The climb for bluesy-country crooner Marcus King has been a steady one. On Thursday night, King appeared in Milwaukee on the heels of his sixth album, “Mood Swings,” released this past April, and a lively Riverside Theater crowd was there to greet him.
King, however, knows the city well. He had previously headlined Turner Hall Ballroom on his Carolina Confessions tour in September 2018, only to return just four months later for two nights at the Riverside Theater. Last June, he would also stay for two nights at Summerfest, both opening for the Zac Brown Band and as a replacement for Cheap Trick at BMO Pavilion on the festival’s opening night. With just one (planned) night in town this time around, King put every ounce into what would ultimately be a 90-minute set full of powerful guitars and southern-dipped blues-rock energy.
There’s beauty in simplicity sometimes, and on Thursday, that worked to King’s advantage. With a show devoid of over-the-top production, he created an environment for his music to truly shine. Without too many choreographed elements, he could let songs breathe, and he would do so, opting to solo frequently, and smoothly transition from one song to the next.
With “Mood Swings” being the focal point of the evening, just under half of the record made the setlist, as King would pepper in the newer material amongst his established tracks. There were also a couple of previews of new material, as he teased that a new record would be on the way next year before “Honky Tonk Hell,” a Gabe Lee cover that has been in sets throughout the tour. King and his band wouldn’t shy away from their own takes on songs, slipping in material from Danny O’Keefe, Tyler Childers and more seamlessly throughout the night.
At any point, King and his band would take liberties with the breakdowns of songs, and just about every member of the band had a chance to shine with their own solos at one point or another. King and guitarist Drew Smithers could either duel their solos or double up, playing them in unison over each other, and they would do so frequently on Thursday. Keyboardist Mike Runyon provided an extra layer of warmth with a Hammond organ and synths that felt rooted in southern gospel and soul, and drummer Jack Ryan would take over at one point for a lively solo that had the Riverside clapping along to the beat.
King would deviate from “Mood Swings” for the final six songs of the main set, which also included a quick jam session from the band. Then, they would depart for the guitar slinger to trade in his Telecaster for an acoustic guitar, slowing things down for an intimate version of “Goodbye Carolina.” The main set would close, however, on a cover of “When A Man Loves A Woman” that had the Milwaukee crowd singing along at full voice.
After only a brief step offstage, the band was back for their encore, which included a cover of the Allman Brothers’ “Ramblin’ Man,” complete with lines about Wisconsin and cheese curds thrown in for just one more extra pop from the theater. In the limited amount that he would talk to the crowd, King mentioned that the Riverside is one of his favorite rooms in the country to play, and he certainly holds Milwaukee near to him at this point in his career.
If you did miss Marcus King on Thursday night, however, you can still see him without too far of a drive planned. He’ll settle in at The Sylvee in Madison on Saturday night, and likely bring the house down there, as well.
