Artist: Kix
Venue: B.B. King Blues Club (New York, NY)
Opener: ZO2
Date: 7/8/2011
Label: Frontiers Records
It was interesting to see just how many of the 80’s big names of Heavy Rock and Metal were hitting B.B, King’s these days. Last month we had Loudness and Uriah Heep who were both terrific and now that July was underway we would find Kix being one of the many cool bands that were paying us a visit in this venerated location. I’ll admit that Kix was one of those bands that while I had enjoyed a number of songs from their catalog, I never really followed them as much as some other fans and friends of mine did back during their considered “heyday”. In the past I could only recall ever seeing them once and that was way back in the day at L’Amour East when they were opening up for Lita Ford. That my friends, was a very LONG time ago. Anyways, with this being the case I was still rather excited about their appearance at B.B. King’s so I was not going to miss it by a long shot. Tonight’s opener would be the always fun ZO2 but I was unable to catch them this time around based on my need to arrive purely for the main event. Fortunately they play around a lot so I will see them another time. Here is how the show went for fans that missed out.
The band hit the stage with a great level of energy and opened with “No Ring Around Rosie” and would follow this with “Atomic Bombs”. They sounded great and singer Steve Whiteman has not appeared to have lost any level of energy and zeal for audience entertaining. With my limited repertoire background outside of what’s on the compilation piece and “Midnight Dynamite” I had to say that I was just listening to everything as new music until something that I could sing along to came up. I was of course having a grand time because there was just such a classic vibe being delivered. Before “The Itch” the amiable Whiteman mused aloud how they had not been in NYC in a very long time and probably not since the Limelight had closed down. When he asked how many remembered the Limelight the response was good overall. He continued by saying how it was a great place because you got fucked up and went to church all at the same time. Younger fans on the scene might not be aware of the fact the Limelight was indeed a converted church and was a hell of an awesome club to play in its day. Now it’s a shopping plaza which I guess appeals to the tourists of our fair metropolis.
“Don’t Close Your Eyes” was delivered and this was the song that really put the band on the MTV map. It was a strong ballad against taking one’s own life and I have always found this to be a powerful number and one that still deserves any of the kudos it gets, especially in this bullying and Facebook taunting world that we live in. It’s important to mention that all of the band members appeared to be original lineup guys with the exception of bassist Donnie Purnell and that was a shame because he was a founding member along with Ronnie Younkins who was up on the stage this evening. In Donnie’s place would be Mark Schenker who I do not think is related to the legendary Michael. He did a fine job just the same alongside Brian “Damage” and Jimmy “Chocolate”. The crowd who was present this evening all appeared to be Kix fans and they loved that they got such an energetic set. “Cold Shower” and “Cold Blood” were delivered back to back and I love these two tracks. Everyone was singing along to them and the same would stand for “Blow My Fuse” from the album of the same name. Two songs were omitted this evening in “She Dropped Me The Bomb” and “Kix Are For Kids” and I was not sure what made them do that. Everything seemed to be running on time tonight. The band would bring us to the end of the event with their classic “Midnight Dynamite” and finish the party with “Yeah Yeah Yeah”. During the final number a bunch of balloons were dropped on our heads and that just made it feel more like a celebration.
This gig was great and I would love to see and support Kix again in the future but their plans seem unclear as most of the members are involved in other projects. Yes the NYC show went over well and had a decent crowd for it but how many other successful nights did the band face outside of this metropolis and their hometown? Whatever the case may be, tonight we proved that the eighties for Hard Rock of this kind was a magical time. I would not have it any other way. If Kix happens to come around your town be sure to see them because you will be entertained. Thanks guys.
Set List:
1. No Ring Around Rosie
2. Atomic Bombs
3. Lie Like A Rug
4. Sex
5. The Itch
6. Don’t Close Your Eyes
7. Hot Wire
8. Girl Money
9. She Dropped Me The Bomb (omitted)
10. Cold Shower
11. Cold Blood
12. Blow My Fuse
13. Kix Are for Kids (omitted)
14. Midnite Dynamite
15. Yeah, Yeah, Yeah
I know that you know that I know how you love the shots of the marquees when they showcase our favorite bands names out to the general public. With so many worldwide readers hitting the sites blog, I always try to present this visual so they can at least get an idea of being here with us. That being said, here is Kix name up in the bright lights of Times Square…
After the show had ended I was able to catch singer Steve Whiteman backstage and I asked him to pose in front of the banner that hangs on their wall. He and the band sounded great this evening and we see him giving us a #1 sign.
I didn’t take a lot of photos since I wanted to get out of the guys decompressing time but here is New York’s own Adam Bomb (center) with Whiteman (left) and another friend. I gave Adam one of the business cards because for all the years I have heard his name I have never managed to catch him perform. I would like to based on his interesting history.
It was really a great time and I enjoyed catching this awesome band in action once again after so many years. They put on a terrific show. Here is a clip of them performing the hit “Don’t Close Your Eyes” which I shot from the back of the crowd. It actually came out alright and good enough to hopefully convince more fans to check them out when they return. We’d also love if you would subscribe to our Official YouTube Channel
Here’s a quick shot of the fans who had a bunch of balloons dropped on them after the show ended.
Official Website: http://www.kixband.com/
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/OfficialKIX