King's X at Sony Hall

Bassist Doug (“dUg”) Pinnick and drummer Jerry Gaskill met in 1979 in Springfield, Missouri, where they were supposed to take part in a musical project coordinated by Greg X. Volz of the rock band Petra. The project rapidly folded, and Pinnick and Gaskill soon became the rhythm section for guitarist Phil Keaggy's live band. Gaskill, Pinnick, and guitarist Ty Tabor later played together in a quartet called the Edge, but by 1983 the three became a trio named Sneak Preview and recorded an album. In 1985, Sneak Preview relocated to Houston, Texas, and became the backup band for Morgan Cryer. Afterwards, Sneak Preview transitioned from radio-friendly rock originals to a more experimental and complex songwriting style and adopted the name King's X. In 2012, Gaskill suffered a major heart attack, temporarily stopping the band's touring schedule. Upon his recovery, the band resumed touring until Gaskill suffered another heart attack in 2014, requiring him to undergo double-bypass surgery. In mid-2015, the band returned to the road. King's X released its 11^th and most recent studio album, XV, in 2008.

Over the past 30 years, the New York audience for King’s X has remained about the same size, but this is a loyal lot that faithfully fawns over the band’s blend of bluesy vocals, heavy-bottomed bass riffs, bright guitar leads and bombastic drum patterns. At Sony Hall tonight, King’s X provided countless justifications for the fans' reverence of the band’s melodic cohesion brewed from tasty funk, metal and progressive rock ingredients. King’s X blended these core elements so cleanly that the band did not fit any of the above genres. Many of the lyrics dwelled on spiritual themes and higher meanings, but many others were simplistic hooks for complex musical arrangements. Together, the contributions of the three musicians was innovatively extraordinary. Even as the trio searches for the secrets of the skies, why on earth is this band not hugely known?

Visit King’s X at www.kingsxrocks.com.

Setlist:

1. Groove Machine
2. The World Around Me
3. Pillow
4. Flies and Blue Skies
5. Vegetable
6. Cigarettes
7. Pray
8. Black Flag
9. Lost in Germany
10. A Box
11. Summerland
12. Over My Head
13. Go Tell Somebody
14. We Were Born to Be Loved

Encore:

1. King
2. Dogman
3. Goldilox (the audience sang all lyrics)