Kings of Leon - The Joint - August 19, 2009

Saw Kings of Leon, a sold out show at the new Joint last Wednesday with my friend Shanda. Not only was it sold out, some of the security were complaining that it was OVER SOLD, and we could tell, it was ridiculously crowded. It took us forever just to maneuver the line to get in the damn place. Once we got in the first band, The Whigs (never heard of them, didn’t really get a chance to get a sense of what they’re all about), were already playing so we immediately hit the long line for beer. Only had one beer all night because after making it through the line once, there was no way I was ever getting back in it!

There was an interesting crowd at Kings of Leon, now that the band has broken through to the mainstream and become a "boy band." There were lots of girls dressed in next to nothing with ridiculously high heels. Really, why would anyone go to a three hour long, standing room only show in four inch heels? Even more odd, there was also a lot of straight boy love for KOL. There were pockets of frat-like "bros" so super psyched for the show that they were dancing emphatically (that’s the best way I can describe it), shouting towards the band, throwing their arms around each other, really, REALLY into it!! I pegged them as boys raised on hip hop and pop who didn’t know rock and roll could be like this. It was like they heard Kings of Leon on the radio and suddenly their penises reacted primally to the sound and they were converted to rock and roll. Those boys were hysterical to watch! Not surprisingly a lot of the crowd was there strictly for the radio hits and once Sex on Fire was played they cleared out. No loss there.

The band put on a great show as usual. This was my fourth time seeing them live and they are always top notch. You can tell that they have more money now because their production design is really cool with lots of video screens and lights. Lead singer Caleb Followill did have a bit of a hissy fit during the show when it appeared that his monitor wasn’t working. At one point he slammed down his mic stand after a song and had some very heated words with the stage crew. He went on to sincerely apologize to the audience making sure we understand that when he gets angry at technical issues it’s because he wants to ensure we have the best experience possible. I thought that was quite nice.

They played a good mix of new and old tracks, the highlight for me being Four Kicks, a great song to dance to! There were a ton of people taking pictures and even filming the show. I’m posting all my photos here (taken with my iPhone) and also various video I could find on youtube. Enjoy!


















Slow Night, So Long:


Revelry:



Caleb chatting: “The best fans in the whole world”:


More Caleb chatting: “Want you to have the best experience”:


Milk:

The Stills, We Are Scientists, Kings of Leon - Woot!

I went to this show last weekend with Kate, Shanda, and Chris. First off, I call bullshit that The Stills played first! No offense to you We Are Scientists fans out there, but I prefer The Stills! They only played for half an hour!!! Booo! I despair that The Stills will ever grow a big enough fanbase to headline a show in Vegas. I've seen them twice now and both times, they opened for Kings of Leon. Oh well, what are you gonna do?

The show was sold out so getting a cocktail was difficult. When We Are Scientists started their set I decided now would be a good time to hit the bar. I was wrong. I waited in line for half an hour. Two thirds of their set! So then when I did make it to the bar, I had to buy two cocktails and be a double fisting lush for a while, because there was no way I was ever getting back in that line again.

Right before Kings of Leon came on I made a quick jaunt to the bathroom and had a really fun, surreal trip back. First outside the bathroom, about to get on the elevator to the VIP section, there was The Stills! I praised them and voiced my disappointment in their short set, telling them to come back soon and headline. Tim Fletcher seemed appreciative despite that fact that this drunk redheaded girl is just yelling in their faces, and he thanked me! So then I dash back inside the venue and am picking my way through the crowd, when I bump into this guy, and we do that dancey thing where he tries to go one way around me but that's the same way I try to go, so then we both try to go the other way - you know. I look up at him and realize that it's Jason Sudeikis of Saturday Night Live! He looks at me too and he sees the recognition break over my face so he pre-emptively smiles and says, "Hi!" with this little wave of his hand. I ridiculously laugh "HA! HA!" in his face and then we both finally move on and away from each other. Pretty cool, huh? But then I got to thinking. . .hey, it's Saturday night, and it's about 10:45pm, shouldn't he BE somewhere??? It's Saturday Night Live isn't it??? Well my questions were answered when I got home later that night and Phillip told me that SNL had been a rerun.

Kings of Leon went on soon after that madness and they were rocking. I've seen them live three times now and they are always really tight, and have lots of energy, which infuses the crowd with energy. Plus it was sold out which always helps. Vegas crowds can be hit or miss. Vampire Weekend's audience sucked. This one was awesome. Lots of group sing alongs and noise and smiles. It's been interesting seeing KOL evolve as a band too. The first time I saw them they were all long haired, skinny jeans and t-shirt wearing Southern boys. Now they are super glammy leather jacket wearing rock stars. Only Nathan still sports the long hair. Mmmmm, Followills. They are all pretty hunky.

After the show we met up with some other people at Griffin. Not much went on there except I inadvertently insulted Chris Cook when we were observing the beginning of a menage: two girls on either side of a dude, getting frisky. I was looking at them and before I could stop myself, I said to Chris, "That guy isn't even that good looking, so there's some hope for you in scoring two chicks!" It was a zinger that could have hit anybody, Chris just happened to be next to me! I apologized, but he didn't care. Chris is my friend, he's cool. He was actually a little bit proud of the funny I made.