King’s X – Tally Ho Theater, Leesburg, VA – March 9, 2024
Tally Ho Theater
Leesburg, VA is the home of the Tally Ho Theater, a mid-sized venue capable of holding some national touring acts. They also host a ton of cover bands and tribute bands that range from Classic Rock to Alternative to New Wave to Heavy Metal. With free parking conveniently located and select seating for those inclined to use it (I believe this is a VIP upgrade option), there is a chance to hang back and watch or go right down to the rail and rock out with some of your favorite music. Check their website or socials for more information.
Sound & Shape
Band Members:
- Ryan Caudle – Vocals/Guitars
- Pat Lowry – Bass
- Ben Proctor – Drums
Setlist:
- Filament And Spark
- Gods
- Sugar The Pill
- Hemingway On Broken Hearts
- When The Night Speaks
- Beautiful Anger (on the forthcoming album)
- Ruining The Fairytale (on the forthcoming album)
- Someday Maybe
- Quiet Wars
Hailing from Nashville, TN, this three-piece band is steeped in Classic Rock. They have a definite groove to their songs that will remind you of yesteryear, though they do not shy away from getting a little more into the Hard Rock realm on stage. The vocals are all clean and all three members contribute, though Pat and Ben are mostly backing harmonies. Ryan has a flair to his guitar playing that will mesmerize you and Pat loves to throw down with his bass. I think Ben may need anger management. He beat those drums like they had stolen his truck and his ice cream.
All the songs were played with great care and it was obvious they were ready for the show. They were well-rehearsed and locked in with each other. Ryan took the time to introduce a few of the songs, giving a little history, and hinting at when their new album will be coming out. The crowd got into the show and moved in time with the rhythms, feeling connected, which is always a good sign. After the show, all three members of the band hung around the merch table and chatted with newfound friends and fans.
One of the key takeaways from this show is that they did make some new fans. Having been to a number of Hardcore and Death Metal shows in recent weeks, this Rock & Roll set was a welcome respite. The crowd, while engaged, did not form any pits, instead just hanging out and having a good time watching while enjoying a solid show by some excellent musicians.
Vinnie Moore
Band Members:
- Vinnie Moore – Guitars
- Shawn Christie – Vocals/Guitars
- John DeServio – Bass (Black Label Society)
- Bob Pantella – Drums (Monster Magnet)
Setlist:
- Flow
- Maze
- Check It Out
- Rain
- Paid Dues
- In Control
- Meltdown
After a bit of a rough start due to sound issues, Vinnie and the crew got into a killer groove. As with any guitar-driven Hard Rock show, there was a lot of excellent shredding from the lead guitar. Unlike some of these shows, each of the other members also took the time to shine through with their own skills. Bass leads, drum fills, the rhythm guitarist showing his expertise, and one song with lyrics from the forthcoming album made for a great show.
Unfortunately, they were pushed for time and had to cut a little off the show, but they made the most of the time they had. Despite monitor problems, they rocked through their set with a ferocious tenacity borne of the love of music. John and Bob appeared to have plenty of fun. Shawn was the guy who made the show fun at the end by coming off stage and handing the front row guitar picks, though, by his own admission, his goal was to make sure any of the younger fans got picks to help them make a cool memory. Vinnie was locked in and watching his fingers fly is a beautiful thing.
If you’ve never witnessed a show like this, mostly an instrumental shred fest/jam session, I feel for you. There is just something about seeing a virtuoso in their element to put a smile on your face. Vinnie is one of the best and getting to watch this masterclass was something I’m glad I got to do. This is one of those bands that will amaze you as you watch the sheer skill of each member flowing through the tracks and delivering some of the best guitar-heavy Hard Rock this side of Heaven.
King’s X
Band Members:
- Dug Pinnick – Bass/Vocals
- Ty Tabor – Guitars/Vocals
- Jerry Gaskill – Drums/Vocals
Setlist:
- Groove Machine
- The World Around Me
- Pillow
- Flies and Blue Skies
- Vegetable
- All God’s Children
- Flood, Pt. 1
- Nothing but the Truth
- Give It Up
- Let It Rain
- Festival
- Pray
- Watcher
- We Were Born to Be Loved
- Dogman
- King
- A Box
- Goldilox
How do you possibly put into words what happened on that stage? King’s X, a band that is 43 years old and still has the original lineup (though they did have two additional members very early on), has a long and storied career. Filled with some love/hate relationships, by their own admission, they are still, and hopefully always will be, friends. Just watching them play together, knowing instinctively what the others are going to do, is something you may only see a few times in your life.
The three of them can groove and riff with the best jam bands out there. They play a really good mix of songs from their numerous studio albums and they hit my favorites from their most recent release, Three Sides Of One. I do appreciate that they reached all the way back to their first release, Out Of The Silent Planet, for a couple of songs. This was truly a career-spanning show. The audience was very much into this and sang along with many of the songs. Some people were at their second or third show in a row, having followed the band for this short leg.
The most impressive thing I saw all night was the last song. “Goldilox” was like nothing I’ve ever seen before. Sure, I have seen lots of bands have the audience sing along for parts of songs. Iron Maiden famously has massive crowd participation during “Fear Of The Dark” with the crowd doing much of the vocalizing, but this was different. Dig and Ty just turned their microphones around and let the crowd sing the ENTIRE song. And sing they did. So did I. I was a thing of beauty. You could see the band loving every minute of this, as they should. That song is almost 40 years old and most people knew every word.
That is crowd participation like I’ve never seen before and may not again. The main thing about this show is how badly I wanted to see it. I have not seen King’s X in over 20 years and the last time I saw them was at a club in Little Rock, AR that had a pretty lousy sound system. While tonight was not perfect, it still sounded a lot better than the last show. I had the absolute honor of reviewing Three Sides Of One for Metal Temple, an online review magazine I wrote for previously. Getting to hear some of those songs I fell in love with while writing that review was a highlight for me. Thank you King’s X for making a dream come true!