Kings of Leon

On August 22nd, I discovered perhaps the worst feeling in the world: showing up to a concert halfway through the second-to-last song. Frustration, anger, blind rage, these words don't even begin to convey how I felt. As I went running into The Forum, echoes of "On Call" were bouncing off the walls and a sense of dread pervaded every fiber of my being. "Ohmygodohmygodohmygod, they're already playing." By the time we had entered the venue, the song was almost over and Caleb Followill was talking in his sexy, Southern voice about the joys of playing in LA. When he introduced "Cold Desert" as the last song of the evening, I literally almost burst into tears. It was a desperate sensation unlike any other, one of both tragic unrest and horrible sadness. $60 of hard-earned cash on 20 minutes of music and idle chat from the band. I was about to go ape shit.

Lucky for me, KoL is a solid band who puts on a phenomenal concert. After the "last" song, they played a rollicking four more, including "Use Somebody," "Black Thumbnail," and "Knocked Up." To say that I was impressed would be a vast understatement; I was awed. Seeing 5.5 songs was enough to convince me that a.) KoL is one of the best rock bands on the market right now, b.) they're even better live than they are on their albums, and c.) I would blow $60 to see them play for an hour ANY day. The brothers (and cousin) put on an amazing show; Caleb's voice was raw and gritty but always perfectly on-key, Nathan and Jared fueled the Southern beats with a heavy drum and a thick bass line, and Matthew played a mean guitar with melt-your-face-off solos. I left the arena in a heady joy, happy to have seen the snippet I did. There is no doubt in my mind that after their next album is released (and God knows they've been steadily improving since the release of "Youth and Young Manhood" in 2003), I will be first in line for a ticket. And I have never said that about any band before.

As we drove away into the night, taking in the sights and sounds of Inglewood, I absorbed two valuable lessons learned that night. First, don't go to concerts with retarded people who make liquor a priority instead of seeing the concert on time. And second, never underestimate the power of a truly great performance, regardless of its length.