Kings of Leon visit Indianapolis
By Jaclyn Luscomb | Staff Writer
Cold weather created fog, continuous rain made mud puddles out of parking lots and flashlights were doing nothing to help security guide traffic. Cars were backed up for miles and despite leaving early, we missed the opening band due to poor direction and lack of instruction.
On Sept. 25, the Verizon Wireless Music Center was packed with college students and adults as well as old and new fans of the band Kings of Leon.
Then, the lights dimmed and the Kings of Leon walked out, opening their show with the hit song, “Crawl.”
The venue itself was terrible. The management of the Verizon Wireless Music Center was appalling. Parking was pushed to overgrown bean fields; there was little-to-no security and bringing traffic in through one lane dirt roads can never amount to anything good. But the band was incredible.
Kings of Leon rocked the stage like it was their first show, despite being on tour since November of last year. A crowd of approximately 25,000 may have been the biggest the band had ever played to, and they let the audience know time and time again how thankful they were to be in Indianapolis.
This was my third Kings show, and I already knew to expect something radical. But, once again I was blown away by their stage presence. A lot of bands have the problem of sounding much different, and usually worse than they do on CD, but the Kings of Leon are better live.
The band has gained current acclaim for their album “Only by the Night,” which became their first CD ever to go platinum. Singles such as “Notion” and “Use Somebody” have accumulated massive radio play on many Top 100 and popular music radio stations. The band has been around since 1999, but sadly hasn’t received the recognition they deserve until recently.
Kings of Leon know exactly how to engage an audience, and their coordination is incredible. This American band consists of three brothers—Caleb, Nathan and Jared—and their cousin, Matthew. This family team can really get an audience going and knows the meaning of magnetism. It’s no surprise, given the noticeable way that they play so in sync.
If you haven’t heard any of their older music, visit the iTunes library or local CD shop. Although their new music has branched out from their earlier southern rock-meets-garage-rock style, their old music is just as good, if not better.
The band is only on tour for another month and tickets are still on sale. Kings of Leon will be in Lexington, Ky., Oct. 10 and Nashville, Tenn., Oct. 16. Other tour dates are available online at www.kingsofleon.com/pages/tour.
