Concert Review: King's X at Gramercy Theatre (New York, NY)

Veteran metal legends King’s X returned to New York on August 10th to perform at the Gramercy Theatre, an intimate venue nestled in the Flatiron district of the city.  The band delighted the capacity crowd with an array of hits from their storied back catalog, with a considerable number of new tracks mixed in from 2022’s Three Sides of One, the trio’s first new release in nearly 14 years.  Their performance reinforced the prevailing thought that even after more than 40 years playing together as a band, the combination of Doug “dUg” Pinnick on bass and vocals, Ty Tabor on guitar, and Jerry Gaskill on drums can still bring it on stage.

After a last minute cancellation from the opening band Trope due to a positive COVID test, the event essentially turned into An Evening with King’s X.  The band took the stage around 8pm to play their traditional opener, 'Groove Machine,' the first track to 1998’s Tape Head to the delight of their faithful fans gathered in the theater. 'The World Around Me,' the faster paced leading song from 1992’s eponymous King’s X, followed next, before perhaps the heaviest track in the trio’s catalog, 'Pillow' from 1994’s classic Dogman.  The tamer, mellower 'Flies and Blue Skies,' also from Dogman, served as a nice change of pace after the fast and loud beginning to the set.

'Vegetable,' from the often overlooked Manic Moonlight (2001), came next before five consecutive songs from Three Sides of One: 'All God’s Children,' 'Nothing But the Truth,' 'Give It Up,' 'Let It Rain' (the lead single), and the up-tempo 'Festival' featuring Tabor on lead vocals. Though most would call dUg the main vocalist for the band, all three members have consistently provided backing or lead vocals, and their performances on this evening was exemplary of the three-part harmonies that have made King’s X such a unique talent throughout the band’s career.

King’s X then launched into a three-song stretch from 1989’s Gretchen Goes to Nebraska, perhaps their finest work. 'Summerland,' 'Pleiades,' and 'Over My Head' elevated the energy level of the crowd considerably, as the gathered patrons belted out the lyrics in unison with dUg. 'Over My Head,' one of the group's most popular songs, is in the setlist less frequently than it should be these days, partly due to the bassist’s admission that it’s more difficult for him to sing some of the band’s older songs at the age of 73.  During this performance, however, dUg delivered the goods with the help of several back up singers in the crowd, providing one of the many high points of the night.

After another new song, 'Watcher,' the trio concluded the main set with the epic 'We Were Born to Be Loved' from 1990’s Faith Hope Love. Featuring call and response vocals between Tabor and Pinnick, combined with an unrelenting and contagious groove, the song is truly one of the band’s best and most recognizable, and a perfect set closer with its staggered ending.

After a brief sojourn, the band returned to the stage with the anthemic 'Dogman' from their 1994 release of the same name, with dUg once again relying on the crowd to fill in the blanks on some parts of the song, which they did emphatically. A deeper cut, 'A Box,' from the underrated Ear Candy (1996) followed next, before dUg, Jerry, and Ty turned their microphones around for the crowd to sing the entirety of 'Goldilox.' In recent years, the band has always closed their shows by playing the full instrumental of this track from their debut album Out of the Silent Planet (1987) while allowing the fans to carry the vocal lines.

Alongside their vocal contributions, fans consistently chanted “Jerry! Jerry!” throughout the evening, which has been a constant at King’s X shows since drummer Jerry Gaskill’s health issues.  His drumming and vocal contributions were on point this evening, alongside his bandmates Tabor and Pinnick who were also in top form.  Once again proving they are one of the most fan friendly bands to ever do it, even after 40 years of playing, all three members made appearances in the lobby of the venue afterwards and graciously posed for pictures with adoring fans. Despite their lack of commercial success, the fact that King’s X can still put on shows like they did to a capacity crowd at the Gramercy Theatre further solidifies their status as legends in the world of rock and metal and speaks to the longevity and quality of their discography. You should take every opportunity you can to see them live – you will not be disappointed.

King’s X traditionally play one weekend out of every month.  They currently have tour dates posted for three shows in New England for September, two shows in the Midwest in October, and three Florida shows for December.  For ticket information, click the blue button below:

In case you missed it, Steve and I were able to interview dUg Pinnick prior to this run of shows.  We sat down with dUg to discuss the key to the band's longevity, their experience opening for AC/DC in Germany, his perfectionist tendencies, and working with producer Brendan O'Brien on 1994's Dogman.  He also touches on playing Woodstock '94, how King's X chooses their setlist, playing with Iron Maiden, and how he reconciles the band's lack of commercial success with the high regard their musical brethren have for them.  More than all of these, with every response, dUg shared his philosophy on life and exuded passion and gratitude for being able to create and play music for a living.

You can view the full interview here: