Kansas, the classic rock staple and not the state, has had a rough few months. After being forced to postpone shows in August due to a COVID-19 outbreak among the band’s crew, drummer Phil Ehart has now been sidelined by an injury that could affect his playing future. Ehart, who co-wrote the hits “Point of Know Return” and “Play the Game Tonight,” had to miss the band’s sold-out Oct. 15 show at Parx Casino in Bensalem, Pennsylvania.
“Kansas drummer Phil Ehart has sustained an arm injury. Because of this, he is under doctor’s orders to temporarily refrain from playing drums,” the group said in a statement on Oct. 13. The group still performed in Bensalem Saturday, with drum technician Eric Holmquist playing Ehart’s drum kit. “Phil looks forward to returning behind his drum kit as soon as possible,” the group’s statement continued.
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Kansas has not had an easy time touring this year. It started in January when the group was forced to postpone shows in Texas and Florida when a member of the band had an undisclosed illness. In July, the group had to cancel a show in their namesake state when a member of the touring party tested positive for COVID-19. A handful of August dates were also postponed after multiple people in the band and their touring party tested positive.
In an August 2021 interview with Prog Magazine, Ehart said the band hoped to return to playing 100 shows a year, which they regularly did before the pandemic. “We’re going to make sure we can be safe out there and then if we have the opportunities, we will take them,” Ehart said last year. “We’re a working band. Once everybody is back to some sort of normalcy, I’m optimistic and think fans will be very supportive. People want to come to see shows. You can only stream Netflix so much until you’re out of your mind.”
Ehart and guitarist Rich Williams are the only Kansas members to appear on all of the group’s albums. The group is best known for their biggest hits, “Carry On Wayward Son” from 1976 and “Dust in the Wind” from 1978. They released their most recent studio album, The Absence of Presence, in 2020. Kansas’ current touring lineup also features bassist Bill Greer, guitarist Favid Ragsdale, keyboardist Tom Brislin, and singer Ronnie Platt.
