians performing, not a computer generated machine. I would have loved to see People Of The South Wind included in the song selections, but you can't have everything.
Positives: Everything else, but especially a tremendously tight and virtuosous performance of Journey From Marriabonne, Dust In The Wind with the string quartet, and Howling At The Moon. No other band or individual musicians Hendrix, Clapton, Page, ELP, Tull or any other can come close to Kansas as a band or especially to Steinhardt and Ehart a individuals!!!!!

PERSONAL RATING - I give DEVICE-VOICE-DRUM by KANSAS five stars. If the performance itself were a bit closer to two hours in length (it runs about 103 minutes, including animated intro and closing credits), I would likely try to CHEAT and rank it with six stars!

PERFORMANCE HIGHLIGHTS AND COMMENTS - The band's overall "tightness" especially in the highly syncopated and faster paced passages (Icarus II, Cheyenne Anthem, Portrait - He Knew) does not suffer in the slightest; the choir accompaniment (The Preacher) blends marvelously with the band's sound; both the string quartet and the candle-light/laser-light effects make Dust in the Wind beautiful to hear AND lovely to behold; Phil Ehart's expertise (drums, percussion) is evident throughout the performance (especially in songs such as Journey from Mariabronn, Portrait - He Knew, and Miracles out of Nowhere); Billy Greer's performance (bass, harmony, some lead vocals on Fight Fire With Fire and Play the Game Tonight), although sadly "overlooked" at times within the DVD, is outstanding; Robby Steinhardt's playing (violin) and singing (both harmony and lead) is in strong form. . .excellent on-stage "presence"; Steve Walsh's vocals (lead vocal, keyboards), in terms of both tone and strength, are much improved since "Live at the Whiskey" (1992) and seem to improve as THIS performance runs its course; Rich Williams (guitar, acoustic guitar) is as precise and meticulous as ever.

DVD "SPECIAL" FEATURES - The animated features, including a short DVD "extra" and a short animated segment within the concert itself (which, frankly, could have been left out. . .I would have preferred continuing to watch the band's performance!) are, like KANSAS, unique and special; "interviews" with band members and others, though brief, are insightful and interesting; the "discography" will be of interest to long-time fans and relative newcomers - it neatly summarizes the group's nearly 30-year-long recording history!

PERSONAL REMARKS - This DVD offers the obvious "hits" for those who might be less familiar with KANSAS, but also displays the life and blood of the group; the unique sounds and rhythms that have always been KANSAS trademarks. DEVICE-VOICE-DRUM will likely convince anyone who is inclined to watch that - after nearly 30 years of recording and "in concert" experience - this is (still) KANSAS. . .and KANSAS is (still) a band!

This is a must have DVD for fans of progressive music. Kansas' performance on this night was superb and the energy in each of the songs is thrilling. The band is showing that after 30 years in the business they still have what it takes to deliver a standout show for their fans.

If you like good music and a great concert, this is for you!

This is one of the best, if not the best, concert DVDs I have ever seen. The editing is superb. There is nothing worse than watching a DVD of a band you love and having the camera locked on the lead singer during a guitar solo. There is none of that on this fine DVD.

Before this DVD, my favorite concert DVD was from Dream Theater, which excels on sheer musicianship alone. But the production quality was dismal. Not so with the this Kansas DVD. I was very impressed with the camera work that would slowly rotate around Robbie as he sang and played against the starry background. The lighting, special effects and computer animations were complementary and not distracting.

The playing was nearly flawless. Seeing Steve Walsh playing Kerry Livgrin's parts, you really start to appreciate just how talented he is. Although Walsh doesn't have the range he once had, he proves that he is still one of the best voices in rock. Phil Ehart also demonstrates that he is the most underrated drummer in rock. I've only listened in Dolby stereo so far and the sound quality is fabulous. The violin and keys were a little low in some parts but still very distinct. The band plays new arraignments of familiar songs including the addition of a string quartet on "Dust in the Wind" and turned the "Howling at the Moon" section of Magnum Opus into wonderful standalone song. Overall, this is outstanding concert DVD.

The first album I ever owned was "Point of Know Return", and Kansas ended up providing most of the "soundtrack" of my life from my early teens through early twenties. For the last several years, however, I've probably only listened to a Kansas tune once every three or four months (not counting listening to myself trying to pick out "Dust in the Wind" on my guitar), and just a week before this DVD was released I told myself I had to stop buying albums out of brand loyalty to a once-favorite band. I bought this DVD anyway, and I'm very glad I did.

It was an eye-opener to see my one-time idols not just as still photos on album jackets or as distant figures on a stage on the opposite end of a large arena from me at a concert but as musicians performing up-close and talking about their music in the accompanying interviews. I don't know what's the proper word for their quality of playing (Tight? Crisp?), but I was impressed. The DVD has a very moving and serious feel to it. I particularly enjoyed the gospel choir that performed on "The Preacher"; that was a nice touch. And I repent of ever thinking that a Kansas with Billy Greer in it is not the genuine article.

Watching "Device Voice Drum", I was reminded of an interview of Steve Hackett in the early days of MTV in which he said that Steve Walsh (who had performed on one of Hackett's solo albums) had the perfect white, rock voice. There's no denying that Walsh's voice is different now, but then we've all changed in the last 20 years, haven't we? Steve was blessed with a rare gift, and I've spent the days since first watching this DVD replacing all my old vinyl Kansas albums with CDs so as to get to listen to more of his sweet voice.

All in all, "Device Voice Drum" filled me with an overwhelming sense of gratitude to these gentlemen for enriching my life with their talents.

I was always a casual fan of Kansas, but never thought of them as the fathers of American progressive rock. That is until I picked up their two disc 'boxed set". After that, I got the two disc "Devise, Voice, Drums" set and finally this DVD. The playing is breathtaking. Those who know only the hits will be surprised. The DVD is expertly filmed and recorded and the extras are very welcome. I now will work my way backwards through the Kansas catalog!

I recently purchased this DVD after reading all the reviews here on Amazon and was just a bit sceptical of what to expect, regarding Steve's voice and the picture quality. But now that I had the pleasure to see it all myself my worries prove to be unfounded. Granted, Steve's voice is not the same anymore as it was 20 or so years ago, but he seems to know it and deals with it accordingly by slightly changing some melody lines and by doing so makes the songs sound fresher at times if not necessarily better. And ok, there's the odd glitch like at the beginning of 'dust in the wind' (am I the only one who noticed that ?). But overall still very good.
Musically the band sounds absolutely terrific. Phil Ehart surely must be one of the most fantastic and strangely underrated drummers ever, Robby Steinhardt is a master on the violin, Rich Williams does a great job basically covering his own and Kerry Livgren's guitar lines (even though it would have been a treat to have Kerry there at least as a guest) and Billy Greer doing a great job on the bass. The band sounds as if they really enjoyed doing what they were doing playing with heart and singing with emotion. Yes, who said you can't rock when you're 52! Song selection is near perfect, though it would not have hurt to see more of the newer material and what about 'hold on'.
I have no problem with the quality of the picture. I watch it on a 102-inch projector screen and it looks absolutely fine. The production is superb with close-ups and band shot from the distance perfectly mixed.
All in all a great DVD that I would wholeheartetly recommend to every Kansas fan and anybody who loves rock music. Go and buy it.

I write this because I want to make one point: Those reviewers who expect Walsh to have the same interpretation and vocal timbre as he did in the 70s I believe are missing the depth of his latest interpretations as heard on Device Voice Drum. I think previous reviewers are so stuck on the old Walsh they mistakenly call his new interpretations "experiments" or signs of struggle. Actually, I like his new chops a lot. Walsh conveys tremendous soul and depth with his new interpretations of the songs.

Sure, the timbre and strength of Walsh's voice have changed over the years--as with the voices of Ray Charles, Stevie Wonder, and so on, who all went on to make great records even after experiencing voice changes. I was momentarily surprised at the tone of Walsh's voice when the first song began on the DVD, but that was because I hadn't heard him since the old days. It only took me a moment to adjust to his new sound. He sounds differently now, yes, but he sings beautifully now too.

As someone with a limited tolerance for Kansas's musical forms, while watching this DVD I was surprised to find that Walsh's vocal melodies were piercing me to the heart. That's the mark of a great singer, which I believe Walsh is.

Again, as a non-fan I have no agenda in defending Walsh. But I have to admit on this video his capacity to convey emotions and to execute good new interpretations blew me away.

I've seen many concert videos, and Device Voice Drum is in my opinion the best yet. Not only do the Kansas members play great songs with great skill, but the sound is just fantastic. You can hear everything; none of the instruments or vocals get muddled in the mix. The sound on this DVD is definitely better than any other concert footage that I've watched.
After I viewed this video I kept thinking that it's too bad that a generation of kids are growing up exposed to many acts with often so little talent as musicians. I remember "back in the day" when most musicians in a band actually had to know how to play an instrument beyond a few extremely loud barred chords and screaming into the microphone. They actually had to sing instead of talk or scream. They were known for their music and musicianship rather than for how "cute" they were. They actually wrote their own songs. The band members actually had to play complicated parts on their instruments instead of having some producer hire session players and people to sequence (that means a computer plays the song, not the people)a bunch of drum and synthesizer loops. In Kansas you have a group of guys who are all very talented, and they play some of the greatest and most musical rock music ever written. The music that these fifty year old guys play blows away the music that is produced by the younger groups out there today. In my opinion Kerry Livgren (the ex-member who wrote most of their songs and still collaborates with Kansas from time to time)is one of the greatest composers of the rock genre. His songs are so well crafted, and they shine on this DVD.
Some of the other reviewers have commented that the picture quality on Device Voice Drum is too grainy for their tastes. That's because the concert was shot using film instead of video tape. I personally think that film looks so much better than using video, and I'm glad that Kansas didn't go the cheaper route and shoot using video cameras. For those people who wrote that the picture was too grainy all I can say is come on, it's not that bad. You gotta be really nit picky for that to bother you; those are probably some of the same people who always find something to complain about with their food at a restaurant.
So, if you're a Kansas fan, or if you've never heard their music,
or if you're a musician who can appreciate and be inspired by
great played well written music, order a copy of Device Voice Drum. I highly doubt that you would be disappointed. This is definitely a DVD worth adding to your music collection.