King Khan & The Shrines – Live @ Wexner Center

I refuse to hold out any expectations anymore. At least when it comes to concert attendance. After all, they always end up dashed. Sometimes this can be a pleasant surprise, but most of the time, it turns sour and heads in the other direction. But thank god this show was good.

I think the people at the Wexner Center, which is on the campus of Ohio State University, are on to something with their “tweet and greet.” The Wexner Center promoted the event on their twitter page offering people chances to win iPods, concert tickets, and other special gifts. This event also brought together fans to enjoy some free food and root beer. King Khan and most of his band spent half an hour talking with fans and, of course, eating food, and my personal conversation with KK turned to root beer and Mark Sultan.

When the doors opened a 7:30 we took the escalator up into the venue since we were underground in the gift store. The Wexner Center’s Auditorium is a smaller space than most auditoriums at universities of this size. I wouldn’t think of a auditorium as the proper venue for King Khan but to my surprise the stage was set up upon the main stage. Yes, you heard me right – a stage atop another stage and it was pulled off nicely. They had a black curtain blocking the stage from the seats and what looked to be Christmas lights hanging above. We were questioning the turn out during the opening act, Cause Co-Motions, because they came out to maybe 7 people in their seats.

Cause Co-Motions has been around since 2002 and have only been releasing a hand full of 7” singles until last year’s CD It’s Time, which is out on Slumberland Records. They brought a style of music that just made me want to be out on the beach surfing and drinking a cold one. They did not make the gathering crowd go wild but the people surely didn’t stand still. I would have liked to see this band not as a opening artist. These guys have something but they are not fit for a place that could hold 500 people they need to be out headlining their own tour playing the pizza joints, bars, college towns, and old fire houses.

Following was Mark Sultan with his guitar in hand he took a seat behind a little kids drum set. Sultan is a true Canadian that has been around for a long time and involved with many different projects. In his early career he was in bands like Powersquat, The Spaceshits, Les Sexareenos, BBQ & performed with many other different artists. The Spaceshits and BBQ are the most notable with The Spaceshits being known for their violent stage shows and soon was blacklisted from mostly all the venues in Montreal. Later, Mark Sultan started to perform solo under the name BBQ when he joined back with old band mate King Khan (Blacksnake) and started performing under King Khan & The BBQ Show.

I was expecting something fun and really interesting to come out of his set but mainly he just reminded me of someone like Tim Barry of Avail – some guy that was once in this real awesome band and now he thinks he’s still awesome so now he’s going to perform solo. It’s just not that great but still alright. He mainly just made little comments between songs and when his set was over he told a story about the last time he was in Columbus, which involved looking for a hooker, running into a cop and the cop told him to “suck it.”

As the members of King Khan & The Shrines made their way to their instruments people were pushing forward and drinking out of their flasks. King Khan walked up the stage steps in a robe and a giant cane with all the band members matching in all black with what looked to be fake animal teeth on a necklace. The band opened up with “Land of The Freak” which set the stage for one crazy show and the cheerleader shaking her butt all around, but hey, I wasn’t complaining. The show brought some of the band members into the crowd and a little story telling before King Khan broke into “Welfare Bread.”

If King Khan led a church, it would be a church well-attended. He spoke a little gospel at the show and he got the crowd going with “YEA!” and everyone’s hands in the air but let’s just say he wouldn’t be saving many souls with what he was preaching about. A short break for a costume change and he came back out looking like he was a crazy Indian man wanting to be a semi pro wrestler/action figure in his face mask and cape. They performed a few more of my other favorites like “No Regrets” and “I Wanna Be a Girl.” The show ended in one sweaty mess and someone’s eye glasses was stuck on my shoe laces. No one claimed them so I just kept them. Thanks.

The things I learned from this show: King Khan’s tour manger is hot and I would love to take her out to dinner sometime. Also the next time I see King Khan I want it to be with Mark Sultan & the Black Lips performing together under Almighty Defenders – maybe also throw in Deerhunter on this show because Bradford Cox and King Khan always seem awesome together.

Tagged as: Columbus

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