This Is What Cool Looks Like

Our friend R and I headed to Sauget, Illinois for The Stills/Kings of Leon show Thursday night. Pop’s in Sauget is an interesting place. It’s across the Mississippi River from St. Louis, next to some refineries and a bunch of strip clubs. So basically it smells like tar and the bar is spacious but not much to look at. When we were talking to Caleb Followill, from Kings of Leon, he jokingly mentioned that they asked for their buses to be parked close to the strip clubs. It’s a really weird location. All that said, the first thing that struck me when we walked in was how good looking the crowd was. Who would have thought in Sauget, Illinois?

We were first stuck in Opening Band Hell. Finn’s Motel wasn’t horrible but they were an older group of guys, and during the set, the lead singer played a slower acoustic number and the lyrics described basically getting older and not wanting to grow up, what a downer! I don’t want to hear that when I am standing among nineteen year-olds. Don’t make me the only person in the audience connecting with that sentiment!

The Stills came on next and they sounded great. Dave Hamelin’s voice sounds so French to me and I absolutely love it. I have a few of their songs but will definitely check out their latest album, Without Feathers.

Before I start talking about the Kings of Leon set, before they play a note, I’m sold. First, I think it’s one of the best band names ever, especially within the context of their story. I love that they are three brothers and a cousin, that they started touring and playing so young, that they were dragged around the Bible Belt as kids going to Pentecostal revivals where their father preached, I love their look, I love the logo on their bass drum, I love it all. The added bonus is I also love their music. It’s current yet very vintage at the same time. Who doesn’t love a band with a song title like Holy Roller Novacaine?

The stage at Pops is very stripped down, but with the right band and the right lighting, you need nothing else. KOL played about an hour and a half set hitting all the high points of Youth and Young Manhood and Aha Shake Heartbreak. There was little interaction with the audience but this did not take away from the performance. They sounded perfect. While we were on the floor in front of the stage, R and I were surrounded by young, good-looking people. Towards the middle of the set we walked up to the top floor of Pops to get a different perspective. All the older people were upstairs doing shots and getting loaded. It was a little jaded and depressing up there.

After the show, we hung out for a bit to see if the band was going to come out. Caleb had made a comment at the end of the show that he had not felt great that night but the audience really made him feel better. I thought to myself, I’ve heard this before; they’re going to make a clean getaway. A few young fans hung out over by the buses and we just stood and watched, contemplating why they are so huge in the UK but haven’t reached the same level of success here. They have a different look and sound than what is popular right now in the States so maybe that is what it is. One by one the band came out of the building and straight into the bus. They seemed a bit shy and uncomfortable with having to interact off-stage. As we were getting ready to walk to the car, we looked over and there stood Caleb smoking a cigarette. Nathan was standing there talking to a few young guys who were asking him if they could give them a CD. Nathan said that they get a lot from fans and they try and listen to all that they can. They were very quiet but very gracious. When these same young fans were asking Caleb about the opening song, which was full of high-pitched squeals, he smiled and said that he “liked to get in touch with his inner-woman”. I was so glad they came out so we could take some pictures since they weren’t allowed during the show. Here’s a picture of Nathan and me and a picture of Caleb and R. Check out the security guard's hair in this one.

Random comments overheard after the show:

Guy to his girlfriend in the parking lot discussing how this show was not as good as other KOL shows. “I’m not a fanatic or anything but I was looking at him, thinkin ‘What the fuck are you doing?!’”

Guy to his friends out in the parking lot discussing how crowded the floor was, “I don’t know if that girl realized that while she was grinding on her boyfriend’s leg, he was grinding on mine!”

Forty-something year old guy trying to prostitute his younger date to Caleb Followill, “Hey, she’s a huge fan, man, look at her she’s blushing. She loves your band!”

Girl coming back to hug Caleb after already getting two pictures taken with him, “I’ve just gotta come back to you!”

If you get a chance to see Kings of Leon, run don’t walk. They are unbelievably cool in every way.
--J