When TLC saw Kings of Leon's opening slot for Radiohead last summer at All Points West we thought, "Wow that's huge for them." They went on to play Webster Hall on September 23rd, 2008 the same day that Only By The Night was released. The band's new aesthetic and the overall big sound of Only By The Night pointed to something much bigger. Then shortly after selling out Webster Hall, the band announced a headlining gig at "The World's Most Famous Arena," Madison Square Garden.
In these harsh times when CD's won't sell, ambitious tours are canceled, and the biggest acts (besides legends such as Madonna and U2) won't even dare book a major stadium in the US, I honestly thought "What are Kings of Leon thinking?!?!" The band, who released their debut album Youth and Young Manhood in 2003, has found greater success abroad and has sold out consecutive stadium shows with ease. However, it's been the same old story as many other American bands who have not been embraced in the same way in the States. This was definitely not the case last night.
We arrived in time to catch The Whigs, a garage band from Georgia who supported Kings of Leon on the last tour. The Whigs played an enjoyable set that felt like a throwback to 90's grunge then bowed out for our headliner.
The night's most anticipated moment occurred when the lights dimmed and 4 shadowy figures took the stage. The opening notes of Crawl triggered an uproar, and the crowd jumped on board for what would be a most emotional, epic and monumental evening for the Followills. Being in the General Admission pit at Madison Square Garden for this show felt really intimate, it almost made us forget we were in a giant arena until we turned around in awe and saw an ecstatic crowd of 20,000+ clapping in unison. The sound was phenomenal and the energy of the crowd was very uplifting, I can only imagine what the boys felt!
The moment in Kings of Leon's show last night that I'd love to live over and over again was when they performed Sex on Fire. The entire stadium sang their hearts out in synch. Lead singer Caleb was clearly taken aback, taking moments to genuinely thank everyone, and declaring that they finally made it. This show really set the bar and gave me hope for 2009; maybe the Kings of Leon are here to save the music industry?
MP3: Kings of Leon - Use Somebody (Dolby Anol Mix) or zShare
The Whigs
3 comments:
msg does not hold anywhere close to 50,000
haha, thanks for catching that. corrected!
20,000 is more like it...
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