During an interview early last year, Caleb Followill - one fourth of the alty, arena rock hitmakers Kings of Leon - told me he and his bandmates were eager to return to New Zealand post-pandemic to tour their new album, When You See Yourself.
"I feel like it's going to be a new world, whenever we do finally get to share the music," Followill, 40, said in his husky, Southern drawl. He is the lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist of Kings of Leon, a Followill family affair comprising his two brothers, bassist Jared and drummer Nathan, and cousin Matthew on lead guitar.
Of course, with the world still firmly in the claws of COVID-19 at the time, the prospect of an international act performing in Aotearoa was practically zilch - but 18 months later the rockers have made good on their promise, taking the stage at Auckland's Spark Arena on October 23.
And a new world it was. A buoyant crowd greeted the group with electric enthusiasm, without airs or masks. The whooping and whistling throngs were literally vibrating with energy - after two years of swabs, social distancing and scrapped gigs, the thrill of live music still hasn't worn off.
Now, some loyal Newshub readers may recall a review I did of U2's Mt Smart Stadium concert some years ago, where I brought along my father, Muso Marc, as a voice of the older generation - a generation who were already functioning adults when The Joshua Tree came out in 1987, a decade before I was born. At his old(er) age, Marc has also witnessed Kings of Leon's trajectory over the past two decades, from their bluesy, garage rock roots to their platinum-plated success in the mid-2000s, and I was eager to pick his brains.
With dad in tow, we made our way to Spark Arena with open minds and no expectations. We'll belt along, badly, to the likes of 'Use Somebody' and 'Sex on Fire', but neither of us would proclaim ourselves as ardent fans. However, we were willing to have our minds changed.
When Kings of Leon took the stage after an opening set by Aussie indie rockers The Temper Trap, the atmosphere was electric. Appearing in a haze of orange smoke, the Followills began with 'When You See Yourself', the title track from their latest album. The moody and melodramatic opener transitioned into a string of tracks - 'Slow Night, So Long', 'King of the Rodeo' and 'Taper Jean Girl' - from 2004's Aha Shake Heartbreak, a reminder of the early garage rock, blues-inflected groove that eventually put the Nashville hitmakers on the map.
Followill was on form, his distinctive vocals soaring throughout the stadium. His vocal prowess is undeniable, lending itself perfectly to bluesy tunes with a gritty garage edge. Of course, a hallmark of a competent singer is if they sound just as excellent live as they do on their highly produced records - and Followill has that in spades.
The band briefly returned to some of their newer material, launching into 2021's 'The Bandit' - an inoffensive, middle-of-the-road track - before bridging into 'Revelry', a Southern rock single from 2008's Only by the Night, the album that spawned 'Sex on Fire' and catapulted Kings of Leon to international stardom. With the band swathed in a blue glow, starlike flecks of coloured light sparkled across the two large screens flanking the stage. The return of their classic material saw the animated crowd truly come alive, fervently chanting every lyric like alt-rock apostles.
It's obvious Kings of Leon have a legion of devoted fans here in Aotearoa, and a quick scan of the stadium proves that fanbase is wide-ranging, spanning demographics and generations. From the younger crowd congregated in the front to the Gen-Xers nodding their heads in the stands, it's clear the Kings have developed a diverse audience, spanning early, enduring supporters to newbie fans, who perhaps grew up listening to their dad play Aha Shake Heartbreak in the SUV.
Now, let's be honest here: if you want to see a great rock band with epic guitar shredding, an energetic frontman and jaw-dropping drum solos, Kings of Leon aren't going to tick those boxes. They're consistent, cohesive and excel at what they do, but they aren't in the same league as other live acts. We had great seats, situated in the front row to the side of the stage, but even our vantage point couldn't conjure what the Kings lack; presence. Plus, the position did require the head to be cocked permanently to the left, and as my neck started seizing up halfway through, it really reinforced that I'm not as young as I used to be.
To elaborate, anyone who has seen footage of Pearl Jam's performance at PinkPop in 1992, The Who's 'Won't Get Fooled Again' at Shepperton Studios in 1978, or a bare-chested Robert Plant or Freddie Mercury striding across the stage will know Followill is not a frontman of the Mick Jagger mould or Chris Cornell calibre. There's no prancing, dancing, thrusting or gyrating, and engagement with the audience is minimal. There's no on-stage antics or theatrics; just a solid string of music. Is that a bad thing? Absolutely not. But attendees who aren't diehard fans or overly familiar with the deeper cuts in their discography may find their attention slipping without a dynamic on-stage presence to keep them entertained.
However, the performance was enhanced by the several surrounding screens, which featured stunning visuals of the rockers jamming out, emblazoned with interesting effects, transitions and imagery - very Insta-worthy, I must say.
The southern rockers continued a setlist that expertly weaved newer material with welcome classics, keeping the energy levels high. Throwbacks like 'On Call' and 'Radioactive' had the enthusiastic crowd clambering on shoulders and belting along, while slower tunes like 'Pyro' and 'Closer' allowed Followill's soulful vocals to shine. 'Cold Desert' had the couples in the crowd cuddling and canoodling, while my sad single ass watched on bitterly.
As aforementioned, interaction with the audience was limited, save for a throwaway, "It's a holiday tomorrow right? So there's no f***ing excuses" and, "If you're having a good time, come back tomorrow night" - sir, it's already past my bedtime.
The latter half of the show saw a return to radio-rotation classics, with 'Milk', 'Fans' and alt-rock anthem 'Use Somebody' rounding out the show. It's here you realise the magnitude of the Kings of Leon phenomenon. While their deep cuts may only appeal to devotees and their sound is distinctive but not overtly different, the Kings deliver radio-ready, accessible alt-rock that fills arenas, serving anthems to a listener who is perhaps too discerning for today's pop-rock fluff, but hesitates before delving into more diverse material that sits on the fringe of popular music.
After finishing 'Use Somebody' to raucous applause, Kings of Leon take their leave, for all of three minutes. If I may go on one quick tangent, I will never understand those precursory parting remarks and that feigned departure when everyone knows the act have yet to play their most popular hits - we all know the encore is coming, so just get on with it? I'm 25, for God sakes - geriatrics need their beauty sleep.
But the crowd is electric, stomping and stamping their feet and shrieking with excitement. The band eventually return for the holy trinity; 'Knocked Up', 'The Bucket' and of course, 'Sex on Fire'. And it was bloody good.
About halfway through the two-hour set, following a string of deeper cuts such as 'Manhattan', 'Eyes on You', 'Time in Disguise' and 'Waste a Moment', I realised that like many a band before them, the Kings' sound is fairly formulaic. Several songs sounded like variations of another, which can lead to a little monotony. As a lead guitarist, let's face it, Matthew Followill isn't going to shred a solo à la Slash, and the drumming, while effective and dependable, isn't gonna get the crowd going in the vein of a Taylor Hawkins or Dave Grohl. They play as a cohesive, finely tuned unit, but there isn't necessarily a standout among them.
With that being said, is formulaic music bad? Of course not. Formulas work; they make sense. They're digestible, reliable and familiar, and work well within commercial confines. And if it ain't broke, why fix it?
The takeaway? At their core, Kings of Leon are a garage rock band with an unmistakable Southern twang, and when they return to those roots, they come alive. To me, this is when the Kings are their most authentic and at their best - and it's evident the majority of their fans think so too. The 26-song setlist featured just three songs from When You See Yourself and two from 2016's WALLS, their two most recent offerings, and the crowd, while enthusiastic throughout, were less responsive to the newer material which subjectively, just isn't as strong. The Southern rock and garage jams of yesteryear are where the Kings truly shine - and really, really rock.
Kings of Leon will perform a final New Zealand show at Spark Arena on Monday, October 24 ahead of their tour of Australia.
