bijou knoxville
by DonnaMc on 12/8/19Bijou Theatre - Knoxvilleexcellent show in such an intimate venue, but not much crowd control, peeps filled the aisles
No more results on this page
Marcus King faces heartache, addiction, and mental health head-on in his music. Pain quakes below the vibrato of his voice, and his delivery weighs heavy with booze-drenched regrets and mistakes in lonely hotels. The GRAMMY® nominated fourth generation musician from Greenville, SC, started playing guitar at 8-years-old following in the footsteps of his guitarist Father and Grandpa. Logging thousands of miles on the road as "The Marcus King Band," he established himself with unparalleled performance prowess. During 2020, he linked up with Dan Auerbach and cut his solo debut El Dorado, garnering a GRAMMY® Award nomination for "Best Americana Album." Between headlining venues, he performed alongside Chris Stapleton, Greta Van Fleet, and Nathanial Rateliff in addition to gracing the bills of Stagecoach and more. He has launched various mental health initiatives, including a guitar auction collaboration with MusiCares. Now, his 2024 album Mood Swings feels like the moment of baptism when water washes away a life's worth of sins and degradation and all that's left is a revived, yet still real-as-hell primal scream. It's as if King strained raw soul straight from his gut up through that broken heart and on to the record under the watchful eye of Rick Rubin. Emphasizing his vocals front-and-center more than ever before, the trusty guitar he's so often associated with plays the sideman this time around (though there's no shortage of impressive shredding). For as dark as everything seemed, you can't help but feel a sense of hope in the power of Marcus's voice.
excellent show in such an intimate venue, but not much crowd control, peeps filled the aisles
Words cannot do justice to describe the experience of seeing this band perform live. First saw them as an opening act for Chris Stapleton in the Finger Lakes of Summer 2019. Never heard of them prior and after their 30 minute set wanted to know more about this phenomenal band. Found they were playing in Knoxvegas and immediately bought tickets. They rocked the house. Neil Yoing would love their rendition of “Down by the River”.
We did the meet and greet. The entire band, starting with the lead man Marcus were so gracious and humble. I'll be a fan for life!
My first time at the Varsity and discovered how terrible the sound is in there. Too bad for an artist with ridiculous musical talent - I was really looking forward to hearing him - unfortunately it was very hard to do in that venue. Won’t be going back!
Great music. Great service. Great seats! mmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmmm
The venue was way too small for that many people and the sound was terrible. Couldn’t understand a word they were saying
Band was amazing, as always. I think they played for 2 hours?? They've outgrown Mercury Ballroom though. I've always enjoyed shows there, but this time it was so packed and not very comfortable. Also, I am pretty short, so we had to move far back so I could actually see. Come to the Palace next time guys! We love you!
Absolutely incredible band as a whole. Marcus is just mind blowing, from the roaring vocals to the nasty guitar, he is the full package. May be the best show I’ve ever seen in my life. His vocals are quite literally some of the best you’ll ever hear, and the insane guitar skills is the cherry on top. The nearly 2 and a half hour performance was to die for.
Marcus King and his talented band provided an unbelievable night of entertainment for the St. Louis crowd. WE have seen him in various settings (Band, ATCF, Sit-Ins) and he never fails to disappoint. I am hopeful this is a talent we will hear for a long, long time...I know at my age there is no way I could pull off the touring schedule he has ahead of him. Be safe and until next time...
Great talent. Great show. You will be hearing about him for many years.
When MKB first took the stage, the sound was horrendous. Even though I'm a musician, I couldn't pick out any of the individual instruments. However, a few songs in it began to get better, and by the time guys started soloing, the sound was great. MKB played their hearts out. Phenomenal as always. Also, shout out to Jack Ryan for playing the best drum solo I've ever heard live. I had a blast! Highly, highly recommend seeing MKB live! It's unreal. Multiple people were in shock while watching Marcus play. As a fan, it was fun seeing the reactions of those who hadn't heard of him before. Can't rave enough!
Just spent two days in Dallas TX for the Eric Clapton Crossroads Festival, Marcus and his band brought the roof down!!!! Awesome Band!
Marcus and the band put on a great show. Marcus wore the guitar strings out and the band was tight. Highly recommend!
The MKB never disappoints. They play and play and play. I really like seeing them in a smaller venue. It just suits them perfectly. A great evening.
This guy makes people no longer lament never seeing the Legends like Duane Allman or Jimi Hendrix. I try to see him as often as I can, because outside of Derek Trucks, there is no one alove today who combines his musical knowledge with the pure motion that this guy delivers.
Katie Turpin opened with her unique style and sound and her great voice and lyrics were loved by the crowd. Then the MKB came on and also put on a great show! They rolled one song into the next and Marcus used several guitars. The keyboard player, Simon George, was new to the band, but seemed like an old pro and the horn section added a wall of sound. I read reviews where some complained about the sound, but from the 4th row, we loved every song and had no complaints other than an unattractive couple standing much of the show that had too much self medicating and blocked the view of everyone behind them.
Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome Awesome
See MKB in small, less expensive venues while you can.
A 5 hour cattle call show. No seats in the dreaded House of Blues so you stand. Enjoyed Bobby Lee Rodgers' opening set. But the North Mississippi All-Stars and, especially,Marcus King Band sets suffered from excess volume. A shame as both are clearly talented (and I've seen King multiple times before).
The venue, that played in Fort Lauderdale is an awesome place,,, To see concerts had a great time... If Mia reads this message. The experience with you made it five-star..