Kings of Leon--Running Away From God

KOL are playing a nearly sold-out show at the Target Center in Minneapolis Monday night. While I won't be there, I like them a lot and have written about them after a show in New Haven a couple years ago. I've seen them live twice, which is a lot for me since I don't go to live shows much. I've only seen U2 twice, for heaven's sake!  Anyway, if you go to a KOL show, let me know how you like it.  Here's the start of my post from a couple years ago, with a link if you have to go read it all.

Last night I saw them play at Toad’s Place, a famous venue here in New Haven. Lots of the great bands (and lots of so-so bands, too) have played here–including U2 in their early years. I saw KOL in 2005 when they opened for U2 on the Vertigo tour. I’d never heard of them and at the time didn’t know any of their songs. I was impressed by their energy, though, and by their tight pants (read my report on that concert here). According to Jared Followill, the bassist, “I mean [U2] called us KFC instead of KOL ’cause we have chicken legs. But in a funny, cool way. They’re the nicest guys.” I mused at the time about what the influence would be given the maturity of U2 as a band, as spiritual men, and on the road with this young band also with spiritual roots but exploring the tensions of faith and the life-style of rock n’ roll fame. As the story goes, the influence was low-key, and likely more powerful as a result. They showed, rather than told or scolded. KOL, for those who don’t know, grew up traveling with a father who preached revivials in the United Pentecostal Church but after troubles with drinking and finallly a divorce, left the ministry. The experience was dramatic for the boys. This from the Rolling Stone interview:

“Everything changed for the three brothers in 1997, when their mother and father divorced — an even bigger taboo in the Pentecostal community than in the Christian world at large — and Leon left the ministry. (Though some have reported that Leon was defrocked, the boys say he resigned on his own because ‘he knew it was time.’) ‘Our parents’ divorce shattered the whole mirage of this perfect little existence the outside world couldn’t touch and couldn’t pollute,’ Nathan says. ‘We realized that our dad, the greatest man we ever knew, in our eyes, was only human. And so are we. People are gonna fuck up. They’re gonna want to experiment with drugs, have premarital sex. This whole new world was open to us’.”

This, you might say, was their introduction to the “broken hallelujah.”  Read the rest here.

Anon and peace,

Chris

Comments

[Tina]

I LOVE Kings of Leon and was able to see them Live in S.F, May 2009. They were amazing, especially Caleb, and I can't wait to see them again. I just love everything about them :)

[Florida]

Caleb "well, maybe when you’re at your roughest moment, that’s when He’s watching over you and smiling."

Psalm 103:1-12
1 Praise the LORD, O my soul;
all my inmost being, praise his holy name.
2 Praise the LORD, O my soul,
and forget not all his benefits-

4 who redeems your life from the pit
and crowns you with love and compassion,

5 who satisfies your desires with good things
so that your youth is renewed like the eagle's.

8 The LORD is compassionate and gracious,
slow to anger, abounding in love.

9 He will not always accuse,
nor will he harbor his anger forever;

10 he does not treat us as our sins deserve
or repay us according to our iniquities.

11 For as high as the heavens are above the earth,
so great is his love for those who fear him;

12 as far as the east is from the west,
so far has he removed our transgressions from us

[kara]

I am attending the show tonight here in minneapolis and have seen them here last year as well also in 05' i didn't know them then i seen them back in January @ the Dare to Dream benefit in Chicago and also in May in Cincy. Every show i've seen has been great. But they're shows were more fun before they were huge stars here in the U.S. i happy that their music is getting the attention it deserves here in the U.S. but now they aren't the best kept secret anymore. That was one of the greatest things about them

[laura]

I saw them in 2005 (I think) and loved how self-conscious they seemed on stage - with their hair, especially. I had read of their upbringing and was surprised when the lead singer blessed us, the audience, at the end of the show. I can't remember if he named God specifically, but it was something like "Blessings to each one of you." And it was not connected to having come out for the show. I've not been as excited about their 2nd and 3rd albums but remember that show well.

[Fiona]

Really dig KOL as well, and have always been intrigued as to how their upbringing has factored into their music making. Just curious as to how you see Only By The Night album fitting into their ongoing story...