This was a cool experience. I first saw Kyng opening for Danzig a few years earlier. I really dug there album "Trampled Sun" . Now they were out supporting their newest album "Burn The Serum" They were not the headliner at this show. They were opening for Kill Devil Hill. A kind of Supergroup formed by Vinnie Appice of Black Sabbath & Dio along with Rex Brown of Pantera and Mark Zavon & Dewey Bragg. Vinny had already left the band and was replaced with Johnny Kelly of Danzig. But to be honest with you, I was not there to see Kill Devil Hill. There were other opening bands there also, ( I think Crobot) but I don't remember any of them. Tim was with me again. And this is easily the shortest distance I have ever traveled for a show. The venue was only about three quarters of a mile away from my house. The crowd was ... well, nonexistent. Very small crowd. I don't know if that Vinny Paul's band Hell Yeah was playing the following night had any impact on the fact that there was no crowd for this show, but, there was almost nobody there.
I really shouldn't have waited ten years to write down my memories of this show. I don't have a setlist either. I only remember that Kyng was playing as if the place was packed! They really put on a good show. During the middle of the show, as I'm standing there just rocking out with really nobody else around me, some guy walks up and stands right next to me. I thought that was a little weird with all of the extra room in the place, but then turned to look to see who it was. It was Rex Brown! I wish I could tell you some great story about us rocking out together, having a blast, becoming best friends and so on, but I froze! I didn't know what to do. I'm bad about that. We just stood there listening to Kyng together. After the song was over, Rex jumped up on stage and jammed with Kyng on Van Halen's "Hot For Teacher". That was a definite highlight!
After Kyng's set came Kill Devil Hill. And while we were jammin to the first few songs, Tim noticed the members of Kyng were hanging out at the bar in the back of the venue. Now Tim never freezes like I do when it comes to having a good time! The singer Eddie Veliz was sitting at their merch table, and to be honest, he did not look like he was having any fun at this point of the night. The fact that there was nobody at the show might have had something to do with it. No crowd equals not much in merch sales and you're not getting as much "word of mouth" about your band. I totally understand. But, I bought Burn The Serum on CD and he was nice enough to sign it for me. Tony Castaneda, the bass player, was at the bar. Tim struck up a conversation, he signed my CD, and we sat at the bar drinking tequila shooting the shit for a while. Really nice guy! I never got my CD signed by the drummer Pepe Clarke, because I just didn't see him the rest of the night. We finished watching Kill Devil Hill, and was going to stick around and meet Rex and Johnny, but the few fans that were there were really pushy and annoying, so we decided to split. I had to work early the next day anyway. Tim was trying to talk me into going to Hell Yeah the next night, but at that time, late nights on Mondays were not an option. Tuesdays were long stressful days at work and I needed my sleep. Tim actually worked as security for that show with a friend of ours Josh. I wish I would have went. I don't have the set list but here are some pics I stole from facebook.
