Kings of Convenience
Live @ Neumos
March 12, 2005
By Wiley Young

Any gloriously drunken rebel can compare the Kings of Convenience to Simon and Garfunkel, as I had the pleasure of witnessing March 12 at Neumo's—which was packed! The Kings are skilled craftsmen of delicate Euro-pop, seamless blenders of voices, fine players of equally fine acoustic guitars, and dead ringers for our favorite folk-rock-era duo, right down to the fro on the tall tenor. They're more popular than I realized, and very good live.

But. the Kings came out and, before they had even begun playing, prefaced their set with something like, "Hi, we're from Norway. Please, everyone in the audience be very quiet so that the others around you can listen to our emotional songs." (You mean you're not going to play unemotional songs? I'm outta here!) According to one employee, they had also asked the bar to stop serving liquor and the bartenders not to talk during their set. "Yeah... no."

At the EMP Liquid Lounge's open mic Sunday, one performer cut the hubbub by ending his muggy/dictatorial Bad Brains cover with, "This band deserves more RESPECT!" Perfect. Silence. "Yeah, you show us that now, but not while we're playing." Which is when he started criticizing the sound staff (who was doing a fine job).

It appeared the majority of the crowd at Neumo's was fine with the Kings of Convenience's opening request; I was not. Enter the glorious highlight of the show: the anonymous woman heckling halfway through, brandishing a sloshy wit tipped with disgruntled adoration, "I LOVE SIMON & GARFUNKEL!" Some in the crowd booed her, of course, but the Kings quickly restored order.

Kasabian, I hear, at Neumo's the week before, thanked us all for grunge. Maybe the Kings of Convenience did too—I don't know. I left halfway through their set to go talk in the other room.


Note: In addition to writing for NadaMucho.com, Wiley Young writes some songs and then plays them on his guitar, and othertimes directs and/or stars in plays.