Kansas comes home … to St. Charles!
As the band Kansas hits the road with a new lead singer, a new documentary release and a newfound burst of energy, words cannot express my excitement as The Arcada Theatre welcomes back a band that I grew up with as one of my absolute favorites!
It's a classic band, the same amazing music, but with a new twist!
I've been a rock 'n' roll wannabe for as long as I can remember. How many times I screeched “Oh Sherry” like Steve Perry of Journey into a hair brush, violently air-guitared Deep Purple's “Smoke On The Water” or sat in my driveway an extra seven minutes because Zeppelin's “Stairway To Heaven” wasn't over yet.
Really, who hasn't at least once in their life imagined themselves onstage surrounded by screaming, miniskirt-clad fans, an entourage with bodyguards the size of a huge stack of Marshall amplifiers and arm-locked audience members mouthing every word to every song you perform? Then, reality set in, and our mullet-laden selves went back to our daily lives of acne, sports practice and regularly getting turned down by the local hotties.
Stepping into the limelight as a bona fide rock star is a one-in-a-million shot — a musician's lottery, if you will. Just ask Ronnie Platt.
Platt went from being a full-time truck driver and part-time, local cover band vocalist to becoming the lead singer in one of classic rock's royal groups, Kansas.
Much like Arnel Pineda, the singer from the Philippines who was plucked from American obscurity by way of a YouTube video and became the full-time lead singer for the supergroup Journey, Platt is realizing the ultimate rocker dream come true.
As the on-again, off-again frontman for local classic rock tribute band ARRA since 1987, Platt has been belting out fan fave songs from Journey, Foreigner, Boston and, among others, Kansas. ARRA had opened for Kansas on several occasions, and the legendary band banked his talent.
When it came down to making the decision, Platt didn't even have to audition, but he did have to travel to check his chemistry with the band. He found out the next day that the formula was perfect.
After Kansas frontman Steve Walsh decided to retire from the band, the remaining members had to engage in a national search to fill in those big shoes of Walsh. But when Phil Ehart and Rich Williams of Kansas were innocently Facebook-friended by Platt, they recalled those several times ARRA opened for them and how impressed they were of the band's lead singer. Within a few days of that Facebook message, the chemistry was established and Platt got the job.
We at The Arcada are so proud of this “local boy doing well” that we stepped up and are going to be his first Chicago appearance as the new lead singer of Kansas. Nov. 1 will truly be a historic night for all classic rock fans, especially those in the Chicago area.
“I was in shock, it all happened so fast,” Platt said. “With ARRA, I always felt that I had 'made it.' I shared the stage with fabulous musicians and we made a lot of people happy. We played for tens of thousands of people, in front of everybody from Steppenwolf to REO Speedwagon. But getting this job is a different kind of 'making' it. Now, people from all over the world are pulling up YouTube videos of ARRA and I look forward to meeting each and every one of them personally!”
I have had the honor and privilege to work with Kansas on several occasions between appearances at my Arcada Theatre and private events for some big companies. Each time, Kansas delivered big time, bringing me back to those rock 'n' roll fantasy days. They are true rock legends that still got it, and still give the audience 150 percent. Each time, I joined the audience in yelling at the top of my lungs “… to the point of no return.” Marveling at Phil's masterful drumming while thumbing through an air-keyboard rendition backstage made me feel like I was the one onstage.
Gosh, what it must feel like to be Ronnie Platt. At 52, he is a big kid about to embark on an endless summer vacation. With the excitement of a musical newbie and the wisdom of a seasoned pro, his 16-hour days of rehearsals will be like those spent earlier years at amusement parks, and just as fun.
One of my favorite Kansas songs is “The Wall.” Usually, when a rocker hits “the wall,” it is to some extent a tragic occurrence. In this case, Ronnie hit “The Wall,” head on and he is happier than ever.
For Ronnie Platt, I am sure there is no place like home — but in his case, Kansas is a most exciting thing to be a part of. Yes, Toto, this is Kansas, at least for one lucky (and talented) hometown rock 'n' roller.
• Ron Onesti is president and CEO of The Onesti Entertainment Corp. and The Historic Arcada Theatre in St. Charles. Celebrity questions and comments? Email ron@oshows.com.