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King's X Live in Nashville

By Tokemaster General, Contributor
Sunday, May 2, 2004 @ 11:51 PM


King's X Live at the Exit Inn

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REVIEW BY: Michael Fischer

Well what can you say about this band that already hasn't been said? King’s X is made in America and is without a doubt one of the greatest and most underrated rock bands since the late 1980s. To back up their first class rock reputation, they are still on the road performing like only King’s X can.

Stevie Wonder meets the Beatles with power, grace and edge is the best way to describe King’s X. Their vintage original sound had earned them the respect of every REAL fan and musician from Portland, Maine to Portland, Siberia.

Wednesday April 28th, yet once again I rode the King’s X rainbow that goes around the world in under two hours. The great thing about this ride is you don't need any baggage, just a good buzz and set of ears. It a real honor to see this band anytime I get the chance. King’s X is like your favorite movie, you have to see it at least once a year.

Three were acts on the marquee tonight kids!

First opening act was Chelsea Constable, the new young 14-year old girl guitar prodigy from Kingsport, TN. Featured in the most recent issue of Guitar Player Magazine, Chelsea is quite an amazing story. Technically she's nearing the Vinnie Moore ballpark. I always smile when I see some kid ripping Van Halen chops. She really tears up the scales. Her talent is so overwhelming, give her just a little time to channel her power and develop into her own personality. Chelsea is well on her way to lead the new rock generation into battle in 2007. Good cover tune set. Very Loud. She is a real crowd winner! http://www.chelseaconstable.com/.

After torching a couple bowls in the parking lot, we proceeded back inside where the quiet intermission was interrupted by a KILLER local four-piece band called Big Jim Slade. Don't let the name fool you folks, these guys were a real surprise. Look for this band to go places! This band writes and performs in the flavor of King’s X to the fucking tee. Great songs! Great Vocals! Excellent three part harmonies! These guys are really good and trust me, I'm a critical son of a bitch. Lead by two brothers on guitar and bass, the band chemistry is original and tight. It's refreshing to know that good bands (inspired by King’s X) are out there on the horizon. Excellent second opening act for tonight's show! Check ‘em out at http://www.bigjimslade.com/.

Now bring out the beef!

After another brief PA intermission listening to the new Jelly Jam CD by Ty, John of DT and Rod Morgenstein. (Excellent CD!) The lights went down as our three usual suspects walked on stage sporting big grins ready to rock as the diehards at the front of the stage chanted "Jerry", Jerry, Jerry"!!! (George Harrison would be proud of Jerry's new solo CD!). Ty cut into "The Train" and the familiar King’s X experience began!

It's Nashville, so you can expect some rowdy rockers up past midnight on a school night. King’s X set the room ablaze with the standard classics "Dogman," "Sometime," "Visions" and "We Were Born to be Loved"! Always ACE up front, an honorable mention for Doug Pinnick’s absolutely incredible performance again. Injured knee and all, Doug proves that everything is one when you see him sing and play. He speaks like a true God and Doug keeps the bar set nice and high. I cannot say enough great things about these guys every time I see them.

This tour has some great surprises for King’s X fans including a toned down unplugged set featuring "The Difference," "Everybody Knows," "Thinking and Wondering," "Mr. Evil," "Mississippi Moon" and "A Box." Ty breaks out some sweet acoustic guitars on these tunes, which give the songs a great flavor cutting back on all the distortion and volume. They have such a wide variety of songs in their catalog, it's great to see them perform their more dynamic, colored material.

The ending of the show was different and very awesome. King’s X encored with a toned down Hendrix-style version of "Over My Head." The crowd sang the whole song loud as hell -- verses and all. As always, it was a great personal connection with the fans to finish the show. As all great performers do, King’s X left their calling card with a beautiful acoustic version of "Summerland."

Seeing the true magic of this band is after the show when they take the time to greet their loyal fans. It's 2 am in the parking lot after the show. I'm hanging out by the bus talking to some guys who drove all the way to Nashville from West Virginia to see them. Jerry has a touch of the flu, Doug is walking around on a cane with a sore knee and Ty is e-mailing his dog. You know these guys are tired, but they still hang out with the fans and sign autographs taking the time to talk with everyone and acknowledge their compliments (Last year they did a meet and greet in the pouring rain). Even if a drunk redneck tells Doug he's loves him 12 times, Doug is humble and says, "Thank you, man!" (knowing the guy is a royal pain in the ass). That's what true music heroes should all be made of. Were all in this shit together.

I only have the opportunity to see these guys once a year, for me it’s like seeing old high school friends. I was fortunate enough to hang out with the band after the show and have a laugh and say "thanks for the great music" and talk to Jerry about his new solo CD.

Let¹s face it, surviving a rock band is the ultimate sacrifice. Being on the receiving end of King’s X is the greatest way we can return their gift back to them. Like all great things in life, this band will be gone one day and we will miss them more than our hair. Which is why you should get your ass up off the couch, put down that bag of Frito’s, fuck worrying about that truck payment and go out and have a good time for a few hours. The KNAC rock gods give this show a 5 star thumbs up!

Be sure to check out KingsXonline.com.



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