Fortunately for the Los Angeles Kings, we all had every reason to watch the 82nd and final game of the season yesterday. And so did a lot of other fans; Edmonton, San Jose, and Calgary were all interested in finding out who they were playing against, and a whole lot of people were hoping LA could triumph over the Anaheim Ducks to set up an intense first round in the Pacific Division’s corner of the Stanley Cup Playoffs.
With that in mind, the Kings gave viewers, old and new, a performance which featured all our favorite tracks. Here’s a description of the Kings’ setlist from last night.
1: “I Found the Puck in Our Net Again”
Most artists start off their live sets with a bang, a fast-paced song which gets the crowd into a frenzy. The Kings are old-school, though, and they like to make the concert a true experience. So last night’s show started with a brief orchestral intro before a lone bass drum rhythmically pounded out a beat. And just as the crowd started clapping and chanting in time, BOOM, Patrick Eaves scored.
The song was 28 seconds long. What an opener.
2: “Ping!”
While the orange-painted attendees seemed happy, LA fans were confused, but the Kings reeled them back in with a number that they play almost every night. A free-flowing song which features a calming bass riff through the verses gives way to a wordless chorus, in which all the instruments fade out and a high-pitched metallic “PING” echoes in the silence. It’s not my favorite song, but its familiarity became almost comforting over the course of this tour, and its early appearance in this show was no surprise.
3: “Fire Away from the Point”
That’s more like it. An uptempo straight-ahead rock song with a whole bunch of HEYs, “Fire Away from the Point” features dueling vocals from Drew Doughty and Jake Muzzin, who finished third and fourth on the Kings in shots this season. (LA and St. Louis were the only teams with two defensemen above 180 shots on goal.) Doughty scored his 12th of the season on the power play, upon which he ripped into a guitar solo. Alec Martinez, who’s been more content to provide backing harmonies despite nine goals of his own, got his 30th assist of the season.
4: “Use Every Available Body Part”
Drummer Jonathan Quick, who was mysteriously absent for most of the tour after a freak onstage accident, has provided a boost of energy for the Kings over the last couple months. He brought the house down by drumming with his face mid-song, which I don’t think I’ve ever seen before.
Quick goal line save on Cogliano: https://t.co/NQN0nEjfEb#LAKings #LAKvsANA pic.twitter.com/uR0nw5aYR3
— Eric (@Kingsgifs) April 10, 2017
5: “Shots (Remix)”
Another staple of LA’s setlist this year, “Shots” is a cover of the infamous LMFAO song in which 18 guys run onstage and starting throwing pucks into the crowd. Tonight, the Kings opted for a slowed-down version, and only threw 18 pucks instead of their usual 31. How disappointing.
6: “The Missing”
The show continued with an experimental piece. Three spotlights shined on the stage with the numbers “11,” “12,” and “73” displayed in the middle, while Darryl Sutter filled the background with a deep, mournful organ riff. No one came on stage, and the organ eventually faded out.
7: “Clifford from Dowd and Gravel (Unreleased Bonus Track)”
The crowd was kind of pissed at this point, but a surprise performance by three of the band’s roadies helped turn the show around. Turns out they only got to play because Adrian Kempe, Jonny Brodzinski, and Paul LaDue were preparing to join their side project in Ontario, but they made their opportunity count.
8: “Iginla in Front”
Desperate for a boost, LA hired Rock and Roll Hall-of-Famer Jarome Iginla earlier in the tour to play lead guitar. It’s helped! Dustin Brown got credit for tonight’s performance of “Iginla in Front,” but Iginla might be playing this song at various clubs next season anyway. (This was his 1300th point, by the way… congrats, Iggy.)
9: “Slide, Quick, Slide”
This is an old favorite, and this R&B-tinged number was greeted with enthusiasm by the cheering crowd. Quick’s drumset rapidly moved back and forth across the back of the stage, and Quick impressively kept up and kept the beat going at a speedy, if sporadic, pace. Unfortunately, the song was marred when Nate Thompson rushed the stage and no one picked him up. Thompson knocked the cymbal off its stand and ran away triumphantly.
10: “Anaheim Ducks, Pacific Division Champions”
The Kings play this song at the end of every one of their tours, and no one knows why.
11: “Let’s See Some Overtime (Alternate Live Version)”
The Kings left the stage and returned for an encore, which is usually the best part of their show. Tonight, however, they didn’t seem quite as energetic as usual and eventually just let the song end after a minute or so. It seemed appropriate.
12: “Bob Makes You Cry”
Usually, after the final score is posted, the Kings throw some picks into the stands and everyone leaves. Tonight, however, their longtime sound guy took the stage with his partner and said a few words. The tour was disappointing, but even with all that went wrong, the ending was perfect.
Signing off one final time. Ladies and gentlemen, the great Bob Miller. #ThankYouBob @LAKings pic.twitter.com/EwBWDx07cJ
— FOX Sports West (@FoxSportsWest) April 10, 2017
Thanks for following along all year. We’ve got plenty to talk about, though, so stick with us throughout the offseason.