If you’re feeling down about your state in life, go put on a King’s X album. These guys have always had an uncanny ability to reduce my usual jaded persona into one of hope. Well, maybe not hope. That seems a little too grand for my world view. But at the very least, they put a smile on my face.
So, these guys haven’t put out any new material since 2008. As a result, the set list ended up being a nice smorgasbord of material from across their 20+ year career. It remains a shock that their frontman/bassist Doug Pinnick is 66(!) years old. We can all hope to be this cool when reaching our AARP years. I will also maintain to my grave that if I was starting a dream band that Ty Tabor would be my first pick for lead guitar. His solos are dazzling without being overbearing or pretentious. Drummer Jerry Gaskill is still bringing it after enduring two heart attacks over the past few years and having his house destroyed by Hurricane Sandy. All in all, it’s a gift that these guys are still together and still playing shows. Any chance you get to see them in person is a chance you have to grab. No telling how much longer they are going to be performing.
This was just a lovely way to spend a evening and was well worth braving the frigid winds blowing through downtown on Thursday night.
Here are a couple of clips from the show. First up, Vegetable from the Manic Moonlight album. This is a personal favorite. Funky side of King’s X.
Next is their classic Over My Head from Gretchen Goes to Nebraska. Gospel meets Metal.
DISPATCHES FROM THE VOID 