Kansas returns to Tacoma in January, a changed band with the same songbook

The prog-rock veterans play Emerald Queen Casino on Friday, Jan. 22, 2027 — their first Tacoma-area date since 2022, after two hard years on and off the stage.

When the violin comes in on "Dust in the Wind," a casino showroom goes quiet in a way few rooms do. Tacoma gets that moment again this winter, from a Kansas that has been through a lot since it was last here.

Kansas plays Emerald Queen Casino on Friday, Jan. 22, 2027, at 8 p.m. Tickets run $57 to $365.05 through Ticketmaster. The show was announced Oct. 26, and it's the band's first in the market since September 2022 at the Muckleshoot Events Center.

The four-plus years in between have tested the band. Founding drummer Phil Ehart has been off the kit since a major heart attack in early 2024, and his former drum tech, Eric Holmquist, has filled in ever since, according to Ultimate Classic Rock. Ehart hasn't left: he still manages the band and has published a memoir, *I Am Phil*. Longtime guitarist Rich Williams, in the band since 1973, has been limiting his touring because of problems with his eyesight, with Scott Bernard taking over on the road.

Then there's the voice. Ronnie Platt, the band's lead singer since 2014, when he replaced Steve Walsh, battled through a cancer diagnosis in 2025. Kansas came out the other side with a 2026 North American tour that AOL framed as following a challenging year, and the band has since added eight more dates to its fall headline run, per UCR.

The lineup carrying the music now is Platt, keyboardist Tom Brislin, guitarists Zak Rizvi and Bernard, violinist Joe Deninzon, bassist Dan McGowan and Holmquist behind the drums — with Williams and Ehart still part of the operation. It's a band that has learned to keep the catalog moving through change, which is no small thing for music this intricate.

Two hard years, a new man on the drums, and the songbook still standing.

And 2027 is already filling in. UCR has reported early-year dates in Florida and Illinois, along with a slot on the Cruise to the Edge prog-rock sailing, and a band spokesperson said more dates for the new year would be announced in the coming weeks. Tacoma lands near the front of that run.

Emerald Queen's showroom holds about 1,800, a comfortable size for a band whose fans tend to want a seat and a clear view of the violin. It's the right scale for a catalog built on long arrangements and big choruses — the kind of show where you hear "Carry On Wayward Son" coming a few bars early and the whole room is ready for it.

If you saw them in 2022, this is a different band in some of the seats and a familiar one in the sound. If you've never seen them, January is a good time to start. Go for the hits; stay for the violin.

Sources: Kansas 2026 tour — Ultimate Classic Rock (ultimateclassicrock.com); Kansas Has Added Eight More Dates to Their Fall 2026 Headliner Tour — Ultimate Classic Rock (ultimateclassicrock.com); Kansas new tour dates 2027 — Ultimate Classic Rock (ultimateclassicrock.com); Kansas Schedules 2026 North American Tour After a Challenging Year — AOL (aol.com); Ticketmaster: Kansas, Tacoma, Jan. 22, 2027 (ticketmaster.evyy.net); JamBase: Kansas at Emerald Queen Casino (jambase.com)