Kings of Leon shows crowd a good time
Sarah Payne
Issue date: 9/15/09 Section: Entertainment
09/15/09 - I bought my tickets for the Sept. 11 Kings of Leon show in Mansfield, Mass. at the Comcast Center in May, and I spent most of the summer listening to their CDs and memorizing lyrics. Embarrassingly enough, I've also planned ways of stalking their tour bus for a chance to meet the lead singer, Caleb Followill.
The day of the show finally came, and I got to the venue super early thinking that by some miracle I might catch a glimpse of the band backstage. And while I didn't get to meet the band, I did get a chance to notice some of the fans. There were a lot of drunk girls and an older man dancing enthusiastically in the aisles. Before he was taken away, I overheard that he was a patient let out of a mental institution for the night. KOL certainly has a broad fan base.
The show opened with Glasvegas, an alternative rock group from Glasgow, Scotland, who entered the stage clad in all black. Their sound was much darker than the Kings of Leon's. While the lead singer had a similar raspy voice, heavy emphasis on rhythmic drums gave a hypnotic undertone to Glasvegas' music. Each member of the band was quirky: the drummer a large woman in a turtleneck, the guitarist disturbingly gyrating in leather pants, and the lead singer in Ray-Bans dramatically crouching and reaching for the sky.
I laughed when the Kings of Leon took the stage. It was pitch black and church organs blasted in the arena. While their music is the opposite of Christian, religious symbols abound in their songs. The three brothers in the band grew up in the south, traveling with their father, a Pentecostal Church preacher. Their lyrics and attitude seemed like a reaction to this upbringing - the whole show was one huge dance party.
In his Tennessee drawl, Caleb Followhill ordered us all to "grab a drink and have a good time." Later in the show he told us he was going to get drunk as he threw down his red party cup.
Despite Followhill's party-all-night attitude, the band proved their professional talent. All of the songs matched the quality of their albums. The band played material mostly from the last two CDs, which contrast greatly.
The day of the show finally came, and I got to the venue super early thinking that by some miracle I might catch a glimpse of the band backstage. And while I didn't get to meet the band, I did get a chance to notice some of the fans. There were a lot of drunk girls and an older man dancing enthusiastically in the aisles. Before he was taken away, I overheard that he was a patient let out of a mental institution for the night. KOL certainly has a broad fan base.
The show opened with Glasvegas, an alternative rock group from Glasgow, Scotland, who entered the stage clad in all black. Their sound was much darker than the Kings of Leon's. While the lead singer had a similar raspy voice, heavy emphasis on rhythmic drums gave a hypnotic undertone to Glasvegas' music. Each member of the band was quirky: the drummer a large woman in a turtleneck, the guitarist disturbingly gyrating in leather pants, and the lead singer in Ray-Bans dramatically crouching and reaching for the sky.
I laughed when the Kings of Leon took the stage. It was pitch black and church organs blasted in the arena. While their music is the opposite of Christian, religious symbols abound in their songs. The three brothers in the band grew up in the south, traveling with their father, a Pentecostal Church preacher. Their lyrics and attitude seemed like a reaction to this upbringing - the whole show was one huge dance party.
In his Tennessee drawl, Caleb Followhill ordered us all to "grab a drink and have a good time." Later in the show he told us he was going to get drunk as he threw down his red party cup.
Despite Followhill's party-all-night attitude, the band proved their professional talent. All of the songs matched the quality of their albums. The band played material mostly from the last two CDs, which contrast greatly.
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molly
posted 9/15/09 @ 4:07 AM EST
great review. i was there. unfortunately i had lawn seats so i was stuck in the back with a bunch of drunk girls with their shirts off. not the best place to be when it's your favorite band and you've seen them 6 times, but that's what happens when bands get big i guess. (Continued…)
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