Hi folks and Happy Spring. Well, it was a mega weekend with King's X, first at The Canyon in Agoura Hills on Friday night (March 21) and then again on Sunday (March 23) at the world famous Whisky A Go Go on the Sunset Strip. I've been a fan of KX since Summer 1989 when I heard "Gretchen Goes to Nebraska," and I first saw them live in 1992 at The Fonda, so it's amazing all these years later that they're not only Still Bringin' It, but with more vitality than ever. As Doug said at The Canyon, "We're gonna kick your ass"...
I always like to give you the full rundown, and on Friday I rode to the venue with Grimsley. The joint was packed, as are all KX shows now that they've attained Elder Statesman status. They hadn't played LA since 2018 (!), pre-pandemic, but from 2000 until then, I saw KX apprx. every one to two years. I've seen them 12-15 times in all, so they are creeping up on "bands & artists I've seen the most times" territory: Todd Rundgren 15, Van Halen 18, Hilary Hahn 23, and Rush 32 (which is probably unsurpassable).
I'd guess the guys have played at least 1000 gigs in their 40 year career, yet Doug's only concession to age (74) is a small oxygen can he inhaled from after many songs. Jerry, at 67, has gotta be The Bionic Man. Besides being an incredible drummer, he pounds the skins with more force than anyone since John Bonham. At The Canyon, if you have general admission you stand behind tables. It's a dinner club, but you're still only 25 feet from the stage, and I was dead center with a clear sightline. It's difficult, if not pointless, to use superlatives to describe a live performance, so I won't say it was awesome or amazing - but it was the best performance I've seen King's X give in four decades of attending their shows, and the thing is, they're always great anyway. This time, though, there was something extra, and they may be reinvigorated by having a semi-new album out (2022), from which they played 8 songs. But the main thing with King's X - and this is why people love them - is that they don't give a flying F about anything but their music, and - being elder statesmen, and knowing that real musicianship is a lost art, and being the last of the great power trios, they are up there flaunting their legacy, and God Bless them. They may never have attained the superstardom that was predicted for them in Kerrang, but they know they are regarded as legends by bands that did acheive that level of success: Soundgarden, Alice In Chains, Pearl Jam. Imagine a band that not only redefined heavy rock but added Beatle elements and topped off their sound with progressive touches, and whose collective age is well over 200 years old, kicking Major League Bootation in 2025.
My goodness.
For the Whisky show, I took my recently-patented bus/subway combo, including the Orange Line, which takes me down Lilly's old street...(ahh, the sweet nostalgia). I got to the Strip a mite early and walked down Sunset and back until near showtime, entering the club at 8:45. KX took the stage at 9. The Whisky is a sardine can when full, and it's been scientifically proven that if you are 5' 9" there will always be Giants in front of you at concerts, but like any scientific fact there are always exceptions to the rule and I found a spot off to the right side, directly in front of Ty Tabor, with no one blocking my view, and as a bonus I got the guitar sound coming straight out of Ty's Orange amps. He's playing a Les Paul Gold Top, and that pairing produced a monster sound....talk about The Brutalist, that flick should've been about Ty Tabor, or all of King's X. The Brutalists - plural! Watching them play, packed inside the Whisky, I also found myself thinking of all the other classic bands who've stood on that stage: The Doors, Alice Cooper, Cream, Yes, Jimi, Rush, Deep Purple, Black Sabbath...and many more. King's X belongs on that list of legends, and.......they know it. They aren't just great is what I'm trying to say - they're Cream great, Jimi great, DP great...and those bands would agree. They are the last power trio standing.
Grimsley was at this show, too. He arrived separately and was trying to sell his ticket when I found him. I told him that was crazy, and he did sell it, but then he had second thoughts and bought another ticket at the box office right before the show started. I ended up riding back with him, and on Sunset we saw this sign: "Welcome to Beverly Hills. Drones in Use." Translation: "Don't Even Think About It, You Criminals!" I got a huge kick out of that. Hooray for BH.
That's about all for today. There are no other concerts on the horizon at the moment. Emperor is playing the Hollywood Palladium in May, with Agalloch opening, an incredible double-bill, but too expensive. 100 bucks? Fuggeddaboudit. I'll be back with a regular blog asap. Tons of love!
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