Kix
The Wolf Den
Uncasville, Connecticut
Tony Pijar
April 4, 2010
Unfortunately Kix doesn’t tour that much anymore and forget about recording anything new. That said, when they do hit the road they always push it to the limit. If you’ve noticed, mostly every US Festival invites Kix year in and year out and continues to slot them rather high on the bill. Why? They deliver an over the top, exemplary concert that is visually exciting. That along with an exceptional set list makes for a lethal combination.
Vocalist Steve Whiteman is still one of the very best showmen in the business, while Brian Forsythe and Ronnie Younkins are so in synch that it’s scary! And Mark Schenker and Jimmy Chalfant, on bass and drums respectively, provide an air-tight rhythm section.
The last two times I saw Kix perform was when they played Rocklahoma; thus, an abbreviated set. At the Wolf Den, they were able to stretch out a bit. They opened with “Midnite Dynamite” and the instantly hummable “Girl Money.” The seldom played “Heartache” off of the band’s debut led nicely into the eternally funny “Sex” (the intro tape still cracks me up!). “The Kid”, also from their debut, is catchy and heavy with a killer riff and a memorable chorus. As an aside, you really should pick up that first record; amazing stuff well that was well ahead of its time.
Next, we got healthy representation from the band’s finest moment – “Blow my Fuse.” The top ten ballad back in the day, “Don’t Close your Eyes”, the other chart-topper in “Cold Blood”, the title track, and the AC/Dc-ish “Get it While it’s Hot”, and “She Dropped me the Bomb.” The encore, predictably, was “Yeah Yeah Yeah”, again from the first album. This song is special because it allows for Whiteman to deliver one of his side-splitting Dee Snider-like raps, albeit with far less expletives! And at the conclusion of the song two enormous clear plastic bags of numerous oversized colored balloons were brought onstage so Whiteman could, first, hump them and then jump on them causing an explosion of balloons that spilled all over the stage and into the waiting audience.
When an audience leaves a concert with a bounce to their step and a smile a mile wide, you know it’s been a good ride. That’s exactly the way we left the Wolf Den!
