Nashville-based rock band Kings of Leon hit the stage at Merriweather Post Pavilion Sept. 8, pleasing fans with their impressive set, contagious energy and sexy vocals.
The Kings rocked out to songs from their 2008 album “Only by the Night,” including “Notion,” “Closer,” “Manhattan” and “Crawl.” The band has a very distinct and recurring sound, yet each song had its own unique vibe to offer the patrons of the sold-out show. And because of the lead singer’s seductive voice, each of those vibes was pleasantly captivating.
The songs “Use Somebody” and “Sex on Fire,” popular hits on radio stations across the country, were highlights of the show for many concert-goers. The entire stadium was dancing along and shouting out the lyric, “Your sex is on fire/Consumed with what’s to transpire.”
“There’s always been an element of sex in our music, so I thought I’d just wrap it all up in one song and be done with the sex for the rest of the record,” lead singer Caleb Followill said in the band’s biography on its Web site. “I don’t really remember writing it. I just woke up with an empty bottle of wine and my songbook open and these words written down.”
Caleb, Jared, Matthew and Nathan Followill (all brothers except for Matthew, a first cousin) are Kings of Leon’s leading men. Caleb, on leading vocals and rhythm guitar, was clearly the camera’s favorite band member. He entertained the crowd between songs with various words of wisdom and often accompanied these life lessons with a large shot of liquor and a swig of red Gatorade.
“It took us a really long time to get to this point,” Caleb said to the crowd. “We had three records out before people even started listening to us. This is the best show we’ve ever played. You guys are amazing.”
Caleb, Jared on bass and Matthew on lead guitar all had similar hipster appearances with their tight jeans, flannel shirts and wispy hair. Nathan on the drums, however, looked like he had taken a wrong turn on his way to a heavy-metal concert. His long black hair and sleeveless shirt looked slightly out of place next to his bandmates’ alternative styles. Nevertheless, he delivered a great show and thoroughly impressed the crowd.
One of the best parts of the show was the encore when the band blasted three memorable songs including “Knocked Up” and “Use Somebody.” By this point, all the band members were drenched in sweat and you could see it fly through the air as they shook their luscious locks of hair. Caleb’s large cross necklace swung from side to side as the wetness flew from his body.
“I honestly thought the lead guitarist had a fan aimed at his head the entire time — his wings were out of control,” said Nick Scialli of Arlington, Va. “It was a great show, their set was on fire.”
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