A Sort Of Homecoming: Kings Close US Tour With Amazing Nashville Night

By Kris Andrus

Photos by Patty Arriagada

November 26, 2008

On Wednesday, November 19th, the Kings of Leon returned home to end their US tour with a bang. It had been a very big tour for them. Only By the Night had just been released and they were enjoying success unlike they had ever seen in the states. After two solid sets from openers The Whigs and We Are Scientists, the crowd was ready for the Kings.

They kicked it off with the new tune “Crawl,” and I knew immediately that it was going to be a great show. The sound in the Auditorium was fantastic. I could feel the bass deep in my chest and the guitar sounded sharp and powerful. They followed it with “Taper Jean Girl” and the crowd went wild.

Lead singer Caleb Followill  told the crowd that they would be playing a large mix of old and new-noting the significance of the final show so close to home. They followed through with the promise and gave equal time to the last three albums. Two songs were played from their debut album Youth and Young Manhood.

Despite a large amount of backlash on the internet over the new album, these sentiments weren’t evident at the show. New songs like “Sex On Fire” and “Use Somebody” had people singing along as much as older hits like “The Bucket” and “King of the Rodeo”.

After ending the main set with “Slow Night So Long,” the band thanked the crowd and left the stage. It didn’t take long for the chanting and cheering to bring the band back out, though. They thanked their family for coming to the show and ended it with a strong four song encore.

Overall, the Kings are in a very good place right now. They are finally seeing larger numbers at shows here in the US, and they are about to start a tour overseas where they draw sellout crowds. Only By The Night is a huge success, debuting at number one on the UK album charts. They may enjoy much more popularity there, but they call Tennessee home, and I wouldn’t want it any other way.

Click on any of the gallery thumbnails to see a larger image.

Setlist:

Crawl

Taper Jean Girl

Razz

Molly’s Chambers

My Party

Sex On Fire

King of the Rodeo

Fans

Revelry

Milk

4 Kicks

McFearless

the Bucket

Arizona

Closer

California Waiting

Use Somebody

On Call

Cold Desert

Slow Night, So Long

Encore:

Knocked Up

Manhattan

Charmer

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