Vexing and Perplexing? Some Small Complaints Here
It’s been a long while since I’d seen King’s X. *checks notes… hmmm summer 1991 on the Faith Hope Love tour. Ok, that’s 32 years ago now, an impossibly long lifetime for a band of that era. At this point, rock fans have a list of stuff they know they will hear when they go to see a long lived band–a couple of new songs and then a long run through the well known (hits isn’t really the right word for King’s X stuff) songs. You have to admire the balls of a band that is (still) relatively unknown–even back in the halcyon days of the early 1990’s—who will go out in 2023 and play a good chunk of their two most recent albums. On top of that they obstinately and pointedly refused to play any songs that would be considered their bigger hits. Specifically they ignored anything from 1989’s Gretchen Goes to Nebraska, the album that broke them nationally, even internationally, and arguably from front to back is a parade of their best and most well known tunes. Likewise, the album that brought them further into the next level, Faith Hope Love, was represented by a single tune, a deep cut, and ignored the half a dozen stone cold King’s X classics contained on that 1990 lp. Even 1992’s Black Flag, their only erstwile MTV single was not in evidence. Why? First, a little background…
Somewhere in the early 1990’s, alt punk had spread into different styles. In a murky land between Primus, Living Color and perhaps some Faith no More lived King’s X. All those bands were different, cerebral and considered a cut above the noise of the late 80’s alt rock scene. Primus in particular were a bass driven band, and that isn’t too bad a reference point here. Doug Pinnock is a force on bass with a very distinctive and dominating bass sound, like Primus is instantly identifiable by Les Claypool’s quirky plucking. These bands were iconoclasts in a sea of conformists, and are still recognized as pioneers to this day. Whispers of them being a closeted Christian rock band, commercial suicide, were always denied in interviews. Their connections to Petra, one of the biggest Christian bands ever would seem to support that view, yet…the band always wrote inspirational lyrical tales that always seemed just this side of overtly Christian. (translation: probably started as a vaguely Christian band, smart enough to deny it, nobody gave a shit, they fucking rocked. Early whispers that their name was a bastardization of their first band name choice, Kin Sex also floated around in the late 80’s)
As the 90’s wore on, the band seemed to run out of ideas. The self titled album and Dogman drew the band into a sound that seemed to lack the variety of their early work. Not the one trick pony band that perhaps Helmet could be hit with (we only play one song, but its a really good one so we change the chords and the words and now it’s an album). Then a series of medical disasters: drummer Jerry Gaskill had two separate serious heart attacks over two years resulting in double bypass surgery. To help pay for the large expenses, they released a limited edition digital live album, Burning Down Boston: Live at The Channel 6.12.91, which just happened to be my first King’s X show so long ago. Pinnock then had a cancer scare which dropped the band out of action once again. Enter 2023.
Despite all of the above, the band has not lost a step. Pinnock is still in command with his distinctive treble heavy bass leading the way, their powerful harmony signature vocals cut through the air. Guitarist Ty Tabor still is the glue that holds them together. But the lack of their best songs had to be a come down for many. Even just the meltdown Moanjam would have made up for much of the missing and missed material. Songs from mid period albums Dogman, Tapehead and Ear Candy had to suffice for the die hards as ‘classic era’ material. The set was dominated by seven count ‘em seven songs from the new album Three Sides of One from 2022. The results varied. Nothing But the Truth and Give it Up could sit alongside some of their classics easily while the insipid Festival fell flat. The four encores were capped by Goldilox, where the band swung the microphones directly at the crowd, and let the audience sing the song in its entirety. It was a joyous moment, reminiscent of ….ermmmm…church…..ahem.
The crowd of about 400 fit a definite demographic: 99% 50 yr old white males who seemed moderately successful and resembled a large casting call for future Law and Order SVU characters. Looking around, I spotted a few King’s X shirts, some Living Colour, some Rush, a King Crimson…you had an idea of what drew these disparate characters into this off the beaten path venue: a devotion to some of the more ground breaking bands thirty years ago. And though we’ve all aged into late 40’s and 50’s no-longer-kids, there is still that yearning for new thrills. And though there were some duds in there, some of King’s X new material raises a high bar, something that many bands are no longer willing to attempt. It’s easy to go out and play the hits and have some spirited sing-alongs, but it is much harder to go out and willingly piss off the crowd in an attempt to show that you are still musically relevant thirty years after your heyday. And that’s something that puts this band in a different category of concert. They succeed or fail on the strength of their songs, not their reputations based on reviews long past. That in my book gives them a pass on the failing to play anything like a hit, and tip my cap to a brave and not often seen approach to rock n roll. “We play on our terms, not yours”
carwreckdebangs 