Concert Review: Kid Congo Powers at the Jackpot

When thinking about Saturday night’s Kid Congo Powers & the Pink Monkey Birds show at the Jackpot, descriptions keep coming to me in fits and starts. The stamp’s still on my hand, my ears are still ringing, and I can look at these photos; but it all seems too wonderful to be real.

I remember standing at the side of the stage with some acquaintances, and we’d look at each other after every song, and say, “Wow.” Every song. (One exception: The guitar freakout on “Black Santa” might’ve gotten a “holy fuck,” or at least it did in my notes.) Kid Congo played his guitar like it was a part of him, but his guitar playing wasn’t the craziest bit of guitar work I saw during the show. Keyboard player Jason Ward topped Kid Congo by using the head stock of his guitar to play one of those touch-pad synthesizers while he was playing his guitar.

In addition to the rock ‘n’ roll, there was a hefty dose of spectacle. Kid Congo clapped his hands, and glitter appeared everywhere, like magic. The band was wearing matching matador outfits. Everyone was dancing and having fun — hell, I was dancing, and I can count the number of times I’ve done that sober on…actually, no hands. 

Aside from the Cramps’ “I’m Cramped” and the Gun Club’s “For the Love of Ivy” and “Sex Beat” (which got turned into a real grinder), I was completely unfamiliar with any of Kid’s solo work. It didn’t matter. The band was so tight and perfectly balanced that things like the tremendous bass work Kiki Solis did on the show-closer “Lord Bloodbathington” were all you needed to get in the groove and move.