Kings of Leon - O2 Arena

Sorry, this post probably says more about me than the band…

It’s 5:45pm and I’m on a conference call that’s running over with no signs of ending. I’ve got a train to catch to get to North Greenwich at 6:42pm and I’ve got my husband’s suit to pick up from the cleaners and a parent to call about tomorrow’s slumber party and I’ve got to stop off to dispose of the laptop. I also see someone pacing outside my office door. Something’s not right here. They are seriously killing my pre-concert buzz.

Okay, I missed the 6:42 train and missed any opening act, but did make it to the arena as they were setting up for the main attraction. The arena seemed so big for Kings of Leon, the band I saw at Pop’s just two years ago, but it truly was sold out. I started to get out some paper to write down the set list and then I made the decision to get out of task mode and just enjoy the show.

The stage was not over the top busy like some arena rock shows, but pretty simple. As usual there was not a lot of chatter with the audience. Caleb did say that when they walked into the arena that day they were blown away by the size as well.

They started the set with Closer and then Crawl and for a moment I wondered if they would play Only By the Night from start to finish. After Crawl they varied the setlist to contain tracks from all of the other records. The set was a little under two hours but with little banter, they covered a lot of ground.

Rumors circulated in the UK press a few weeks ago that the whole UK arena tour might be cancelled due to Caleb’s drinking but they laughed off reports of this a few days ago. There were no signs of such an issue on stage. He never sounded better. I have to say that the worldwide success looks to be agreeing with them. They all looked confident and looked as if they were enjoying the moment. It was such a solid set that I have a hard time picking a favorite.

As I skipped out on the last song of the encore to catch the train, there was a guy and his buddy in front of me and they were very drunk and complaining that they didn’t play California Waiting. It is one of my favorites but they played so many of my other favorites that I didn’t seem to miss it. When these two guys were figuring out where their destination was one of them kept saying “We need to get to St. Pancreas Station!” (It’s St. Pancras). Hearing the word ‘pancreas’ and seeing his nauseated face made me think of bodily functions so I moved further down the escalator to avoid his potential vomit. --J

Kings of Leon - Q's Band of the Year

Great cover pic!

Kings of Leon - Only By The Night

We’ve said this before here at judakris.com, It’s harder to write about something you like than something you don’t. I think my buddy S though sums up how I feel about the new KoL record if I might plagiarize…

Sweet, 6lb, 8oz Baby Jesus!!!

Funny, as I listen through their back catalog, I am surprised, of all their records before this one, that Youth and Young Manhood, their first didn’t make more of an impact on the U.S. I hear lots of singles on that one. But that was before this record. This is the one. If you don’t like this record, then just hang it up, you won’t like this band. The vocals are accessible, the bass lines are groovy, it’s KoL ready for U.S. primetime. –J

Lovebug to Sex On Fire

I am trying NOT to make my half of this blog all about Kings of Leon but they do have a new record coming out next week and since work is kicking my ass and I want a sure thing, the only concert I have on the books is seeing them at the O2 Arena in December, even though I just saw them last month. Also, because of the publicity surrounding the new record, the press is pouring in and the attached article is killing me! Maybe the Followills just need to start a mentoring program…

On a related note, KoL is sharing with their fans 23 home movies for the 23 days leading up to the release of Only By The Night. There are some hilarious moments, including their cousin and tour manager explaining how he got his nickname (some very un-Jonas behavior is discussed). My favorite though is when their mother is in the studio singing a gospel song with Caleb harmonizing, Nathan smoking, and Jared mugging for the camera as only a baby of the family can.

KoL fans, protect me… I tried to make a feminist statement about Fall Out Boy a few years back that was misinterpreted by their fans as a slam (so not what I meant). The Jonas Brothers fans may hunt me down and kill me. --J

Un-Summer Playlist

The only truly hot summer days I’ve experienced were outside of my new home country. Therefore, I consider this the un-summer of 2008. Here are the songs that have amused me, captivated me, and annoyed me in the last few months. M, this one’s for you since in Houston, it’s summer all year round! --J

Many Shades of Black – The Raconteurs
Let’s Dance to Joy Division – The Wombats
Sex on Fire – Kings of Leon
Strange Times – The Black Keys
Going On – Gnarls Barkley
Closer – Ne-Yo
Like This - GirlTalk

(In the annoyed me category…)
I’m Not Gonna Teach Your Boyfriend How to Dance With You – The Black Kids
I Kissed a Girl – Katy Perry
No Air – Jordin Sparks/Chris Brown

The Best Seat in the House and The Worst Seat in the House

I had the great fortune of covering the sold out Kings of Leon gig at Brixton’s Carling Academy last night for a web publication. On paper it sounds like the perfect night. I get to be in the photographer’s pit, the front of the front row, for one of my favorite bands for the first three songs of their set. But being a fan can have its problems in such a situation. You could tell that for the other photographers, this was just a job. While they were snapping away, trying to get the best shot to sell to the highest bidder, I would have moments of distraction wanting to sing along with the music and wanting to step away from behind the camera to take the moment in.

K and I have talked many times about the thrill of that moment when the lights get turned off and the crowd goes wild as you see the shadowy figures of a favorite band take the stage. It is such a rush. Standing up against the stage and hearing the roar of the crowd behind me, it did let me feel for a fraction of a moment what the guys on stage might be experiencing. It is amazing. But alas, I had a job to do and I think I scored some good pictures.

After being in the pit, I had to find a place to stand to enjoy the rest of the show. I found myself at the far back corner of the bottom floor of the theatre, where I could see nothing and the sound was not very good. Caleb was more talkative than usual, but I couldn’t make out what was being said.

The Followills really seemed to be enjoying themselves and they sounded great. They opened with Crawl, which has kind of a slow and sexy beginning that totally set the tone for the rest of the set. The setlist combined all of best of their records, and the new single, Sex on Fire, had everyone screaming along. I have a ticket for their sold out arena show at the O2 in London in December and I can’t wait to see how the set changes in that huge arena with the new record then released. I will be all fan that night, not worrying about anything but enjoying the music.

Sex on Fire is available on iTunes. Go get it now! --J

Could This Be The One???

Go to the Kings of Leon website to download their first single of the upcoming record! I was a little nervous when I read that it had a political message but so far I'm likin what I hear. Will this be the record that breaks them in the States? --J

Armchair Concertgoer

Thanks to my new hi-def television, I felt like I had (very comfortable) front row seat for some of the best performances of Glastonbury this year. It even had the capability of switching the program to different stages if the current performer was not to my liking. All that and no port-a-potty! I found myself thinking well if this is possible in 2008, when I’m in the old folks’ home technology will probably be so good that I’ll be able to virtually crowd surf when I’m 80 years old!

All kidding aside, the weather was beautiful and there were some really good performances. My favorites were Kings of Leon, The Kills, The Ting Tings, and The Enemy. Would Amy Winehouse show up to perform? Yes, she did. Once again though, I am just not very taken with her live performance.

I have to comment on the Jay-Z performance. There was a lot of controversy about him taking the headlining slot. I believe Noel Gallagher stated that hip hop had no place at a guitar based festival. I love that Jay-Z took it upon himself to perform an Oasis song during his set smiling the whole time. I was unexpectedly impressed with Jay-Z, since I only like a tiny bit of the music that the hip hop scene has to offer. I do find it interesting that a hip hop artist can come to England in 2008 and project an enormous picture of the U.S. President and state very clearly “Fuck Bush”. Only a few years ago an artist (Natalie Maines from the Dixie Chicks) with a more Republican fan base almost got burned at the stake for saying something a lot less blatant. --J

Cloverfield Soundtrack?

I went to see Cloverfield this weekend and jumped out of my seat about five times. Wow, that movie did not disappoint. Did anyone else catch the thing falling into the Atlantic Ocean off Coney Island during the last scene? I don't usually catch that kind of stuff, but perhaps watching Lost has trained me. Anyway, as I was listening to some of the songs during the party I couldn't help but think of J because Kings of Leon's Taper Jean Girl as well as Spoon's The Underdog played. There's no official soundtrack out, but I did find this link in which someone posted the songs in the movie (I was too busy trying to keep it together to write down the songs!) J, apparently two KoL songs made it in. -K

Kings of Leon - Unbelievable

In my office at work I have a bulletin board that has pictures of all the men in my life, my husband, grandfather, dad, brothers, and nephews. I didn’t set out to make a “men only” board, it just ended up that way. It seemed only fitting that I would put my ticket to the KoL show on that board for safe-keeping. I stared at that ticket while booting up my laptop and sipping my first cup of coffee yesterday, thinking it didn’t matter what the hell happened at work, I could get through it today. My last show of the year was the third time that I would see Kings of Leon this year. Knowing that they have had more success here, I was anticipating seeing how different one of their shows might be.

Wembley Arena, which is right next to the grand and new Wembley Stadium, reminds me a lot in design and size of UIC Pavilion in Chicago. In terms of the venue, it was not impressive. Since this show had been sold out, I kept telling myself I was going to just be happy with having scored a ticket, knowing it was not going to be great, but I would have a seat. I’m a little afraid of the standing sections in the UK, they get really rowdy with lots of beer throwing. But when I realized how far back I was, the thrill was gone just a bit. The stage was the most elaborate I have seen for a KoL show, and really beautiful at times.

For the setlist, the band played songs that I have never heard them play live before like Holy Roller Novocaine and Razz. It was nice to see them mix it up, since in the spring, their setlist did not change from show to show. The audience favourites were Fans, which is written about the English fans so I thought that would get quite a reception, and The Bucket. The audience sang every word and over-powered Caleb on vocals. They were passionate. My favourite probably was Holy Roller Novocaine because I have never heard them perform that live and it’s such a Southern song, which made me think of home.

It was a real treat to get to see them here, but their show at The Pageant this year was by far my favourite. --J

Is it a miracle?

I was way far back tonight at the Kings of Leon show so the only pictures I could really take were of the video screens. As I got home and started downloading my pics, I couldn't believe how "holy" these looked. Nathan Followill or Jesus on drums, you be the judge. --J

Kings of Leon - Wembley Arena, London

I will write more later. Here is the setlist from the show tonight.

Slow Night, So Long
Black Thumbnail
Taper Jean Girl
King of the Rodeo
My Party
Holy Roller Novocaine
Fans
The Bucket
Milk
Arizona
On Call
Razz
McFearless
Ragoo
Camaro
Molly's Chambers
Spiral Staircase
Trani

ENCORE
Knocked Up
Four Kicks
Charmer

Avoid the Outdoors

I had been wringing my hands over buying tickets to Bonnaroo this year. It's close to where both K and I used to live in the South so having a place to stay wouldn't be an issue. For a number of reasons we passed up the opportunity. Courtesy of AT&T I was able to watch both Kings of Leon and Lily Allen's sets online and decided that I just need to get over this fear that I have that I am missing something at these festivals. When they pan the crowd it looks like torture standing in those crowds. I am reminded of my experience in a Warped Tour crowd a few summers ago when my feet left the ground in the middle of a sea of people and I saw no clear exit route.

While Bonnaroo just looked and was damn hot, I was in England this week and I followed all of the coverage of the Glastonbury Festival. As the pic on this post can explain, it's not hot, but instead rainy. Having to pack knee-high rubber boots to deal with the mud sounds like the worst of both worlds. The London News reported in Friday's news that a stream at the festival site had been "cordoned off because revelers had turned it toxic" with their alcohol and drug laced urine. Maybe I'm too old or too drug-free to understand Glastonbury. Give me a smoky nightclub over that any day. --J

It's Like We Won Something!!!

The first time J introduced me to KoL we were driving back from Chicago last year. My first impression was lukewarm. I remember thinking that Caleb Followill's voice was unique, but not something I could stand to listen to for an entire album. So, as J became a more avid follower over the last year I was not on board. KoL became to me what HIM was for her: the one band that symbolized our deviation from our usually singular musical course. The show that changed it all for J and caused her to want to follow these guys around the country was one that I didn't even attend. I couldn't understand the attraction, myself. What was so special about this band from TN? How could this little band with strong Christian roots from the South have forced its way into J's mindset, overshadowing even the Foo Fighters? Well, when I saw them for the first time last Friday night at The Pageant, I went into it not expecting to be converted. Rather, I was determined to go in with an open mind and support J as she had for me one year ago at the HIM show in the very same venue. The tix were a bday present from me to J and having been gone from her for three weeks, I was excited to be seeing a show that I knew would make her happy. J is my favorite woman in the whole wide world, and by god sometimes we have to take a hit for the team.

The whole week before I had thought about the best location for us to sit. We've gone to many shows at The Pageant and sat and stood in just about every location- save one. I wanted us to be as close to the stage as possible without actually being in the pit so when we made an early entrance through the Halo Bar we headed directly to the seats that are just left of the stage on the ground floor. I looked back at J who grinned the biggest grin and shouted "YES!" When we sat down she looked at me and said "It's like we won something!" They did end up being the best seats we ever had. I don't think I want to be anywhere else from now on.

The Features were definitely a highlight. A while back, I was supposed to see them open up for Fountains of Wayne in Nashville with my friends from HSV, G and C, but had to bow out at the last minute. I love their song Blow It Out, and was disappointed that they didn't play it Friday night. Regardless, they were far better than the other opening band Snowden, whose bassist was so overly theatrical onstage that it took me away from the music, which, honestly, was not that great. Not great enough to be giving us an O face throughout the set.

When the stage was being torn down for the KoL, J excused herself and said in parting "when Nacho comes out, everyone will scream his name." She wasn't kidding. Nacho is a cousin of the boys who is their main roadie. He looks just like them, but with a bit more of a young Ozzy aesthetic. He really looks like a miniature KoL member and he often acknowledged the fans screaming his name with enthusiasm. I heard behind me "quit saying his name, he needs to do his work!"

When the lights went down, white light and fog emanated from the stage and a section of Mozart's Requiem Mass filled the air. It was dramatic and added a bit of darkness that I didn't expect, but always welcome. That was the first entry point for me. I was certainly intrigued. When the boys came out they gave an electrifying set that left me exhausted in the end, but in a very good way. I didn't know all of the songs, obviously, but the highlight for me was On Call, which was ambient and face-blowing at the same time. The amazing thing is that Caleb's voice is so much better for my ears in a live setting. And seeing how he and his bassist brother kept grinning at each other because they were so pleased with the audience's reaction to them, I saw a humility that was so incredibly endearing. Also, Nathan's ease at drum playing just caught me off guard. He makes drumming look so easy, often drinking beer and mouthing to someone off stage while keeping time impeccably. I had to smile. These boys from TN wanted to be there playing for us and the crowd encouraged them to keep going. It was as if the crowd was in such need for a balls to the wall rock show as much as we were and I left a fan.

After the show, J and I hung out to see if they would come out. Here's another thing that turned me. They came out almost immediately. I HATE how some bands just make everyone wait for what can be hours to sign autographs and take pictures. Nathan came out a few minutes after J and I got out there trying our best to not get in trouble with security for not "being on the black." They were all very nice and humble and explained that they were on their way to a family reunion. But, the skinny jeans that they wore were slightly frightening. I don't think that Jon Bon Jovi's jeans were ever that tight in his day! It was quite something to see. Life on the road takes the pounds away, but the Followill clan has incredible genes. Skeletal they may be, but they have some of the best skin I've ever seen in the business. Golden and gorgeous.

Nathan took this pic with me and I had to crack up because our expressions are very similar in the original pic.

So, in the end it was an absolutely fantastic rock show. J and I had a great time, laughing hysterically at times, concluding that almost everything about the south is endearing to us, and being so pleased that we didn't have to scramble to get to work the next day. Unbelievable. -K

An Unbelievable Birthday - Kings of Leon at The Pageant

Last night contained all of the elements of a perfect show. I don't know if a concert this year will be able to match it for me. Here are the top ten reasons why in no particular order.







1. The concert was on a Friday night of a long weekend. For us working stiffs who are usually dragging the next morning after a weeknight concert, this is the ultimate.
2. This is absolutely my favorite band of the moment.
3. The Features were one of the best openers I have ever seen.
4. K and I attended our second show in a week's time. The tickets were my birthday present from K. She gets me.
5. Getting what we now think are the best seats in the entire house at our favorite venue.
6. Vodka and Red Bull
7. I had to giggle listening to probably over a thousand guys singing along with Caleb with so much conviction to "Soft". When he yelled, "I'm Soft!" they were all right there with him.
8. Caleb's rock and roll smackdown of his microphone
9. Getting to watch Nathan Followill two weeks in a row, chew bubble gum and drink beer while playing drums.
10. Getting to watch the Followills interact with their fans after the show and seeing the skin-tight jeans up close.
--J

Setlist for Kings of Leon at The Pageant in St. Louis

Here's the setlist from last night's show.
Black Thumbnail
Taper Jean Girl
King of the Rodeo
True Love Way
My Party
Soft
Fans
Arizona
Molly's Chambers
The Bucket
Milk
Four Kicks
On Call
California Waiting
Spiral Staircase
Trani

Knocked Up
Charmer
McFearless
Slow Night, So Long

One Convert at a Time - Kings of Leon at the Riviera

I find it harder to write about an unbelievable show than anything else, probably because what I would like to say is that it was amazing, and then retreat back into my head so I can re-live my favorite parts. D went with me last night. His only exposure to them was the occasional video and their MySpace page. As usual, when going to a show with someone unfamiliar with the headliner, I get nervous.

About the venue, I talked to probably a dozen people before going to this show who had all been to the Riv and I find it funny that no one mentioned how run down it was on the inside. I know there are lots of shows there and maybe people like the spontaneous feel of it seeming like a rock show just sprung up in an abandoned old theatre way past its glory days. It just made me miss The Pageant in St. Louis where KoL will play this Friday night.

The show was sold out and D and I were up front to the right. Three bands were on the bill, The Features, Snowden, and then Kings of Leon. Naturally, I would assume that the bands would increase in popularity as the night progressed but while The Features were excellent and got a lot of attention, most wanted Snowden off the stage. All D could say during this set was "Dead Meadow", which has now become our codename for painful opening bands (see Wolfmother concert in November for more details). I texted K during this set and her response was, "Keep your eyes on the prize".

Those who suffered through were rewarded. As you can see from the setlist, there was a good mix of all three albums. The crowd went wild and I think the energy hit a high point during Four Kicks. My faves were Charmer, McFearless, California Waiting, and King of the Rodeo. Friday night I was talking to my brother S's friend A and he mentioned that the sound at The Riv can sometimes be off. That was true last night and you can tell the band was a little frustrated but working through it. Sometimes the bass wasn't loud enough and then the drums at times would be turned up loud and then turned back down. Caleb said that Chicago was their favorite city in America which made the audience love them even more.

D left the show impressed and a fan. As I expected from seeing them before, all of the songs were more ferocious live. Get ready St. Louis. --J

Kings of Leon - Chicago Setlist

I'll post a proper review when I get back to STL, but the show was unbelievable. Here is a setlist.

Charmer
King of the Rodeo
Taper Jean Girl
True Love Way
My Party
Soft
Fans
Arizona (?)
Molly's Chambers
The Bucket
Milk
Four Kicks
On Call
California Waiting
Spiral Staircase
Trani

Encore
Knocked Up
Black Thumbnail
McFearless
Slow Night, So Long

Kings of Leon - Because of the Times

After listening to Mika, I was ready for some testosterone fueled rock music when Kings of Leon's latest was released at the beginning of April. I haven’t had a whole lot of time to listen to it so at first glance; I’m giving it an unexpected rating. Early press touted this release as a big departure for them so I did not know what to expect but I don’t hear a huge difference in sound. That’s fine with me though. I’ve been gravitating to the up tempo numbers like Charmer and McFearless, but I can picture listening to more dreamy songs like The Runner and Trunk on a late night drive along a lonely highway. I need to plan a road trip soon. --J

Conference Playlist

Imagine, if you will, spending a week in a beautiful hotel in Colorado Springs for an annual conference. The environment is gorgeous and your clients are some of your favorite people yet you can't really sleep and your skin is so dry that you choose to not shower but every other day just to feel normal. When I wasn't running around meeting with clients and wondering if I was allergic to the hotel I was standing on my balcony looking at the radar towers of NORAD and dreaming of disappearing in the mountains.
I'm going to skip over all the tedious work details of the week and focus on the music. First, we have the party. The conference usually concludes with a party that in the past has generated the best stories. Immortalization at this company is guaranteed for you if you've gone overboard at the party. This year we were all pretty low key, but I did two-step with a customer, which was extremely unexpected. It also could have been dangerous since I had been drinking wine and I'm notoriously clumsy when I'm drinking. Anyway, at some point, the dj announced that [enter my name here] must stay on the dance floor for a two-step and that my partner's identity would be revealed in a few seconds. The floor cleared and I stood there and saw one of my clients from California walking towards me. We two-stepped to Brooks & Dunn's "Boot Scoot Boogie." Later, he and I paired up again during a disco classic. It was a lot of fun. One of my favorite moments was when practically EVERYONE was on the dance floor dancing to Sister Sledge's 'We Are Family." It was an evening filled with laughter and sentimentality. I wanted to hold onto it for as long as possible.
All seriousness aside, it was also an evening during which I discovered that one of my coworker's knows the all the lyrics to "Ice Ice Baby". I must say that was a little surprising.
The evening ended with J and me both noticing a beautiful half moon rising over the mountain and a decision to grab one more bottle of wine before calling it a night.
Finally, I wanted to publish my conference playlist. In our rooms we had iPod attachments to the clock radio so I was able to listen to this music during my off times. Don't be scared. I sometimes pepper my playlists with indie songs. This time it's the dominant genre. I'm not subconsciously mourning the loss of The OC, though I think I will miss it. I'll be wearing Scandinavian leather again as soon as it turns warm. -K

Nothin' No - David Vandervelde
There is something very Marc Bolan about this Chicagoan's voice. That plus the guitar in this song makes it a gorgeous throwback to glam rock. Where is my mandrax and feather boa?

One Night Only (disco version) - Dreamgirls soundtrack
I love disco. I do.

On Call - Kings of Leon
J and I decided that we would have a moratorium on each other's bands this year since both are coming out with new albums and promised each other to listen with open minds. This year I've promised to be open minded about Kings of Leon's latest coming out soon. I don't know if it's the ambience or if it's just a really good song, but I liked this one the first time I heard it.

Flathead - The Fratellis
Love this song. But, I foresee me being totally sick of it soon.

Albion - Babyshambles
It's too bad that Pete Doherty's personal struggle with drugs has made him such a tragicomic figure. After watching a documentary on him I've come to realize that there is a lot of good music coming out of this guy's mind. He's a fool, but he's a fool that represents human weakness in an unexpectedly identifiable way.

U+Ur Hand - P!nk
Hell yes. P!nk will kick ur ass.

Smile - Lily Allen
There's just something about this song that I can't get out of my head. It's got an easy feeling to it.

Number 1 - Goldfrapp
Sexy, sexy, sexy woman, that Allison Goldfrapp.

Up the Bracket - The Libertines
This is just good brit rock. The Libertines was Pete's first successful attempt at putting a band together. Too bad it all fell apart.

Do the Whirlwind - Architecture in Helsinki
This is an odd inclusion, I know. It's very ambient/techno but melodic as well.

Chips Ahoy! - The Hold Steady
These guys have a lot of buzz surrounding them, but I hope they keep their local band sound. There's something very unpretentious about their sound that can be so rare in the indie scene.

Come Pick Me Up - Ryan Adams
I haven’t listened to too much of his music, but these lyrics are so longing. I can't get enough of this song.

Yankee Go Home - Clap Your Hands Say Yeah
I could not listen to the lead singer Alec Ounsworth's voice for too many songs in a row because it's just like Gordon Gano from Violent Femmes. Gives me hives. HOWEVER. This song is pretty ok.