A great voice, but sadly ravaged by a steady flow of chemicals, time, and life on the road. I was one of the 2 Tour Managers for Kansas from 1989-1999 along with Buck Holmes (and won't mention which one), and was running with the Band during this show and this tour. Steve actually was a Health Nut for 2 years before this and I woke him up at 7 am each day and he worked out most mornings. You can see here, he was skinny, but pretty ripped. He got into the coke heavily and was hard to manage. I used to find him sleeping in the closet of our tour bus. I'd load him up on a luggage cart (we took from The Marriott Hotel in Texas) and I'd wheel him through the Hotel, up the elevator, to his room. I put a tarp over the cart so nobody knew he was under there, but he would be blurt out things and screamed crazy things from under the tarp. I would get stares, but it was usually 2 am in the morning. He started getting crazy and wouldn't listen to reason toward the end of the Tour. The Jean Jacket he wore on stage in this video he would wear all the time, with a pair of white running shorts and an Indian Feathered Head Dress and would run around the parking lot. The hotel we stayed at cleaned his jean jacket that he's wearing in this video, and apparently left it in the dryer way too long. It was delivered to his room and it had shrunk to 1/2 it's original size! It used to hang down to the top of his jeans, but look at it HERE, it barely fit! I told him NOT to wear it, but he wouldn't listen to me and after a bottle of Jack and a 1/2 gram of coke, he snuck out on stage blown out of his mind, wearing the Jean Jacket the Hotel left in the Dryer too long, and consequently shrunk TWO Sizes Too Small! That's why I always Laugh when I see this video! Great Guy Steve was and we had an Absolute Blast, it was a magical time I will always cherish! But I wish I could have kept the group going for longer. Whenever he would look at me and say, "I want to Kiss the White Capped Mountain Tops Pappy", which was the "CODE" for I better have some fresh "Powder" ready to go in the dressing room. As a gift, at the end of the Tour, Steve gave me that Jean Jacket, and when I had my first son, at age 5, he would put on this jean jacket and run around the house, wearing Steve's Famous Jean Jacket. It always put a Smile on my Face! Kansas is an AMAZING Band, and Steve is a Talent that rarely comes Around
I wonder how many people have made youtube posts claiming to know the answer regarding the demise of Steve's voice. Most people who claim to be authorities on Steve's voice swear up and down that the decline of Steve's voice was due to years of drug abuse. This is especially true of certain overtly religious Livgren fans who still harbor resentment for Steve leaving the band in 1980 because he didn't want to be the singer for a Christian Rock band. Apparently some want to believe that Steve is being punished for rejecting God and choosing a lifestyle that embraced the use of drugs. While the "Whiskey video" was certainly proof that drugs can ruin a night's performance, I'm not sure that drugs alone will destroy your vocal cords. I doubt anybody, including his doctors, can pinpoint one single thing that led to the demise of Steve's voice. I will give you credit for coming to the conclusion that it was a combination of things.. I agree! I also think it was a combination of things. One thing you didn't mention was his singing style and the fact that he would intentionally strain his voice on certain songs. This was especially true in the early 80's when he sang for Streets. On some of those songs he sounded like he was in pain and had just gargled with razor blades.
I saw this tour in Houston; they played at a hole in the wall bar called The Hop. I sneeked around the back entrance after the show and caught the band relaxing after the show. Steve was sick and could barely sing and he went immediately to the tour bus. I sat around and talked to Richie for awhile as he drank a bottle of Crown. These guys are pretty down to earth and it something I'll never forget even though the true genius behind Kansas was Kerry.
I love Kansas and this is a great song that America would have loved had it been played as much as it deserved. I am so glad that Kansas embodies the American spirit and just never gave up. Just saw them in Syracuse and they are still great!!!!
You know i dont know of many bands who did not do drugs at one time or another-for Gods sake quit belittling him. He's cleaned his act up! Frankly i am impressed with his handstands! People need to look at themselves sometimes!
AMAZING Violin at the end of the song. I took a bus from Vancouver Island to Seattle (with my new girlfriend) to see their show a week or so after this gig. Great time, great band. Great great great all around !
on a web site Steve Walsh admitted this was his worst time with the drug thing, and he said he was really embarrased with this show in particular ,...hes an honest guy and a great singer and he apologised to everyone for this time in his life
Phil Ehart the unsung hero...IMHO the best drummer ever. The drum lines in Kansas are highly complex and he plays them with no effort, Love Bruford, Collins , Manu Katche, etc styles, but Ehart is UNIQUE.
my indoor drumline is doing a kansas medley consisting of song for america/magnum opus/ dust in the wind the wall/ carry on my wayward son our show is only seven mins but damn i sure would love to do all of those songs and more in their entirety, these guys are definitely one of the most underrated "garage" bands
I DID THIS SAME SHOW IN SEPT. 92, and STEVE was on that night! it was their last show! somebody asked what happened to DAVE HOPE? HE WAS SITTIN IN THE BALCONY WITH ME? in FORT WALTON BEACH,FL., HE LIVES IN DESTIN,FL.and doin well and so does JEFF CARLISI former guitar with 38 special!!
I saw this lineup in Bangor Maine about this time...they were awesome....Steve is just an incredible showman, and the others just very talented musicians. I love this song and album! They were so far ahead of their time (along with Rush) compared to most 80's bands who live in 4/4 time for every song!
There's been some permanent damage due to age, wear, tear and the drugs, but he's restored a good plenty of his range over the years. 'Course, like back in the day, he still has the slight problem of preserving his voice through tours. He'll sound worn out not because his voice is flawed, but he puts too much out from the beginning of tours. Oh well. In any case, glad to hear your voice is better, Steve. And as you said it, also glad you give up "all that silly shit." :P
@RICHGREENNOW He's cleaned up rather nicely since this time period and still rocks today at the tender age of 60! (his birthday was yesterday) In his prime you could count on one hand any who could match his vocal prowess!
Rich Williams is a wall of a man and a wall of amazing guitar tone! So underrated - he played most of their signature leads, not Livgren (also great composer and player).
Hey Steve.....one less line or two of coke please. I think I'm going to throw up!! LOL Sad....really sad. He was a beautiful man with great talent and angel like voice. Glad he's in remission.
Asshole! Steve has just released a new song and his voice sounds pretty good. Maybe he just needed some time off to rest his voice. I'm sure that getting away from certain so-called Kansas fans who were killing his self-confidence has done wonders for his voice, too.
@@ivanmelgar920We all make our mistakes, and hopefully learn our lessons through them. I'm glad Steve got his act together before he died in a freak snowstorm.
Oh, and I never said that he did! Trust me, nothing can compare to his voice before he formed "Streets." What I am saying, though, is that compared to how he was in the early-to-mid-nineties... he's really improved. This version versus the one in "Device, Voice, Drum," no contest. His voice has plenty of permanent damage, no doubt, but it's certainly healed over the years he's laid of the drugs and the touring. His voice does get tired, though, so of course he hits the notes "sometimes." :P
These guys are so bloody good, even in this evolved iteration. Has a tighter band ever graced the stage? On par, in my humble opinion, with prog giants Yes, ELP, Floyd, Genesis, Dream Theater et al. An older and ever enthusiastic, effusive Steve is on fire this night.
I really feel everyone talking about Steve's drug problem back then is a bit cheap.. Hey... we did not walk in this man's shoes. This is something he did and needed to do back then. Glad to see and hear him playing and singing so well today.
wrong note yes not the bass but the fiddle player, that's a great observation thanks for the heads up, I love the fact that someone has an ear for the right notes.
"There's too much coke, too much smoke, look what's going on inside you. OOOH That Smell" Like Kerry Livgren, Ronnie felt a lot of anguish in what was happening to his band mates. Unlike Kerry, Ronnie was killed before his efforts could result in a positive outcome for Allen Collins who was the primary subject of "That Smell". Steve is still with us and likely still struggling to put all of that crap in his rearview mirror. Steve, best wishes from a lifelong fan and former resident of your hometown St. Joe. Ronnie, we miss you. He has been gone almost as long as the King.
@fligemon I hate it when people make shit up. Gary Rossington (not Allen Collins) was the one who inspired the lyrics to "That Smell". Ronnie wrote the lyrics to "That Smell", shortly after an incident in which an intoxicated Gary Rossington hit an oak tree ("oak tree you're in my way"). Gary was lucky that he wasn't seriously hurt or worse. Ronnie wrote "That Smell" to warn the other band members (who also partied a lot) that they might be next. As for Allen Collins, he wrote the music to "That Smell". Several years later (after the plane crash), Allen was drinking and driving and had a bad car wreck that left him a paraplegic and ended his musical career. Too bad he didn't heed the warning. As for Kerry Livgren feeling a lot of Anguish toward his band members, when Kerry was in Kansas, it was Dave Hope who was having the most problems with drugs. Thanks to Kerry and Jeff Pollard, Dave found the Lord and conquered his demons. As for Steve, it wasn't until the 1990's when his drug problem began to seriously impact his career. Kerry was not in the band at that time.
@@edcollins9377Wasn't the direction that Kerry was taking the band the reason for Steve's departure? The way I heard it was that while Kerry was running toward the lord, Steve was running from him. Dave heeded the call, but unfortunately Steve didn't, at least for a long time. I met all but Steve once, and they all seemed to be great guys.
@@davidmccall4776 You summed it up very well. On their Monolith tour, Kansas took on the band Le Roux as their opening act. There were several Christians in Le Roux, including their leader Jeff Pollard, and Kerry started hanging out with them because they followed Jesus. Kerry wanted to tell them about the Jesus in the Urantia book. They wanted to help Kerry break away from Urantia. Well, the guys in LeRoux won. When Kerry finally heard the call, he experienced an immediate and a very intense conversion and it totally changed his life. Thus, he became a born-again Christian. His solo album "Seeds of Change", which came shortly after his conversion (it was released in July 1980) was testament to the change Kerry went through. Two months after the release of his solo album, Kansas released "Audio Visions",which opened with a song Kerry wrote called "Relentless". On one hand, "Relentless" was a powerful rocker with a lot of muscular guitar riffs, but it also contained a very powerful and personal lyric. Being the opening cut on the album, it introduced the new Kerry. Here is the first verse and chorus: "In the time we spent together many words have passed between And the feelings that we shared are all behind us now 'Cause a change has come upon me and I'm surely not the same There is so much more than what we feel and live every day Relentless, unchanging, Though the world is still before me now I'm seeing forever, I will keep my heart and mind with you So joyously I'm waiting for the day In the first 2 lines of that song, Kerry tells his Kansas fans, "I know you think you know me through the words in my songs, but the old Kerry is no longer and I have a new message to share now." He continues, "I've found the God I've been looking for, and he has completely changed my life. He has given me eternal life. From here on, I will use the lyrics in my songs to introduce you to him and I'll be relentless about it.. Thus, Kerry uses this song to tell both his fans and his bandmates that he has found God and God has made a profound change in his life. Although he'll continue to play rock music, his lyrics will tout the glory of God. As you said, Steve was not "a born-again Christian". He grew up as a Catholic and I think he still believed in God, but he wasn't a born again Christian like Livgren. Livgren wanted to play "Christian Rock music" (Rock music with lyrics that praised God). Apparently, Steve didn't feel the same. Perhaps, he felt that the band would lose many of its fans. I remember reading an interview with Geddy Lee from the mid-80's that had relevance to this situation. I'm not going to dig up the interview (even if I could find it), but I'll try and paraphrase from memory what Geddy said in the interview. Geddy said, "Neil Peart writes most all of Rush's lyrics. However, I'm the singer and I'm the vehicle for those lyrics. I have to stand in front of crowds every night and sing the lyrics. Many fans hear the words come out of my mouth and they think the words that come out of my mouth are my words. Furthermore, I want to sing Neil's lyrics with conviction. Thus, if Neil writes something that I don't feel comfortable singing, I ask him to change it. Neil says he understands and he respects my wishes." Understanding and empathy. The key to being a successful rock band. Obviously, Steve didn't feel comfortable singing songs like "Relentless" and "Caught In A Crossfire". Perhaps, he didn't want to become pigeon-holed as a "Christian Rock Star". Perhaps, the lyrics made him feel like a hypocrite. Perhaps, it was some of both. Or perhaps, there was another reason. When Kerry presented him with the lyrics to "Caught in A Crossfire" (when they were recording their next album "Vinyl Confessions"), Steve handed the lyrics back to Kerry and said, "I think you can do better" (assuming Kerry would know what he meant). Kerry rewrote the lyrics, but Steve claims they were even more overtly religious than before. (I'm not sure if Kerry was being stubborn or if he was clueless, but if I had to guess, I don't think he was clueless.) Was Steve upset? Probably. Did he feel disrespected? If I was in his shoes, I would have felt some disrespect although I wouldn't have left the band. Nevertheless, Steve claims this was the moment when he decided to leave Kansas. I think if the truth be known, Steve had grown somewhat tired of Kansas (even before Livgren became a Christian) and he was itching to break away and do something on his own. I think it is safe to say that Kansas was no longer the band he wanted to play in. In part due to the interview with Geddy, I totally understand how Steve felt. I also don't blame Livgren for wanting to write about the change God made in his life. Besides, Christians are expected to proselytize. :) Personally, I think Steve just wanted to do something else and I don't blame anybody for the split in the band. Unfortunately, some Christians who were unhappy with Steve leaving the band, act as if Steve was the devil himself because he didn't want to sing Kerry's brand of Christian Rock. They are also the ones that continually harp about Steve's drug problem as if a rock star with drug problems is a rare event. I think everybody in the band did drugs (at least smoked the ganga) one time or another. Dave Hope can testify to that and he has been a faithful minister for many years. :)
@@edcollins9377 Thanks Ed, that was both enlightening and instructive for those who find themselves at the life-changing point of decision. Hopefully they will save themselves a lot of unnecessary pain and torment by surrendering to the master's call. Thanks again, and God bless. ☮✌
@fligemon I happen to know quite a bit about Skynyrd and your perspective is way off base. First of all, the primary subject of the song "That Smell" was Gary Rossington, not Allen Collins. Shortly before Allen Collins and Ronnie wrote "That Smell", Skynyrd had to cancel some tour dates after a drunk Gary Rossington lost control of his vehicle. His vehicle veered off the highway, onto someone's property where it finally hit the property owner's house and damaged it. (Luckily no one at the house was hurt. However, Gary and his vehicle kept on going until he ran straight into a big oak tree that happened to be in his way. Furthermore, Ronnie's line in the song "so they call you Prince Charming can't speak a word when you are full of Ludes" was definitely about Rossington--a shy guy when he was sober, but a smooth talking devil once he had a few Ludes. (Provided he was still able to talk.) As a result of the wreck, Gary broke several bones and Skynyrd had to cancel a few show. Now, I'm not saying that the song was't applicable to Allen, it was. Actually, the lyrics to "That Smell" could have applied to all of them, especially Ronnie, who was the wildest of them all. Ronnie would get so damn wasted on cocaine and alcohol that he would start fights and do crazy shit and this happened a lot. After one show, the band boarded the plane and started traveling to the next gig. Ronnie was drunk and rowdy and he was pissed off at one of the guys in the road crew. He got so worked up that he tried to throw the roadie out the emergency exit of the plane while it was cruising at an altitude of 10,000 feet. Luckily, he couldn't get the door open. However, I'm sure Ronnie tried his best. On the night before their first show of their first European tour, Lynyrd Skynyrd had just arrived in Hamburg, Germany. They didn't have a gig that night and were suffering from jet lag so they went to the bar in search of some cold beer. Unbeknownst to the band, Germans drink their beer warm. However, Ronnie insisted on something cold and the bar tender suggested Schnapps. The backwards Skynyrd Boys didn't even know what Schnapp's was prior to this, but they soon grew quite fond of their new discovery. They kept ordering more Schnapps and kept getting drunker and drunker. Ronnie had trouble pronouncing the word Schnapps. Gary thought it was funny and he started teasing Ronnie about it. On their way back to the hotel, Ronnie took a whiskey bottle and broke it over the head of their security knocking him out. Ronnie then took a couple of large, sharp pieces of the broken glass and decided it was time to seek revenge on Gary. He started cutting and slicing Gary's hands while telling him that he'd never play guitar again. It might have been curtains for Gary had it not been for Artimus Pyle. Artimus, who had just got out of the Marines, saw that Ronnie was out of his mind. He jumped on Ronnie, pinned him to the bed, and started kicking Ronnie's ass. Meanwhile, Allen took Gary to the hospital where he got quite a few stitches. When they got back from the hospital Ronnie kept telling Gary he was fired and told him to fly back home. Gary ignored him and stayed .. and it eventually blew over. Lesson being "Don't tease Ronnie when he's drunk." As for Gary, he could hardly play the next few nights and Ed and Allen had to play a lot of his parts until his hands got better.. Back in the USA, One night, Ronnie and Ed's guitar tech got a bit rowdy at the bar. They started a fight and both of them got thrown in jail where they had to stay until the next day. They barely got out of jail in time to make the next town and do the next show. In fact, they didn't arrive at the gig until 15 minutes before the show started. Thus, the tech didn't have time to change Ed's guitar strings as he usually did before each show. During the encore that night, Ed broke 2 guitar strings while playing Free Bird. As usual, when somebody screws up, Ronnie lets them have it. Ronnie chewed Ed out afterwards for breaking 2 strings. Ed told Ronnie tp shut his mouth. Had Ronnie not gotten drunk and thrown in jail, Ed would have had new strings. Ronnie didn't like Ed talking back to him. Thus, he broke the neck off of a whiskey bottle (apparently his favorite thing to do), and he threw Ed up against a wall holding the broken bottle to his throat. He then threatened to cut him if he continued to question him. This was during their infamous "Torture Tour" when nobody was happy. This freaked Ed out and he quit the band the next day. Then there was the night that pianist Billy played Free Bird a bit differently than normal. Ronnie didn't like change and he wasn't happy with Billy. Once back at the hotel, he hit Billy in the mouth so hard, he knocked out 4 pf his front teeth. Billy started picking up his teeth, and was having trouble talking. Ronnie started laughing uncontrollably because he thought it was so funny. Without Ed, Skynyrd continued on with only 2 guitars, but the sound wasn't the same. Furthermore, they became disillusioned when their next album, Gimme Back My Bullets, was a flop. The band hired the younger Steve Gaines. It was at this time that Ronnie finally decided that they all needed to straighten up. He hired his old fishing buddy Gene Odom, who didn't do drugs and who had never tasted a drop of liquor, as head of the band's security. Part of Gene's job was to hide all the drugs and whiskey bottles. This did help straighten them up a bit and I will give Ronnie credit for making the change But I wouldn't give Ronnie too much credit. He was their leader and the rest of the band followed their leader and did what he did. Ronnie was a very wild dude. He was a helluva singer and a helluva songwriter, but don't make him out to be an angel. He was the wildest one in that band followed by Gary Rossington. Who was 3rd wildest? Could have been Leon, or maybe Allen, or it might have been Ed? Billy got awful drunk, but he was faithful to his wife and kids. He'd get drunk and wasted, but he stayed in his room and out of trouble. Now let's talk about Allen. Allen almost lost his arm in the plane crash. His arm got badly infected and the doctors wanted to amputate it, but his dad wouldn't let them. Lucky for Allen, he got better. Allen's arm was never quite the same, but he could still play a mean guitar. A couple of years after the crash, things started looking better for Allen and Gary when Rossington-Collins took off. Gary started dating Dale and she helped him. However, it wasn't long before tragedy hit Allen Collins a 2nd time. His wife and mother of his 3 kids died of a miscarriage. (She bled to death in the toilet of a theatre bathroom with her kids waiting outside). Allen was devastated and he tried to drink and medicate his pain away. He had a falling out with Gary and they each formed their own bands. Allen had a promising band, but he wasn't happy and all the drugs and alcohol didn't help. A few years later, he was driving drunk and wrecked his car. His girlfriend was killed in the car wreck and Allen was paralyzed from the waist down.. He was convicted of manslaughter, but he didn't have to go to jail, the judge saw all the tragedy in his life and sentenced him to community service. He never played another show although he would sometimes give speeches about the evils of drugs and alcohol before Lynyrd Skynryd Tribute Tour shows. He died of pneumonia a few years later.
Funny how everyone focuses on the current status of the band, rather listening to the words to the song. Does anyone realize what the song is really about? Conquest and genocide, the destruction of a thriving nation of people who were here long before Europeans came here. One of the most tragic crimes mankind has ever committed anywhere!
Unfortunately most people Don't learn from the past. We will never reach the stars if people dont wise up and start respecting and encourage each other to work hard and be thankfull for the blessings that take for granted. Regaurdless of race religion or social status. Until we can get the gold back in fort knox we all will be hearded up like cattle. History repeats itself
hello norm,i wont ur real name although u just put up there, dam,u would think i have been drinkin whiskey, n e way t/y for this, and nice to meet you. i c ur a Kansas officianado and lover, hey bro i grad. high school, 81, so you know us stoneheads rocked out to kansas, and Zep and Floyd, i did not check out any of the input here, but don't think i need to. what is Whiskey 92, is that the whiskey a go go, or did the singer drink to much whiskey my new kick ass cyber acoustics blame the soundguy
hey Norm, i realized ur 1st name is also part of your s/n i wish we could have morethan500characters, but i wanted to say that mr i know it all about Kansas critic is a reg.wanna be critic.well we both know we are huge fans of Kansas, and of course we all know left overture is their best, yep i call that 1 a masterpiece, yeah Styx, and Boston and you know what i'm getting at, they where all great,but kansas stood above em all, even Yes, but no need to judge like the expert,joke mr.throwsand?S/N?
Look at any Kansas video from the 70's and compare to this one. Kids.......just say NO to drugs. Steve was wreck during this time. Sad to see such a talent destroy himself. I wonder how the rest of the band felt watching Steve "ping pong" around the stage loaded up on coke and dressed like a ...... whatever you call that fashion statement.
Absolutly he was cranked on an opiate based stimulant. I am a physician and I truly enjoy Kansas and have since I was in college. I sincerely hope that he has come to terms with this demon. It is a nowhere drug that kills everything in its path including the host.
P agree, cause POMPaindcircumstance is just way too short and hs no lyrics! Whoever wrote pomp for a graduation song from hs is not only crazy but what was he thinking?
Clarification: it kills me to see Steve drugged out...yes, this is in hte past, but what coudl have occurred if drugs and booze hadn't entered so much into his life? he is so haunted and tortured by aging.and who knows what else? No one should have to suffer the top and then the dregs (some self-created) of life like he has.
Greg roberts is a very talented player. They never sounded as good when he left. Does anyone what he is doing these days. I had a chance to speak to him years ago in a little bar called boppers in Conn. I chickened out approaching him. He was just standing near all of us before the show.
You sing your ass off in shitty bars, gym floors & National Guard Armories for 10-12 for the practice and the glory because those gigs don't pay much but with that much practice, upgrade a couple band members you starting to sound pretty good and the next step would be to record an album. But that takes high level contacts and a lot of money to do that so you hope that an A&R guy a a record label "finds or discovers" the band (who knows how that happens?) and likes or believes in them enough to pitch to his boss that he should pay for this band to make a record and betting his job by hoping he picks more winners (sells well/makes money/become famous) than losers (bands or records that lose money) for his label. Then the band has to preform well in the studio recording the songs they have been honing night after night for 10-12 years now, a quality producer and engineers to make a sellable quality recording. Now that you got a recording of your favorite songs to play mastered the musicians must turn over control for the record label and management putting together the packaging like a CD what type of case, photos, liner notes, acknowledgments, info and legal publishing info. Next you hope the marketing and distribution divisions do a good job. That the advertising (media ads, billboards, posters, internet) & marketing (radio airplay, press releases, band interviews, merch, stickers, promo giveaway items, live appearances/performances) have successful campaign, low out-of-pocket expenses that results in many record sales. The Distribution Dept. must have the albums readily available to purchase either in many record stores or an efficient mail order and shipping department or every one of all the efforts and expenses described above was done for nothing. Then after a band like Kansas hangs on, putting up with each other, not making much money playing some shitty gigs traveling from town to town in a mediocre tour buses or vans, sharing 2-Star hotel rooms but drawing bigger crowds, getting more airplay and selling a few more records. As your fan base becomes bigger with more buzz when your show comes back to town the local dudes start bringing free drugs just to get to hang with the band (bands spend a lot of time waiting in airports, hotel lobbies and venue green rooms) and the local girls "groupies" offered free pussy just to get to hang with the band and the "cost of a backstage pass is a blow job". It is incredible Kansas a) made it big time; b) lasted 45 years and counting (and sounding good) so I find it perfectly honest, acceptable that Steve Walsh's coked-up stage antics, his toot dancing and one of the worlds best singers having trouble spitting the words out is a perfect sign of the times. So why all you haters don't get it about Walsh who can sit back now and laugh at all of you. The extra keyboard player (to cover up any of Steve's fuckups) is Greg Robert from Louisiana (no longer with band, all others less Walsh still are). When SW retired it took Kansas hiring two guys Ronnie Platt, lead singer & organ & David Manion, keyboards, B3, piano and synths to replace the great SW (who knew after giving the crowd his all for 45 years he finally blew out his voice and admits drugs did bot help plus they added another guitarist Zac Rizvi to cover a lot of the subtle parts Kerry Livgren wrote and played. There are many of you dumbasses on here need to STFU about the fabulous Steve Walsh.
I can not imagine what it was like for the rest of the band to watch Steve self destruct. Could they have stopped it? Did they want too? Kerry claims to be a Christian....why didn't he intervene and help his fellow man? That is sad in of itself. I'm disappointed.
Kerry was a guest. Kerry is a Christian as are other members in the band but being a Christian doesn't mean you can lay hands on someone and change their way of thinking. A real Christian knows this and can only lead by example as it appears may have happened
+rubicon1983 And obviously YOU know nothing of civil behavior. Fred obviously doesn't know that much about the situation but he asks valid questions and isn't condemning anyone.
You can't help someone who doesn't want to help himself and at that time Steve didn't think it was a problem. Sometimes it takes something scary to make someone stop. Steve was pulled over in 1996 for DUI. He had a decent amount of drugs on him, so much he said he could have done some serious jail time. According to him that was when he hit bottom. Phil had a lot to do with his sobriety afterward. Steve has also said that he's embarrassed of the way he acted on stage when he was high, that's one of the reasons why this video will never be re-released. This version here is the directors cut before the editing. The home video had vocals that were overdubbed in the studio at a later date, but even though they were re cut they still didn't sound very good.
I get so sick of hearing so-called Kansas fans bash Steve because he had a drug problem. Why don't they ever bash Dave Hope the first Kansas band member to have a serious drug problem. Just about every rock and roll band that has achieved critical success has had one or more band members who have had drug problems, but somehow Kansas fans want to unfairly bash Steve Walsh. I just don't understand it at all. I don't see near as many negative posts about Nikki Sixx, Steven Tyler, Slash, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, or even people that died from overdoses like Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison. Kansas fans should be thankful that Steve's problem was cocaine instead of heroin which has taken the lives of so many rock stars. Steve eventually cleaned up his act so lets give it a rest.
I went to at least 25 Kansas shows in the 1990's. 80% of the time, Steve's voice sounded incredible. However, he had a few off-nights, but not one time did I witness a vocal performance that was even close to being as subpar as his performance at The Whiskey in 1992. In other words, The Whiskey show is probably Walsh's worst show ever. Unfortunately some so-called Kansas fans have used an off-night at The Whiskey to make a villain out of one of the greatest vocalists in the history of Rock n' Roll. I remember seeing Steven Tyler in the early 1980's and he was so wasted he couldn't stand up on stage and his voice was utterly terrible. By far the worst show I ever saw. Tyler's performance made Walsh's performance at The Whiskey look like it was the greatest live performance in the history of rock n' roll. I find it ironic that Aerosmith fans have proven to be a lot more forgiving and Christ-like than many so-called Kansas fans who continue to persecute Walsh and scorn him for his Whiskey performance. BTW, I saw Tyler sing in 2014, and his voice still sounds very good.
Стив явно не в себе....жаль , но он портит общую картину. Я давний поклонник Канзас. Впервые услышал в 1980 году и они ворвались в мою жизнь навсегда. В СССР единицы знали о существовании этой великой группы. Я понятия не имел , что настолько атлетически сложенный человек как Стив имеет такие проблеммы. Как мне его жаль.... Если кто его увидит передавайте ему привет из далёкого Киева.
Steve does look like he's chewing his face off like Iggy Pop. I think he might have rethought that shirt too - lol!!! Hope he's cleaned up his act, cocaine really wrecks a voice, and he sings with enough pressure as it is.
Unfortunately Steve made some bad choices which didn't help his vocals. He can sing way better than this. What a shame. Such a great vocalist and musician.
Steve started using harder drugs after the bands huge success in the late 70's. Him and Dave Hope used to spend enormous amounts of money on Cocaine. One day Dave Hope woke up and stopped using. Steve's voice starting getting rough around 1980. When he formed Streets in 1983 he was using twice as much as he did and his voice actually sounded like this in 1983, I have some live Streets shows where he has that rasp. Once he came back to Kansas his voice came back, he may have stopped for the sake of re starting his career but shortly after "IN the spirit of things" came out, that's when he started getting that rasp back. It wasn't until he stopped using in 1997 that his voice came back, but he ruined his sinuses, that's why he always sounded like he had a cold afterwards. He didn't have the rasp but he had a nasally sound.
This song is way too underrated. Absolutely blows me away every time.
Love this song! It's in my top 50
I think Walsh IS the energizer bunny. That violinist is terrific. Kansas was always a must see band.
A great voice, but sadly ravaged by a steady flow of chemicals, time, and life on the road. I was one of the 2 Tour Managers for Kansas from 1989-1999 along with Buck Holmes (and won't mention which one), and was running with the Band during this show and this tour. Steve actually was a Health Nut for 2 years before this and I woke him up at 7 am each day and he worked out most mornings. You can see here, he was skinny, but pretty ripped. He got into the coke heavily and was hard to manage. I used to find him sleeping in the closet of our tour bus. I'd load him up on a luggage cart (we took from The Marriott Hotel in Texas) and I'd wheel him through the Hotel, up the elevator, to his room. I put a tarp over the cart so nobody knew he was under there, but he would be blurt out things and screamed crazy things from under the tarp. I would get stares, but it was usually 2 am in the morning.
He started getting crazy and wouldn't listen to reason toward the end of the Tour. The Jean Jacket he wore on stage in this video he would wear all the time, with a pair of white running shorts and an Indian Feathered Head Dress and would run around the parking lot. The hotel we stayed at cleaned his jean jacket that he's wearing in this video, and apparently left it in the dryer way too long. It was delivered to his room and it had shrunk to 1/2 it's original size! It used to hang down to the top of his jeans, but look at it HERE, it barely fit! I told him NOT to wear it, but he wouldn't listen to me and after a bottle of Jack and a 1/2 gram of coke, he snuck out on stage blown out of his mind, wearing the Jean Jacket the Hotel left in the Dryer too long, and consequently shrunk TWO Sizes Too Small! That's why I always Laugh when I see this video! Great Guy Steve was and we had an Absolute Blast, it was a magical time I will always cherish!
But I wish I could have kept the group going for longer. Whenever he would look at me and say, "I want to Kiss the White Capped Mountain Tops Pappy", which was the "CODE" for I better have some fresh "Powder" ready to go in the dressing room. As a gift, at the end of the Tour, Steve gave me that Jean Jacket, and when I had my first son, at age 5, he would put on this jean jacket and run around the house, wearing Steve's Famous Jean Jacket. It always put a Smile on my Face! Kansas is an AMAZING Band, and Steve is a Talent that rarely comes Around
Such an underrated comment! I love Kansas ' 90's output as a 29 year old fan. I'd love to hear some Freaks of Nature stories.
I wonder how many people have made youtube posts claiming to know the answer regarding the demise of Steve's voice. Most people who claim to be authorities on Steve's voice swear up and down that the decline of Steve's voice was due to years of drug abuse. This is especially true of certain overtly religious Livgren fans who still harbor resentment for Steve leaving the band in 1980 because he didn't want to be the singer for a Christian Rock band. Apparently some want to believe that Steve is being punished for rejecting God and choosing a lifestyle that embraced the use of drugs. While the "Whiskey video" was certainly proof that drugs can ruin a night's performance, I'm not sure that drugs alone will destroy your vocal cords.
I doubt anybody, including his doctors, can pinpoint one single thing that led to the demise of Steve's voice. I will give you credit for coming to the conclusion that it was a combination of things.. I agree! I also think it was a combination of things. One thing you didn't mention was his singing style and the fact that he would intentionally strain his voice on certain songs. This was especially true in the early 80's when he sang for Streets. On some of those songs he sounded like he was in pain and had just gargled with razor blades.
I saw this tour in Houston; they played at a hole in the wall bar called The Hop. I sneeked around the back entrance after the show and caught the band relaxing after the show. Steve was sick and could barely sing and he went immediately to the tour bus. I sat around and talked to Richie for awhile as he drank a bottle of Crown. These guys are pretty down to earth and it something I'll never forget even though the true genius behind Kansas was Kerry.
I saw Kansas that year at Toad's Place, and It was among the Best concerts I have ever been to!! tHEY WERE PURE ENERGY THAT NIGHT!
David Ragsdale is an excelent violin player
I love Kansas and this is a great song that America would have loved had it been played as much as it deserved. I am so glad that Kansas embodies the American spirit and just never gave up. Just saw them in Syracuse and they are still great!!!!
Saw 'em do this '78 Chicago"
Amphitheater. They put on one of the best shows I ever saw.
"I'll never forget it"
Ragsdale, increìble, virtuoso, maravilloso!!!!!....como siempre.
Que buena versiòn de una de mis temas favoritos.
You know i dont know of many bands who did not do drugs at one time or another-for Gods sake quit belittling him. He's cleaned his act up! Frankly i am impressed with his handstands! People need to look at themselves sometimes!
AMAZING Violin at the end of the song. I took a bus from Vancouver Island to Seattle (with my new girlfriend) to see their show a week or so after this gig. Great time, great band. Great great great all around !
the best voice in that genre..Steve Walsh..wow
This should be the National Anthem!
I have had the Pleasure of seeing them 3 times. One of the Greatest Bands to have Influenced so Many others.
u cannot help someone until they are ready. but u can help them understand your concern.and stand beside them in there journey.back.
Je adore ce chanteur est dynamique et à une voix touchante bravo quel talent et bravo aux musiciens ce sont de vrais pros talentueux longue vie
on a web site Steve Walsh admitted this was his worst time with the drug thing, and he said he was really embarrased with this show in particular ,...hes an honest guy and a great singer and he apologised to everyone for this time in his life
Great song.... awesome melodie lines
Spec-freaking-tacular!
Phil Ehart the unsung hero...IMHO the best drummer ever.
The drum lines in Kansas are highly complex and he plays them with no effort,
Love Bruford, Collins , Manu Katche, etc styles, but Ehart is UNIQUE.
my indoor drumline is doing a kansas medley consisting of song for america/magnum opus/ dust in the wind the wall/ carry on my wayward son our show is only seven mins but damn i sure would love to do all of those songs and more in their entirety, these guys are definitely one of the most underrated "garage" bands
I DID THIS SAME SHOW IN SEPT. 92, and STEVE was on that night! it was their last show! somebody asked what happened to DAVE HOPE? HE WAS SITTIN IN THE BALCONY WITH ME? in FORT WALTON BEACH,FL., HE LIVES IN DESTIN,FL.and doin well and so does JEFF CARLISI former guitar with 38 special!!
I saw this lineup in Bangor Maine about this time...they were awesome....Steve is just an incredible showman, and the others just very talented musicians. I love this song and album! They were so far ahead of their time (along with Rush) compared to most 80's bands who live in 4/4 time for every song!
There's been some permanent damage due to age, wear, tear and the drugs, but he's restored a good plenty of his range over the years. 'Course, like back in the day, he still has the slight problem of preserving his voice through tours. He'll sound worn out not because his voice is flawed, but he puts too much out from the beginning of tours. Oh well.
In any case, glad to hear your voice is better, Steve. And as you said it, also glad you give up "all that silly shit." :P
It is what is is..w h at a band..man, lucky i hot too hear these guys growing up..love emmmmm.
I love @ 8:33 when guitarist gives David a " blessing" of sorts for his upcoming solo.🎻
damn that violin player!!Not to forget Robby!! but damn that violin player!!
David Ragsdale, I interviewed him in Lima, very nice guy with solid classical formation.
@RICHGREENNOW He's cleaned up rather nicely since this time period and still rocks today at the tender age of 60! (his birthday was yesterday) In his prime you could count on one hand any who could match his vocal prowess!
Rich Williams is a wall of a man and a wall of amazing guitar tone! So underrated - he played most of their signature leads, not Livgren (also great composer and player).
Hey Steve.....one less line or two of coke please. I think I'm going to throw up!! LOL Sad....really sad. He was a beautiful man with great talent and angel like voice. Glad he's in remission.
Asshole! Steve has just released a new song and his voice sounds pretty good. Maybe he just needed some time off to rest his voice. I'm sure that getting away from certain so-called Kansas fans who were killing his self-confidence has done wonders for his voice, too.
Great band and version of this song. Too much Pauly Shore in Steve Walsh tho.
He was unable to sing, play keys or even stand up, he was really high,
You beat me to this by 7 years...
@@ivanmelgar920We all make our mistakes, and hopefully learn our lessons through them. I'm glad Steve got his act together before he died in a freak snowstorm.
Happy!Glorious live that appeals to one.
I saw them twice before they got real popular at Alex Cooley's Electric Ballroom in Atlanta. Was somewhere around '73-'75.
Super!
Sad to see Steve in that shape. My favourite singer. Why Steve, why?
Coke Dag... Coke. 😢
It pians me to watch the GOAT singer in this shape.
One snort over the line for Steve. I saw them on this tour however, and Mr. Walsh sounded great. Must have been a bad night for coke in L.A.
awesome
I did not know Pauly Shore was in Kansas.
Oh, and I never said that he did! Trust me, nothing can compare to his voice before he formed "Streets." What I am saying, though, is that compared to how he was in the early-to-mid-nineties... he's really improved. This version versus the one in "Device, Voice, Drum," no contest. His voice has plenty of permanent damage, no doubt, but it's certainly healed over the years he's laid of the drugs and the touring. His voice does get tired, though, so of course he hits the notes "sometimes." :P
These guys are so bloody good, even in this evolved iteration. Has a tighter band ever graced the stage? On par, in my humble opinion, with prog giants Yes, ELP, Floyd, Genesis, Dream Theater et al. An older and ever enthusiastic, effusive Steve is on fire this night.
On fire in more ways than one.
Aside from Steve Walsh looking and sounding totally strung out, this is very enjoyable.
"I left my denim jacket in the dryer too long. Sorry."
I really feel everyone talking about Steve's drug problem back then is a bit cheap.. Hey... we did not walk in this man's shoes. This is something he did and needed to do back then.
Glad to see and hear him playing and singing so well today.
Holy Steve Walsh!
wrong note yes not the bass but the fiddle player, that's a great observation thanks for the heads up, I love the fact that someone has an ear for the right notes.
"There's too much coke, too much smoke, look what's going on inside you. OOOH That Smell"
Like Kerry Livgren, Ronnie felt a lot of anguish in what was happening to his band mates.
Unlike Kerry, Ronnie was killed before his efforts could result in a positive outcome for Allen Collins who was the primary subject of "That Smell". Steve is still with us and likely still struggling to put all of that crap in his rearview mirror.
Steve, best wishes from a lifelong fan and former resident of your hometown St. Joe. Ronnie, we miss you. He has been gone almost as long as the King.
@fligemon I hate it when people make shit up. Gary Rossington (not Allen Collins) was the one who inspired the lyrics to "That Smell". Ronnie wrote the lyrics to "That Smell", shortly after an incident in which an intoxicated Gary Rossington hit an oak tree ("oak tree you're in my way"). Gary was lucky that he wasn't seriously hurt or worse. Ronnie wrote "That Smell" to warn the other band members (who also partied a lot) that they might be next. As for Allen Collins, he wrote the music to "That Smell". Several years later (after the plane crash), Allen was drinking and driving and had a bad car wreck that left him a paraplegic and ended his musical career. Too bad he didn't heed the warning. As for Kerry Livgren feeling a lot of Anguish toward his band members, when Kerry was in Kansas, it was Dave Hope who was having the most problems with drugs. Thanks to Kerry and Jeff Pollard, Dave found the Lord and conquered his demons. As for Steve, it wasn't until the 1990's when his drug problem began to seriously impact his career. Kerry was not in the band at that time.
@@edcollins9377Wasn't the direction that Kerry was taking the band the reason for Steve's departure? The way I heard it was that while Kerry was running toward the lord, Steve was running from him. Dave heeded the call, but unfortunately Steve didn't, at least for a long time. I met all but Steve once, and they all seemed to be great guys.
@@davidmccall4776 You summed it up very well. On their Monolith tour, Kansas took on the band Le Roux as their opening act. There were several Christians in Le Roux, including their leader Jeff Pollard, and Kerry started hanging out with them because they followed Jesus. Kerry wanted to tell them about the Jesus in the Urantia book. They wanted to help Kerry break away from Urantia. Well, the guys in LeRoux won.
When Kerry finally heard the call, he experienced an immediate and a very intense conversion and it totally changed his life. Thus, he became a born-again Christian. His solo album "Seeds of Change", which came shortly after his conversion (it was released in July 1980) was testament to the change Kerry went through. Two months after the release of his solo album, Kansas released "Audio Visions",which opened with a song Kerry wrote called "Relentless". On one hand, "Relentless" was a powerful rocker with a lot of muscular guitar riffs, but it also contained a very powerful and personal lyric. Being the opening cut on the album, it introduced the new Kerry. Here is the first verse and chorus:
"In the time we spent together many words have passed between
And the feelings that we shared are all behind us now
'Cause a change has come upon me and I'm surely not the same
There is so much more than what we feel and live every day
Relentless, unchanging, Though the world is still before me now
I'm seeing forever, I will keep my heart and mind with you
So joyously I'm waiting for the day
In the first 2 lines of that song, Kerry tells his Kansas fans, "I know you think you know me through the words in my songs, but the old Kerry is no longer and I have a new message to share now." He continues, "I've found the God I've been looking for, and he has completely changed my life. He has given me eternal life. From here on, I will use the lyrics in my songs to introduce you to him and I'll be relentless about it.. Thus, Kerry uses this song to tell both his fans and his bandmates that he has found God and God has made a profound change in his life. Although he'll continue to play rock music, his lyrics will tout the glory of God.
As you said, Steve was not "a born-again Christian". He grew up as a Catholic and I think he still believed in God, but he wasn't a born again Christian like Livgren. Livgren wanted to play "Christian Rock music" (Rock music with lyrics that praised God). Apparently, Steve didn't feel the same. Perhaps, he felt that the band would lose many of its fans.
I remember reading an interview with Geddy Lee from the mid-80's that had relevance to this situation. I'm not going to dig up the interview (even if I could find it), but I'll try and paraphrase from memory what Geddy said in the interview. Geddy said, "Neil Peart writes most all of Rush's lyrics. However, I'm the singer and I'm the vehicle for those lyrics. I have to stand in front of crowds every night and sing the lyrics. Many fans hear the words come out of my mouth and they think the words that come out of my mouth are my words. Furthermore, I want to sing Neil's lyrics with conviction. Thus, if Neil writes something that I don't feel comfortable singing, I ask him to change it. Neil says he understands and he respects my wishes." Understanding and empathy. The key to being a successful rock band.
Obviously, Steve didn't feel comfortable singing songs like "Relentless" and "Caught In A Crossfire". Perhaps, he didn't want to become pigeon-holed as a "Christian Rock Star". Perhaps, the lyrics made him feel like a hypocrite. Perhaps, it was some of both. Or perhaps, there was another reason. When Kerry presented him with the lyrics to "Caught in A Crossfire" (when they were recording their next album "Vinyl Confessions"), Steve handed the lyrics back to Kerry and said, "I think you can do better" (assuming Kerry would know what he meant). Kerry rewrote the lyrics, but Steve claims they were even more overtly religious than before. (I'm not sure if Kerry was being stubborn or if he was clueless, but if I had to guess, I don't think he was clueless.) Was Steve upset? Probably. Did he feel disrespected? If I was in his shoes, I would have felt some disrespect although I wouldn't have left the band. Nevertheless, Steve claims this was the moment when he decided to leave Kansas. I think if the truth be known, Steve had grown somewhat tired of Kansas (even before Livgren became a Christian) and he was itching to break away and do something on his own. I think it is safe to say that Kansas was no longer the band he wanted to play in.
In part due to the interview with Geddy, I totally understand how Steve felt. I also don't blame Livgren for wanting to write about the change God made in his life. Besides, Christians are expected to proselytize. :) Personally, I think Steve just wanted to do something else and I don't blame anybody for the split in the band. Unfortunately, some Christians who were unhappy with Steve leaving the band, act as if Steve was the devil himself because he didn't want to sing Kerry's brand of Christian Rock. They are also the ones that continually harp about Steve's drug problem as if a rock star with drug problems is a rare event. I think everybody in the band did drugs (at least smoked the ganga) one time or another. Dave Hope can testify to that and he has been a faithful minister for many years. :)
@@edcollins9377 Thanks Ed, that was both enlightening and instructive for those who find themselves at the life-changing point of decision. Hopefully they will save themselves a lot of unnecessary pain and torment by surrendering to the master's call. Thanks again, and God bless. ☮✌
@fligemon I happen to know quite a bit about Skynyrd and your perspective is way off base. First of all, the primary subject of the song "That Smell" was Gary Rossington, not Allen Collins. Shortly before Allen Collins and Ronnie wrote "That Smell", Skynyrd had to cancel some tour dates after a drunk Gary Rossington lost control of his vehicle. His vehicle veered off the highway, onto someone's property where it finally hit the property owner's house and damaged it. (Luckily no one at the house was hurt. However, Gary and his vehicle kept on going until he ran straight into a big oak tree that happened to be in his way. Furthermore, Ronnie's line in the song "so they call you Prince Charming can't speak a word when you are full of Ludes" was definitely about Rossington--a shy guy when he was sober, but a smooth talking devil once he had a few Ludes. (Provided he was still able to talk.) As a result of the wreck, Gary broke several bones and Skynyrd had to cancel a few show.
Now, I'm not saying that the song was't applicable to Allen, it was. Actually, the lyrics to "That Smell" could have applied to all of them, especially Ronnie, who was the wildest of them all. Ronnie would get so damn wasted on cocaine and alcohol that he would start fights and do crazy shit and this happened a lot. After one show, the band boarded the plane and started traveling to the next gig. Ronnie was drunk and rowdy and he was pissed off at one of the guys in the road crew. He got so worked up that he tried to throw the roadie out the emergency exit of the plane while it was cruising at an altitude of 10,000 feet. Luckily, he couldn't get the door open. However, I'm sure Ronnie tried his best.
On the night before their first show of their first European tour, Lynyrd Skynyrd had just arrived in Hamburg, Germany. They didn't have a gig that night and were suffering from jet lag so they went to the bar in search of some cold beer. Unbeknownst to the band, Germans drink their beer warm. However, Ronnie insisted on something cold and the bar tender suggested Schnapps. The backwards Skynyrd Boys didn't even know what Schnapp's was prior to this, but they soon grew quite fond of their new discovery. They kept ordering more Schnapps and kept getting drunker and drunker. Ronnie had trouble pronouncing the word Schnapps. Gary thought it was funny and he started teasing Ronnie about it. On their way back to the hotel, Ronnie took a whiskey bottle and broke it over the head of their security knocking him out. Ronnie then took a couple of large, sharp pieces of the broken glass and decided it was time to seek revenge on Gary. He started cutting and slicing Gary's hands while telling him that he'd never play guitar again. It might have been curtains for Gary had it not been for Artimus Pyle. Artimus, who had just got out of the Marines, saw that Ronnie was out of his mind. He jumped on Ronnie, pinned him to the bed, and started kicking Ronnie's ass. Meanwhile, Allen took Gary to the hospital where he got quite a few stitches. When they got back from the hospital Ronnie kept telling Gary he was fired and told him to fly back home. Gary ignored him and stayed .. and it eventually blew over. Lesson being "Don't tease Ronnie when he's drunk." As for Gary, he could hardly play the next few nights and Ed and Allen had to play a lot of his parts until his hands got better..
Back in the USA, One night, Ronnie and Ed's guitar tech got a bit rowdy at the bar. They started a fight and both of them got thrown in jail where they had to stay until the next day. They barely got out of jail in time to make the next town and do the next show. In fact, they didn't arrive at the gig until 15 minutes before the show started. Thus, the tech didn't have time to change Ed's guitar strings as he usually did before each show. During the encore that night, Ed broke 2 guitar strings while playing Free Bird. As usual, when somebody screws up, Ronnie lets them have it. Ronnie chewed Ed out afterwards for breaking 2 strings. Ed told Ronnie tp shut his mouth. Had Ronnie not gotten drunk and thrown in jail, Ed would have had new strings. Ronnie didn't like Ed talking back to him. Thus, he broke the neck off of a whiskey bottle (apparently his favorite thing to do), and he threw Ed up against a wall holding the broken bottle to his throat. He then threatened to cut him if he continued to question him. This was during their infamous "Torture Tour" when nobody was happy. This freaked Ed out and he quit the band the next day.
Then there was the night that pianist Billy played Free Bird a bit differently than normal. Ronnie didn't like change and he wasn't happy with Billy. Once back at the hotel, he hit Billy in the mouth so hard, he knocked out 4 pf his front teeth. Billy started picking up his teeth, and was having trouble talking. Ronnie started laughing uncontrollably because he thought it was so funny.
Without Ed, Skynyrd continued on with only 2 guitars, but the sound wasn't the same. Furthermore, they became disillusioned when their next album, Gimme Back My Bullets, was a flop. The band hired the younger Steve Gaines. It was at this time that Ronnie finally decided that they all needed to straighten up. He hired his old fishing buddy Gene Odom, who didn't do drugs and who had never tasted a drop of liquor, as head of the band's security. Part of Gene's job was to hide all the drugs and whiskey bottles. This did help straighten them up a bit and I will give Ronnie credit for making the change
But I wouldn't give Ronnie too much credit. He was their leader and the rest of the band followed their leader and did what he did. Ronnie was a very wild dude. He was a helluva singer and a helluva songwriter, but don't make him out to be an angel. He was the wildest one in that band followed by Gary Rossington. Who was 3rd wildest? Could have been Leon, or maybe Allen, or it might have been Ed? Billy got awful drunk, but he was faithful to his wife and kids. He'd get drunk and wasted, but he stayed in his room and out of trouble.
Now let's talk about Allen. Allen almost lost his arm in the plane crash. His arm got badly infected and the doctors wanted to amputate it, but his dad wouldn't let them. Lucky for Allen, he got better. Allen's arm was never quite the same, but he could still play a mean guitar. A couple of years after the crash, things started looking better for Allen and Gary when Rossington-Collins took off. Gary started dating Dale and she helped him.
However, it wasn't long before tragedy hit Allen Collins a 2nd time. His wife and mother of his 3 kids died of a miscarriage. (She bled to death in the toilet of a theatre bathroom with her kids waiting outside). Allen was devastated and he tried to drink and medicate his pain away. He had a falling out with Gary and they each formed their own bands. Allen had a promising band, but he wasn't happy and all the drugs and alcohol didn't help. A few years later, he was driving drunk and wrecked his car. His girlfriend was killed in the car wreck and Allen was paralyzed from the waist down.. He was convicted of manslaughter, but he didn't have to go to jail, the judge saw all the tragedy in his life and sentenced him to community service. He never played another show although he would sometimes give speeches about the evils of drugs and alcohol before Lynyrd Skynryd Tribute Tour shows. He died of pneumonia a few years later.
Too much Pauly Shore ? Is that the latest euphemism for too much coke ?
Thank God he survived it.
Rock on....
Funny how everyone focuses on the current status of the band, rather listening to the words to the song. Does anyone realize what the song is really about? Conquest and genocide, the destruction of a thriving nation of people who were here long before Europeans came here. One of the most tragic crimes mankind has ever committed anywhere!
Unfortunately most people Don't learn from the past. We will never reach the stars if people dont wise up and start respecting and encourage each other to work hard and be thankfull for the blessings that take for granted. Regaurdless of race religion or social status. Until we can get the gold back in fort knox we all will be hearded up like cattle. History repeats itself
The 2nd classically trained violinst's name is DAvid ragsdale bud
A couple of imposters at that time nonetheless great players!! Kansas more talent than all of the so called talent today!!
hello norm,i wont ur real name although u just put up there, dam,u would think i have been drinkin whiskey, n e way t/y for this, and nice to meet you. i c ur a Kansas officianado and lover, hey bro i grad. high school, 81, so you know us stoneheads rocked out to kansas, and Zep and Floyd, i did not check out any of the input here, but don't think i need to. what is Whiskey 92, is that the whiskey a go go, or did the singer drink to much whiskey my new kick ass cyber acoustics blame the soundguy
buenn violinista
hey Norm, i realized ur 1st name is also part of your s/n i wish we could have morethan500characters, but i wanted to say that mr i know it all about Kansas critic is a reg.wanna be critic.well we both know we are huge fans of Kansas, and of course we all know left overture is their best, yep i call that 1 a masterpiece, yeah Styx, and Boston and you know what i'm getting at, they where all great,but kansas stood above em all, even Yes, but no need to judge like the expert,joke mr.throwsand?S/N?
Look at any Kansas video from the 70's and compare to this one. Kids.......just say NO to drugs. Steve was wreck during this time. Sad to see such a talent destroy himself. I wonder how the rest of the band felt watching Steve "ping pong" around the stage loaded up on coke and dressed like a ...... whatever you call that fashion statement.
Walsh looks like he's about to pass out, it's really tough watching this.
I love The he looks at 3:05..
I don't see Kerry Livgren, or Robbie Stienhardt. If this was in '92, where are they?
Absolutly he was cranked on an opiate based stimulant. I am a physician and I truly enjoy Kansas and have since I was in college. I sincerely hope that he has come to terms with this demon. It is a nowhere drug that kills everything in its path including the host.
Man, Walsh sticks out like a sore thumb in that denim jacket.
mucha coca ha consumido Steve en esta cancion
Now ... about the voice of steve walsh, I can not say the same...
Cocaine is a heck of a drug.
the music is there but it's painful to see Steve do this after what he was.
Keep in mind its Billy Greer playing, not Dave Hope. And besides, nobody's perfect.
Sad, I'm just shocked. How helpless Steves bandmates must felt.
sUPER..
there is nothing wrong with the chord of the bass. It is simply the beat of music. Or he missed the studio version too ...
I think Walsh needs an intervention. :)
P agree, cause POMPaindcircumstance is just way too short and hs no lyrics! Whoever wrote pomp for a graduation song from hs is not only crazy but what was he thinking?
Hey Norm It's spelled Wiskey
Hey Tony...no it's not, lol. It's "Whisky," as in Whisky a Go Go, the venue where this concert was recorded.
yep read freaky ones comments enough said
Looks like a violin player to me
Clarification: it kills me to see Steve drugged out...yes, this is in hte past, but what coudl have occurred if drugs and booze hadn't entered so much into his life? he is so haunted and tortured by aging.and who knows what else? No one should have to suffer the top and then the dregs (some self-created) of life like he has.
What kind of outfit is that
Greg roberts is a very talented player.
They never sounded as good when he left.
Does anyone what he is doing these days. I
had a chance to speak to him years ago in a little bar called boppers in Conn. I chickened out approaching him. He was just standing near all of us before the show.
You sing your ass off in shitty bars, gym floors & National Guard Armories for 10-12 for the practice and the glory because those gigs don't pay much but with that much practice, upgrade a couple band members you starting to sound pretty good and the next step would be to record an album. But that takes high level contacts and a lot of money to do that so you hope that an A&R guy a a record label "finds or discovers" the band (who knows how that happens?) and likes or believes in them enough to pitch to his boss that he should pay for this band to make a record and betting his job by hoping he picks more winners (sells well/makes money/become famous) than losers (bands or records that lose money) for his label. Then the band has to preform well in the studio recording the songs they have been honing night after night for 10-12 years now, a quality producer and engineers to make a sellable quality recording. Now that you got a recording of your favorite songs to play mastered the musicians must turn over control for the record label and management putting together the packaging like a CD what type of case, photos, liner notes, acknowledgments, info and legal publishing info. Next you hope the marketing and distribution divisions do a good job. That the advertising (media ads, billboards, posters, internet) & marketing (radio airplay, press releases, band interviews, merch, stickers, promo giveaway items, live appearances/performances) have successful campaign, low out-of-pocket expenses that results in many record sales. The Distribution Dept. must have the albums readily available to purchase either in many record stores or an efficient mail order and shipping department or every one of all the efforts and expenses described above was done for nothing.
Then after a band like Kansas hangs on, putting up with each other, not making much money playing some shitty gigs traveling from town to town in a mediocre tour buses or vans, sharing 2-Star hotel rooms but drawing bigger crowds, getting more airplay and selling a few more records. As your fan base becomes bigger with more buzz when your show comes back to town the local dudes start bringing free drugs just to get to hang with the band (bands spend a lot of time waiting in airports, hotel lobbies and venue green rooms) and the local girls "groupies" offered free pussy just to get to hang with the band and the "cost of a backstage pass is a blow job".
It is incredible Kansas a) made it big time; b) lasted 45 years and counting (and sounding good) so I find it perfectly honest, acceptable that Steve Walsh's coked-up stage antics, his toot dancing and one of the worlds best singers having trouble spitting the words out is a perfect sign of the times. So why all you haters don't get it about Walsh who can sit back now and laugh at all of you.
The extra keyboard player (to cover up any of Steve's fuckups) is Greg Robert from Louisiana (no longer with band, all others less Walsh still are). When SW retired it took Kansas hiring two guys Ronnie Platt, lead singer & organ & David Manion, keyboards, B3, piano and synths to replace the great SW (who knew after giving the crowd his all for 45 years he finally blew out his voice and admits drugs did bot help plus they added another guitarist Zac Rizvi to cover a lot of the subtle parts Kerry Livgren wrote and played.
There are many of you dumbasses on here need to STFU about the fabulous Steve Walsh.
Mas coquero el vocalista :) , pero el violinista muy bueno
Only three of the original six, but they do a great job with this song...Steve looks like he's high, and his voice is inconsistent.
It's probably the 8 ball he snorted before the show. This era he was really geeked out on coke.
wrong bass note at 2:14 and a few after that.
I can not imagine what it was like for the rest of the band to watch Steve self destruct. Could they have stopped it? Did they want too? Kerry claims to be a Christian....why didn't he intervene and help his fellow man? That is sad in of itself. I'm disappointed.
Kerry was a guest. Kerry is a Christian as are other members in the band but being a Christian doesn't mean you can lay hands on someone and change their way of thinking. A real Christian knows this and can only lead by example as it appears may have happened
+fred estire Oh no! Fred's "disappointed". Shut the fuck up you idiot. Obviously you don't know the first thing about addicts or addiction.
+rubicon1983 And obviously YOU know nothing of civil behavior. Fred obviously doesn't know that much about the situation but he asks valid questions and isn't condemning anyone.
You can't help someone who doesn't want to help himself and at that time Steve didn't think it was a problem. Sometimes it takes something scary to make someone stop. Steve was pulled over in 1996 for DUI. He had a decent amount of drugs on him, so much he said he could have done some serious jail time. According to him that was when he hit bottom. Phil had a lot to do with his sobriety afterward. Steve has also said that he's embarrassed of the way he acted on stage when he was high, that's one of the reasons why this video will never be re-released. This version here is the directors cut before the editing. The home video had vocals that were overdubbed in the studio at a later date, but even though they were re cut they still didn't sound very good.
I get so sick of hearing so-called Kansas fans bash Steve because he had a drug problem. Why don't they ever bash Dave Hope the first Kansas band member to have a serious drug problem. Just about every rock and roll band that has achieved critical success has had one or more band members who have had drug problems, but somehow Kansas fans want to unfairly bash Steve Walsh. I just don't understand it at all. I don't see near as many negative posts about Nikki Sixx, Steven Tyler, Slash, Keith Richards, Mick Jagger, or even people that died from overdoses like Jimi Hendrix and Jim Morrison. Kansas fans should be thankful that Steve's problem was cocaine instead of heroin which has taken the lives of so many rock stars. Steve eventually cleaned up his act so lets give it a rest.
Holy WTF is Walsh on???
some of the greatest works contain flaws .So what?
Amazing what cocaine can do....
o vocalista ta meio afetado ou é impressão minha?
Can't watch this. I dont know who most of those guys, and Steve appears to be wasted.
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I went to at least 25 Kansas shows in the 1990's. 80% of the time, Steve's voice sounded incredible. However, he had a few off-nights, but not one time did I witness a vocal performance that was even close to being as subpar as his performance at The Whiskey in 1992. In other words, The Whiskey show is probably Walsh's worst show ever. Unfortunately some so-called Kansas fans have used an off-night at The Whiskey to make a villain out of one of the greatest vocalists in the history of Rock n' Roll. I remember seeing Steven Tyler in the early 1980's and he was so wasted he couldn't stand up on stage and his voice was utterly terrible. By far the worst show I ever saw. Tyler's performance made Walsh's performance at The Whiskey look like it was the greatest live performance in the history of rock n' roll. I find it ironic that Aerosmith fans have proven to be a lot more forgiving and Christ-like than many so-called Kansas fans who continue to persecute Walsh and scorn him for his Whiskey performance. BTW, I saw Tyler sing in 2014, and his voice still sounds very good.
It's called massive amounts of coke!
Стив явно не в себе....жаль , но он портит общую картину. Я давний поклонник Канзас. Впервые услышал в 1980 году и они ворвались в мою жизнь навсегда. В СССР единицы знали о существовании этой великой группы. Я понятия не имел , что настолько атлетически сложенный человек как Стив имеет такие проблеммы. Как мне его жаль.... Если кто его увидит передавайте ему привет из далёкого Киева.
That bass player look ashamed!
Walsh's voice was toast by this time. It was actually bad a some concerts in the 80's. Shame.
@throwsand Ragsdale is 100X better than Robby, Deal with it.
Sorry....can't watch this video.
Steve does look like he's chewing his face off like Iggy Pop. I think he might have rethought that shirt too - lol!!! Hope he's cleaned up his act, cocaine really wrecks a voice, and he sings with enough pressure as it is.
Unfortunately Steve made some bad choices which didn't help his vocals. He can sing way better than this. What a shame. Such a great vocalist and musician.
Sound man is terrible,can’t hardly hear the keyboards,integral part of this song.
Is coke what killed his voice? It just seems like one day it was gone and never returned. Sad sad if thats the case. One the best bands ever
Steve started using harder drugs after the bands huge success in the late 70's. Him and Dave Hope used to spend enormous amounts of money on Cocaine. One day Dave Hope woke up and stopped using. Steve's voice starting getting rough around 1980. When he formed Streets in 1983 he was using twice as much as he did and his voice actually sounded like this in 1983, I have some live Streets shows where he has that rasp. Once he came back to Kansas his voice came back, he may have stopped for the sake of re starting his career but shortly after "IN the spirit of things" came out, that's when he started getting that rasp back. It wasn't until he stopped using in 1997 that his voice came back, but he ruined his sinuses, that's why he always sounded like he had a cold afterwards. He didn't have the rasp but he had a nasally sound.
Can you say mental masturbation?
drunk