University of North Alabama - Diorama Yearbook (Florence, AL)

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After a few years out of the mainstream, Kansas brought a powerful new show to Flowers Hall jqO TURNING B ACK fe As long as we can surprise the fans, we know we ' re headed in the right direction. 1 J AN EIGHT NQNUTE DRUM SOLO by drummer Phil Ehart kicks off tlie Kansas encore. The April 4 concert brought thousands of fans to Flowers Hall. (Photo by Wade Myhan) 1f e rock group Kansas brought a little bit of the old, and a little bit of the new to Flowers Hall as they performed to an enthusiastic crowd of over 3,000 people. Sporting a new line-up and touting a new album, Kansas thrilled spectators by perform- ing all of the Kansas classics as well as tunes from their latest album Power. Original members Phil Ehart and guitarist Richard Wil- liams teamed with vocalist Steve Walsh (who had returned to the band after a five year absence), ex-Streets member Billy Greer, and former Dixie Dregs guitarist Steve Morse to record the new album and begin touring. As a result, Kansas brought an intense, energetic show to Florence. Kansas opened the concert with the Kansas standard Point of Know Return, and there was no turning back. It was obvious that the band was ready to rock when vocalist Steve Walsh told the crowd that they could play until about 2 o ' clock, and then they would order pizza for 4,000. The band slowed down a bit when guitarists Williams and Morse took center stage to do the Dixie Dregs instrumental Up in the Air, which was fol- lowed by a crowd sing-along of the group ' s biggest hit, Dust in the Wind. The band kicked off the second set with songs from Power which included Secret Service, Power, and We ' re Not Alone Anymore. The band attempted to end the concert with a nine-minute version of the Kansas classic Carry On Wayward Son, but the crowd would not let the show end that easily. A chant of We want more filled Flowers Hall as Kansas took the stage once again for one more song. According to guitarist Steve Morse, becoming a member c Kansas was something the just kind of happened. I had been talking to Ph [Ehart] and we wanted to g( together and play, Morse sai( but we didn ' t have the chanc until the band was recordin ' Power. ' I was in town, an they asked me to play on it. The main thing is not fo: getting where the fans com from, Morse said. A lot c people are surprised that w can bounce back with thi much energy. He added, As long as w can surprise the fans, we knoi we ' re headed in the rigl direction. The concert was sponsore by the Student Activities Boar (the University Program Coui cil). Director of Student Activ ties Bob Glenn said that th board got lucky, because the were able to get the right grou at the right time. by James L. Rhodes i Rossington leads the way for Kansas ' Keeping in the tradition of trying to use local bands as opening acts for university concerts, the band Rossing- ton took the stage to prepare the crowd for Kansas. Guitarist Gary Rossington, who has played for bands such as Lynyrd Skynyrd and the Rossington Collins Band, is a legend in the minds of southern rock fans. Through- out an energetic show with his latest band Rossington, he proved himself worthy of the title guitar hero. The band was never still as Rossington cranked out a 40- minute set of pure grind which included tunes hke Waiting in the Shadows, Can You Forget About my Love, and Don ' t Misunder- stand Me. The high point of the Ros- sington concert, however, was when the familiar strains of Lynyrd Skynyrd ' s Sweet Home Alabama reverber- ated through Flowers Hall, powered by the guitar licks that helped to make Gary Rossington famous. According to Director of Student Activities Bob Glenn, it was just luck that brought Rossington to campus. We like to use local groups as openers whenever it ' s possible, Glenn said, and Rossington was in Muscle Shoals recording and they were available. According to Glenn, Kansas had been trying to get 3- in touch with Rossington con- cerning touring together and the UNA concert was the point that the two groups were brought together. Prior to the concert, mem- bers of the Rossington band held an autograph party at Pegasus Records and Tapes on East Tennessee Street in Florence to promote their latest album Return to the Scene of the Crime. by lames L. Rhodes 22

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he SOAR program expanded to include ome special sessions for parents and re-entering students nPEn pIMFRSIONS Tfiere was a new dimension iHded to this year ' s SOAR Jummer Orientation and Elvanced Registration) pro- am that made it bigger and itter, according to Director of udent Activities Bob Glenn. The addition was a four- pur condensed orientation rogram for re-entering udents — students who had mihes and could not partici- ite in the regular SOAR ogram. In addition to the program r re-entering students, the pAR session for parents was tered and made into an all ly affair that gave parents an jportunity to find out every- ing they wanted to know bout college hfe, according to pb Glenn. This was the first year we ' d id that structured a pro- am, Glenn said. In the past s been very brief, usueilly less an half a day. The SOAR session for par- its started off with a tour of e campus, a good bit of [ ich was spent in the Student ivelopment Center where ficials talked about the oblems college students .ght encounter and how to lal with them. Next, they met with campus ficials and administrators and discussed financial aid, student services, and opportu- nities for the students. It was a time where they had available a wide variety of personnel to answer any ques- tion, Glenn said. Other than these two activi- ties, the SOAR program was basically the same as it has been in the past. It started with a welcome session, featuring Dr. Daniel Leasure, dean of Student Affairs. Next the students played a freshman simulation game. In this game, students simulated what a year of col- lege is like in 45 minutes. There were six activity tables set up with three activi- ties each which served as dis- tractions. Students began by establishing goals. The pur- pose was to accomplish your goals in the allotted period of time without giving in to the distractions which were present. Next, students separated into individual groups and talked about student life. Dr. Joseph Thomas, dean of Faculty and Instruction, talked about what the university expected of them. Afterwards they separated into individual groups and dis- cussed student services and housekeeping information. Also, students had individual advisory sessions with their counselors. That evening students were entertained by the SOAR Cabaret and finally a SOAR dance. The next day students took a tour of the campus, received information about fraternities and sororities, and registered for fall classes. According to Bob Glenn, the university tried to improve SOAR this year by trying to give students what they wanted instead of what the university thought they needed. We made a greater effort to give them more structure and ask questions and give them more information about things that were of concern to them, Glenn said. Based on the comments from students and parents, Glenn feels that they accom- plished their goal. The proof is in the pud- ding, he said. The evalua- tions from students and parents said that they found SOAR to be helpful. Students felt good about coming here and were anxious to return in the fall. -E by Vincent Toney SOAR COUNSELORS Sheiry Ander- son and Ladd VanDevender help their SOAR students in the freshman year simulation, an activity that gives the students a quick taste of college life. (Photo by Mollie H. McCutchen) We made a greater effort to give them more structure I 1 J I THE MEMBERS of the SOAR Cabaret went on a lion hunt and caught Leo IL The cabaret is a fea- ture of the SOAR program diat helps ease the incoming students into campus life. The theme for the show was WLEO Radio. (Photo by Larry Robertson)

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Spring Concerts 23