On March 24, Krooked Kings rolled into Fort Collins to entertain The Coast at a sold-out venue with local support from Neighborhood Watch.

Outside, a line stretched down the block of eager fans waiting to have a night of rock ‘n’ roll. Members of Neighborhood Watch came out to greet the crowd and hand out stickers to lucky fans. This show marked the end of their tour for Krooked Kings.

Doors opened at 7 p.m. and the show began at 8 p.m., with Neighborhood Watch starting off the night. The local talent took the stage by starting off with a hello, accompanied by a slow jam featuring a guitar that could cry a thousand tears and the very unique use of a bow on the bass guitar. The band then exploded into their original song, “Stuck on You.” The musical show also came with a visual spectacle with exciting dance moves, hat tricks, crowd dives, and guitar solos with a twist. One guitar solo featured the help of the audience as the lead guitarist knelt down and rested his guitar on the crowd’s hands while he continued to play.

Another great display of an entertaining solo was when both guitarists rested their instruments behind their heads and continued to play. “We feel so free on stage. Of course, there are some nerves at first, but once we play the first note, it’s all euphoria,” the band said. Neighborhood Watch got the chance to show off their songwriting muscles on stage by performing their new song, “Ashtray,” live. Not only did they play their most recent release, but also some of their unreleased material, including “Rose,” “Tucson,” “I Miss My Friends,” and “Boulder.” The band also did a cover of Young the Giant’s “Cough Syrup. Neighborhood Watch announced to their fans at the show that they will be releasing an EP soon. “We’ve got a bunch of great shows coming up around Colorado and an EP on the way soon.”

After an electric opening act from Neighborhood Watch, Krooked Kings took the stage smiles and waves. Their excitement to start the show was clear on their faces. Based out of Salt Lake City, their music includes mesmerizing synthesizers, reverb-heavy guitar and dream-like vocals. One of the most impressive things that struck me was the sound and power of their bass. The sound, tone and pure presence of it filled the room, especially the performance of my favorite song from their show, “Love Song.” The use of a synthesizer was also one of the band’s more unique and creative stage presences, mixing things up from the traditional bass drum and guitar sound.

Some of the biggest crowd-pleasers included songs like “‘96 Subaru,” “Bird Scooter” and “Eggshells.” Krooked Kings were also hot off their new release, “Coming of Age,” a song that they played live at their Fort Collins show which had just been released on March 15. This performance marked the end of their most recent tour, and they expressed their gratitude to the Fort Collins crowd. The band said Fort Collins was the best crowd on their tour and thanked them with an encore.

The night was filled with good times, plenty of great music, and memorable stage presences by both bands. The show at the Coast was nothing short of a fun night out, and the acts gave the fans a night to remember. “It’s been awesome playing with the Krooked Kings.” said Neighborhood Watch. “We’ve done three shows with them, and two out of three were sold out. The Fort Collins show was a blast – it was great making new fans and seeing familiar faces in the crowd. The energy was absolutely perfect.”

Concert presented by Amavi records. Article by Tyler Weatherwax and photographs by Kyra McKinley.