By Andrew Bansal
March 1st 2016, The Whisky-A-Go-Go, West Hollywood CA: Even as they continue to work on the long-awaited follow-up to their last full-length release ‘XV’ (2008), American progressive hard rock veterans King’s X have re-issued two of their classic albums ‘Gretchen Goes To Nebraska’ (1989) and ‘Faith Hope Love’ (1990) via Metal Blade Records, and completed a short US West Coast run in support of these reissues as well as to present material from the rest of their back catalog. King’s X is one of those bands that rarely play headline shows in the Los Angeles area and aren’t exactly a household name, but they do have a cult legion of loyal fans and followers. On this West Coast run, King’s X took the stage at the Whisky-A-Go-Go last Tuesday March 1st 2016, as the city’s Dad Rock crowd was out in full force to pack the venue to capacity and was in high anticipation of a great show from the band.
At 10:20, Doug Pinnick (bass, vocals), Ty Tabor (guitar, backing vocals) and Jerry Gaskill (drums) quietly walked down the side-stage staircase to take their respective positions, and began a 15-song, 80-minute set with ‘Groove Machine’ off of the 1998 album ‘Tape Head’, and it was evident straightaway that frontman Pinnick was in his element, setting the tone for an age-defying performance, and at 65 years old, standing tall as one of the most exemplary monuments of longevity in the modern-day world of rock ‘n roll. Tabor’s guitar was a tad too low in the mix to begin with, but the band got dialed in far better as the show progressed, and on the whole, Tabor was able to shine through with his individuality in the songs played. Besides, his backing vocals add tremendous strength to the live King’s X show, and the kind of dual vocal harmony he is able to pull off with Pinnick is rarely heard these days. Meanwhile on the drums, Jerry Gaskill, having recovered from two heart attacks in recent years, was also at his 100 per cent. The band was in the zone and hardly took a breather as the set flowed smoothly from one song to the next.
The first seven King’s X albums were well represented in the set, and there were also selections from some of the 2000s releases. Early in the set, ‘Pillow’ was the first of the crowd favorites, as a majority of the gathering was heard singing along to the chorus, and songs off of ‘Gretchen Goes To Nebraska’ generally got a great response as well. King’s X stands out in the prog hard rock world because of the eclectic nature of their musicianship, heavy on the groove and blending elements of funk, and this is all the more apparent upon witnessing a King’s X headline show firsthand. This was an unusually civilized and well-behaved Whisky crowd, but the fans raised their volume for their favorite tunes and reciprocated the band’s efforts in plenty. With 15 full-length studio albums tucked away in the back catalog, it has to be hard for King’s X to come up with the perfect set list to satiate fans of all eras and tastes, but regardless of the song selection, the musical repertoire is invariably under the spotlight, which is what makes King’s X a compelling entity. The classic album reissues have resurrected some of the band’s older material back into prominence. With an impending new album, much more is expected of King’s X, both from the studio and on stage, and prog-minded rock fans should certainly be on the lookout.
Set List:
01. Groove Machine
02. The World Around Me
03. Pillow
04. Flies and Blue Skies
05. Vegetable
06. (Thinking and Wondering) What I’m Gonna Do
07. Everybody Knows a Little Bit of Something
08. A Box
09. Over My Head
10. Over and Over
11. Pleiades
12. We Were Born to Be Loved
Encore:
13. Go Tell Somebody
14. Dogman
15. Goldilox
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