Photo by: Larry
Hulst
With three bands on the bill and the theatre
already packed for the opening act, one couldn’t help but feel that the time
had arrived for the Kings of Leon in
the west. Bristling with an almost tangible feeling of tension, the quartet
burst onto the stage with a serious swagger and moody attitude. Gone were most
of the remnants of their past, when they appeared to be defining themselves
both on record and stage. Instead, the southern rockers personified a defiant
confidence that emphasized sharp, dramatic trips over punky improvisation. In
the end, it was an evening of not so much How the West Was Won but When the Big
Boss Guitar Was King.
In support of
their current album, Because of the Times,
the Kings of Leon continue to stray even further away from the sort of garage
rock that either enshrines one within a critically acclaimed template (i.e.,
the Ramones) or renders a band dull and obsolete (i.e., any band that doesn’t
develop its songwriting talents). Lead singer and guitarist Caleb Followill has certainly conquered
songcraft with a bitter edge that translates well to the stage—his
hippie-length hair has been cut and the beard is replaced with a look that is
equal parts demonic James Dean and early Bruce Springsteen. He also led the
band into cuts from their back catalog including the now classic Aha Shake Heartbreak album.
The
crowd seemed quite familiar with some of the longer, more complex and less
accessible material from their new release and with cuts like “Arizona,”
offered to the packed and rowdy mob, one knew that Followill and company were
in friendly terrain. What was most surprising was that the mixture of languid
head-trip voyages and catchy hook-riddled songs did not create a split
personality in their live presentation. The quartet amplified a late ‘50s
milieu, echoing Buddy Holly with a modern sheen where every lyric meant
something and every riff was being played to hammer that fact home.
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