Review: 'Kansas: Miracles Out Of Nowhere'

I grew up in Southern Indiana in the 1970s, which means that I heard a lot of Kansas. Even before their string of radio hits like "Dust In The Wind" and "Carry On My Wayward Son," they had spent years slogging around the Midwest with other regional acts like Bob Seger, REO Speedwagon, and Ted Nugent. But even at their height of commercial success, Kansas wasn't one of those bands whose story was all that well known. Which is why I highly recommend the documentary "Kansas: Miracles Out Of Nowhere." It airs on AXS TV on Tuesday, October 30 as part of the network's "Docs That Rock" series.

The 2014 film was released to coincide with the band's 40th anniversary and all six of the original Kansas members take part in the film: drummer Phil Ehart, bassist Dave Hope, keyboardist/guitarist Kerry Livgren, violinist/vocalist Robby Steinhardt, vocalist/keyboardist Steve Walsh, and guitarist Richard Williams. 

The six were reunited for the first time in decades for a photo shoot and to work on the film and for fans of the band, it's bittersweet seeing them on camera. Like a lot of their contemporary classic rock bands, the members of Kansas have had complicated and contentious relationships over the years. Band members have come and gone, several of them have wrestled with health issues and while there is a version of Kansas still touring, it's not quite the same. But they're all there, including guitarist, keyboardist and songwriter Kerry Livgren, who suffered a severe stroke in 2009. And singer-violinist Robby Steinhardt ended up reshooting his interviews for the film after he suffered a heart attack in August of 2013 and subsequently lost a great deal of weight.

That's why director Charley Randazzo and the band's decision to end the film at the band's height following the release of the album "Point Of No Return" makes a lot of sense. The album included the iconic hit "Dust In The Wind" and it marked the last big commercial success of Kansas. The follow-up album "Monolith" eventually went platinum, but that was the last time the original line-up played together as a band. But a version of Kansas has continued on pretty much continuously since then, squeezing out a couple of hits in the 1980s before focusing on classic rock nostalgia tours.

Those details really don't matter in the overall scheme of things. If you're a fan of the classic Kansas sound, you'll appreciate hearing the stories of how the songs came together from the people who were there. And it's striking to hear how content everyone seems to be with how everything worked out. Yes, the band signed away their songwriting to Don Kirschner when he signed them. But there's an appreciation that his offer was their one shot to move from Topeka to the world stage. And few other executives would have continued to finance a band that worked hard but didn't get their first big hit until their fourth album. The band members aren't thrilled with every financial detail of their career but they honestly seem to feel they ended up where they needed to be.

The documentary includes plenty of band interviews, vintage photos and concert footage. But there are also extensive comments from Garth Brooks and Queen's Brian May, who are both huge Kansas fans. There are also plenty of nuggets from their road to success, including a pretty funny story about Steven Tyler trying to unplug their instruments during an encore when Kansas was opening for Aerosmith.

One thing that struck me after watching the aptly titled film is that it recounts a music industry that doesn't exist anymore. A lot of rock fans bemoan the fact that rock music is an endangered genre in 2018. But this documentary illustrates why it's difficult to launch a successful rock band in today's environment. Kansas was able to tour 270 dates a year and record three albums before finally finding commercial success. That touring tightened the playing of the band and allowed them to work out new music on the road. None of that is available to today's rock bands and as a result, most bands don't get the opportunity to learn until they're ready for the big time. And recording your album on a laptop isn't the same creatively as sitting in a big studio and playing live until you get it right.

"Kansas: Miracles Out Of Nowhere" is the story of one of America's best bands from the 1970s. But it's also the story of how their music reflected a very specific time in the music industry. No matter the talent of the members, the fact this band made it from small-town Kansas to the largest stages in the world really is a bit of a miracle.

"Kansas: Miracles Out Of Nowhere" airs on AXS TV on Tuesday, October 20th, 2018 at at 10:00 p.m. ET