King's X
Shari and I were so impressed with this show that we rushed back to Shari's place and started composing our first concert review. We focused our comments on bass player Doug Pinnick because of the controversy surrounding comments he'd made to the press about his faith, or lack of it. At 2 A.M., we posted the results on the newsgroup rec.music.christian and went home very happy to discover a great band and a writing partner. Linda: Thursday, August 22--the King's X/Galactic Cowboys road show made its way to Metro in Chicago, and we were there. Linda had a lot more fun than she thought she would and went home in touch with her late 60's rock roots. Shari, who already owns all the albums, thank you very much, had a very smug smile because she'd seen a great show and had Linda's gratitude for making her go. Metro is a skuzzy old theater with falling plaster and linoleum floors. It held a pretty wild-looking, but mild mannered, mostly male, packed house. The veteran fans stood in awe of their idols, the newbies rocked, and EVERYBODY sang along. Shari was sequesterd on a Federal jury and Linda was sweating her first week at a new job, so we arrived "fashionably late." Shari caught Galactic Cowboy's last two songs, and Linda will have to wait until they return in November with Bride and Fourth Estate.
Shari: And the Cowboys were wonderful! Linda: Sigh. We heard every second of King's X, with a great view, too. Shari: You can say that; you're tall! Where're those tall guys when you don't need 'em? Standing in front of me. Did anyone offer to put me on their shoulders? Noooooo. Plus, they confiscated cameras, tape recorders and stilts at the door. Linda: Yeah, the guys gave me dirty looks, too. Couldn't understand why we were there of our own free will. This must be what it's like to crash a Promise Keeper's meeting! King's X played all of Ear Candy except "American Cheese," and most of the good 'ol stuff. Doug Pinnick was in top form; his mom was there, right up front, surrounded by friends and relations. He had a smile and a wink for her on almost every number. "Pictures" was tough for Doug with Mom there. I don't think it was part of the plan for him to double over at the back of the stage after the third verse to fight back tears, but he came back strong on "Fathers" to end the show. It's obvious that the three band members are good friends. They know each other's strengths and weaknesses and support each other's every move. When one zigs, one zags, like football players. They're talented, experienced entertainers who love playing their material for others to enjoy. I know they've been on this tour for a while, but it was still fresh. It took a while for them to return for an encore, but nobody took off. Doug reappeared in a huge afro wig for Grand Funk Railroad's "Captain." What King's X means to a crowd: To end it all, without a sound, Doug turned both mic's around, and they rolled into "Goldilocks." The fans were happy to supply the vocals. Doug pulled folks up onto the stage for a few rounds at the mic--no pushing, no shoving, no hotdogging, just somebody else's turn to sing. He insisted Mom, family and friends also hop up. When it was all over, every fan had the brightest eyes and the biggest grins I've ever seen in public. Linda: Doug is the most personable front-man I've ever seen in action. He regularly acknowledged the audience without compromising his performance in any way. I can't get over how much he looks and plays like Jimi Hendrix. Shari: I think Doug was only playing for his mom.
Linda: A lot of her friends acted like they'd never seen him perform before. "Home town boy makes good." I think they liked what they saw. King's X is not a Christian band, per se, neither is Galactic Cowboys. What can we say about this evening spiritually? Shari: I'd say there were a lot of non-Christians there. Too much smoking and drinking for the born-again crowd. Everyone mixed freely without any problems. A lot of bands try to appeal to a broad audience, but King's X and Galactic Cowboys are actually succeeding. Linda: I'll have to wash everything I wore tonight. I smell like a cigar. It's been a long time since I enjoyed a show in such a notorious venue. Do you think Jesus was visible? Shari: Yes, definitely. Linda: I don't have a problem with Doug's faith struggles. Only robots never question. I can see he likes being a nice guy and has a deep, solid foundation that eventually he'll return to. I appreciate his honesty. Shari: I agree. Everybody struggles. At the end of "Over My Head" he sang the lyric "There must be a god somewhere" pretty passionately. That would seem to show that while he's questioning his faith, he hasn't given up. It's a pretty strong faith statement for an agnostic. (Believe me, I know!)
By Linda Thompson Stonehocker&
Shari Lloyd
|
