After a couple of great tribute acts to Neil Young (Neil Young’Uns) and Van Halen (Yankee Rose), The Kings took the stage and reminded us why they’ve kicked ass for years and years on the strength of one huge hit and a bunch of other tight partying tunes.

Opening for Trooper, the Kings proved to be the perfect primer what was to be a Canadian musical trip I’d been longing to take for eons now.

I still remember vividly kicking back in buddy’s house around 1981 rolling our first joints and cranking the King’s “Are Here” album.  The anthemic “Beat Goes On/Switchin to Glide” hooking us in and “Partyitis” keeping us there.  You bet we had partyitis, we were fresh into the party scene and determined to perfect the art.

The early 80’s were so weird where we found some bizarre fashions, mixed with a lot of “new wave” music, namely the Canadian newbies like Loverboy, Headpins, Harlequin, Rough Trade and Streetheart mixing it up and trying to give us an identity and brass ring to grab til the metal movement steamrolled in and squashed everything in it’s path.

The music was fresh, original and innovative, yet mainstream and easily accessible.  Riding that wave and enjoying it’s success were the Kings.  And to this day, they enjoy a good run on any stage as the strength of their one huge hit has afforded them some serious elbow room to just keep on playing.

After almost 30 years later, guitarist Mister Zero will tell you, he’s still doing alright after simplifying his life a little and he has no idea how glad that makes me. I’ve almost lost hope of any middle of the road bands actually making enough money to survive in Canada let alone a self titled “one hit wonder” band from 30 years ago!

Even though I added the King’s “Are Here” to my soundtrack back in the day, I could really only remember two of the tunes.  Of course there was “Switchin” but our party anthem back in the day as we learned how to roll, hold our booze, get laid and that getting the cat high is not a good idea, was “Partyitis”.  But they didn’t play my anthem that night at the Sound Academy and I just might forgive ‘em for it.

If it wasn’t for the fact that these guys execute every song with perfect precision, I probably wouldn’t still be smiling from finally having seen them.  I don’t know if even they realize just how big of a stamp they put on an era of Canadian music that rings loud today with us old fuckers who grew up on it, but I’m just glad they’re still out there showing the love and having it handed back in spades.

If you are a red blooded Canuck like myself, get your ass out to a Kings gig and prove it.