The Kings of Leon played a highly anticipated and exhilarating show Oct. 24 at the Fillmore Auditorium. The Stills opened to a venue less than half full, however, as fans trickled in and mingled at the bar.
The band played a solid set and the buzz of anticipation grew as the New York-based band We Are Scientists took the stage. This band’s rapid snare drum, electric guitar and keyboard primed the audience for the big event.
We Are Scientists offered up a perfect blend of songs from its latest album, Brain Thrust Mastery, and from its 2005 CD.Fans danced to “Nobody Move Nobody Get Hurt,” “It’s a Hit” and “The Great Escape.”
While the stage was being prepared, a fog machine cranked out smoke to float over the crowd and rest on the ready sea of urban flannel and Ray Ban glasses.
Kings of Leon used a bare canvas for the stage background with rows of light bulbs forming a curtain. When the band ambled on stage, the audience was in a frenzy of anticipation.
Fans were not disappointed as the band erupted into a scorching “Sex on Fire.” The curtain of light bulbs in the back rained down sparks with flashing red and green lights.
The set consisted of a balanced combination of old and new tracks. While the crowd was singing along from the beginning, the audience stayed loud for other tunes including the popular “Taper Jean Girl,” “The Bucket” and “On Call.”
The carefree, energetic tone of those songs blended well with the darker, heavy tones of “Closer” or “Use Somebody” from Only By The Night.
Seamless transitions from song to song could barely satisfy the ravenous crowd as people screamed and danced to the rhythms that were often rough and discordant, so much so that the band members gathered center stage to work out their differences.
Caleb Followill, the lead singer, only took time away from playing to say he needed help from the audience, and of course made the classic comment about the difficulty of playing a show in Colorado’s thin air.
Kings of Leon finished off the night with “Knocked Up” to an enraptured audience.
