King's X tour update

[Yesspaz]

If you can, SEE THIS SHOW!!!

Quote from a Ty Tabor interview on 4/16: "we're rehearsing and planning on doing an acoustic part of the show with songs we haven't done in a while"


4/23 Springfield, MO Murphy's
4/24 Little Rock, AR Juanita's Cantina Ballroom
4/25 Atlanta, GA Smith's Olde Bar
4/27 Birmingham, AL The Nick
4/28 Nashville, TN Exit Inn
4/29 Charlotte, NC Amos' Southend
4/30 West Springfield, VA Jaxx
5/01 Farmingdale, NY Downtown
5/03 New Haven, CT Toad's Place
5/04 Pittsburgh, PA Hard Rock Café
5/06 Seaside Heights, NJ The Saw Mill
5/07 Clifton Park, NY Northern Lights
5/08 Attleboro, MA Jarrod's
5/09 Philadelphia, PA North Star Bar
5/10 New York, NY BB King's Blues Club
5/12 Toronto, ON Club Rockit
5/13 Ferndale, MI The Magic Bag
5/14 East Dubuque, IL The Arena
5/15 Chicago Heights, IL Oasis One Sixty
5/16 Saint Paul, MN The Rock
5/18 Sioux Falls, SD Oaks Convention Center
5/21 Santa Ana, CA Galaxy Theatre
5/22 Phoenix, AZ Mason Jar
5/23 Los Angeles, CA House of Blues Sunset
5/24 Porterville, CA Charlie's Engine House #5
5/25 San Francisco, CA DNA Lounge
5/27 Tucson, AZ The Rock

[Roger -Dot- Lee(Admin)]

Originally posted by Yesspaz

4/25 Atlanta, GA Smith's Olde Bar

Spotted on 4/27.

Not that I'd have been able to go anyway, having had to work on the 25th...

Ah well...next time around.

[Yesspaz]

Just got back from seeing King's X at the Nick in BHam. Ah, it was a good show. Here's the setlist:

Train
Believe
Little Bit of Soul (man, this song has some crazy chords by Ty)
Dawgman
Black Like Sunday
Finished
Screamer
Johnny
<acoustic> The Difference
<acoustic> What I'm Gonna Do
<acoustic> Mr. Evil
<acoustic> Mississippi Moon
<acoustic> Everybody Knows a Little Bit of Something
<acoustic> A Box
Talk to You
The Big Picture
Sometime
Visions
We Were Born to be Loved

encore:
<acoustic> Over My Head
<acoustic> Summerland




Album count:

1 - Out of the Silent Planet
4 - Gretchen Goes to Nebraska
2 - Faith Hope Love
1 - King's X 4
1 - Dogman
5 - Ear Candy
2 - Tape Head
0 - Please Come Home... Mr. Bulbous
1 - Manic Moonlight
4 - Black Like Sunday



All in all a good show. The highlight for me by far was "Talk to You." Good heavens, this kicked live. Other highlights were "Screamer" and "Johnny" and of course "We Were Born to be Loved." The lowlight was this one drunk chick right beside me who screamed "Summerland" between every song. She eventually went outside and came running back in when they played it. The other lowlight for me was that for the second tour in a row, no Bulbous, one of my three fav KX albums. In fact, the setlist is puzzling to me. Ear Candy is universally regarded as the weakest KX album, and they did five songs from it? Well, Doug says it's his fav, so there you go. I was a little disappointed in the setlist because 12 of the 21 songs they played last time. I was hoping for more variety. That being said, they rocked it out perfectly. Holy smoke, it was worth my 12 US Dollars just to watch Ty's perfect technique on "Johnny." I probably am sounding a little pessimistic, but I wish the song selection had been better. For example, if you're going to do only one song off Manic Moonlight, why do a song you played last tour? Last tour it was "Believe" and "Static," so I'd have played "Vegetable" or "Skeptical Winds." Same with "Out of the Silent Planet." Only one selection last tour and only one this tour, and both times, it's "Visions." I'd pay and extra $5 for them to play "Wonder." This is not a complaint, but I'm surprised at the picks from Tape Head. I'm glad that they gave "Groove Machine" a rest this tour (great song though), but doing "Little Bit of Soul" and "Mr. Evil" is surprising. I would have guessed "Fade," "Ono," and "Hate You." The acoustic (not really acoustic, but semi-) was cool. "A Box" was killer, one of my favs, but I wished they done it full electric. Once again, "Talk to You," "We Were Born," "Screamer," and "Johnny" were alone worth $12. I just hope next tour to hear some deeper cuts. I'd love to hear "Ono," "Smudge," "When You're Scared," "Pillow," "Julia," "I'll Never Be the Same," and "Dreams."

Another thing: Doug Pinnock is a much better bass player than most people realize. He uses distortion and fuzz and sometimes it obscures what he's playing, but watching his fingers, man, that guy is all over the place. He's as busy a player at times as Squire or Levin or Bootsy! The jam in the middle of "Finished" is basically Ty and Doug both soloing at the same time. Goodness. Jerry is still a killer drummer, and Ty is of course Ty. Whether solo, King's X, The Jelly Jam, or Platypus, Ty is one of the unsung guitarists in prog-metal.

I'll say this: If you've never seen King's X, do it.

[Rick and Roll]

Originally posted by Yesspaz


The other lowlight for me was that for the second tour in a row, no Bulbous, one of my three fav KX albums. In fact, the setlist is puzzling to me. Ear Candy is universally regarded as the weakest KX album, and they did five songs from it? Well, Doug says it's his fav, so there you go.

Reply - must be another universe. Think of a mountain where after Dogman, you roll down the hill. Each record's gotten less interesting. Ear Candy has a lot of Ty so it's neat Doug likes it.

I was a little disappointed in the setlist because 12 of the 21 songs they played last time. For example, if you're going to do only one song off Manic Moonlight, why do a song you played last tour? Last tour it was "Believe" and "Static," so I'd have played "Vegetable" or "Skeptical Winds."

Reply - consider yourself lucky. A lot of bands wear out more songs than that! Last time I saw them (a few tours back) they played a 17 minute version of Vegetable. It really doesn't matter the song, they look for an excuse to rock out!

Same with "Out of the Silent Planet." Only one selection last tour and only one this tour, and both times, it's "Visions." I'm glad that they gave "Groove Machine" a rest this tour (great song though)

Reply - at least they gave it a rest. Think I like hearing Roundabout, Tom sawyer, and Aqualung? Sheesh! At least they played something off of the first.

Another thing: Doug Pinnock is a much better bass player than most people realize.

Reply - should have seen the cats at Rosfest (Jadis, Salem Hill, Izz, Sonus).

I'll say this: If you've never seen King's X, do it.

Reply - For us hardcore fans, we can find fault with set lists and performance (see my old Kx set lists from the early 90's for comparison). I like the set list, etc. but unless they come closer to me, I can't go 70 miles each way.

That being said, those who have never been will see Kx at 70% of what they were, and that's better than 70% of any show!

Thanks Spaz!

[Yesspaz]

Rick said: "Think of a mountain where after Dogman, you roll down the hill. Each record's gotten less interesting."

Really! Wow, I'm surprised at that viewpoint. Most fans I talk to don't like Ear Candy. They tend to look at Ear Candy as KX trying to break into the mainstream with a pop hit, but when they went back to Metal Blade on Tape Head, they skipped commercialism and returned to form. For example, AMG gives Ear Candy only 2.5 stars, the lowest of any KX album, whereas Dogman, FHL, and Tape Head each four stars. Bulbous I think is killer (listened to it today). I'll agree that Manic Moonlight and Black Like Sunday are relatively hit and miss, although MM really grows on you. Anyway, to each his own....

[Rick and Roll]

should never be used as a source of reviews!

I think 90% of King's X stuff is accessible, I find Ear Candy no different really. I like accessible.

On an unrelated note - there's a bank called Wadsworth playing this weekend from Portland that was described as "stripped-down Trephine with a bit of Don Caballero". Heard of them? News to me.

[Yesspaz]

Nope, never heard of Wadsworth (or Trephine) for that matter. Portland is Poda's area. Maybe she'll go and let us know....

As per AMG, yeah, some of their reviews are quite odd, but I was just using them as an example of what I feel to be the consensus.

[Rick and Roll]

reference to Don C., and with your knowledge of obscure bands, took a chance...

[Bob Lentil]

Thanks for the update, Yesspaz. Out of the 5 times I've seen them live (all since June 2002), I don't think I've seen them perform any of the songs in the middle acoustic portion. Unfortunately, I think I've heard every other song multiple times. I'm still waiting to hear Dream in my Life, my favorite KX song. By the way, I universally consider Manic Moonlight to be their weakest album.

[Yesspaz]

Manic Moonlight I like because even at 45 minutes, it's only 9 songs, with only one that could qualify as filler, "Yeah." There are three over six minutes. Ear Candy has some killer material on it, but a good bit of it seems to be filler to me, such as Picture, 67, Run, Fathers, American Cheese.

[Rick and Roll]

Dream In My Life - heard that at the Bayou in DC, on that tour. Never heard hide nor hair of it again. In fact, they did World Around Me and hadn't heard that again either.

My issue with Manic is the sound. Sounds like a fuzzy fart trapped in a couch. Tinny drums too. The long tunes should have been a minute or two shorter.

Good point about Ear Candy. American Cheese just really reeks. I agree with Fathers , too - but "A Box" is the same way for me....