Aimless & Andy Review
KINGS OF LEON - MTS CENTRE
10/04/2011 - Winnipeg MB.
Kings of Leon
- Oct. 4, 2011
- MTS Centre
- Attendance: 9,500
- Musical Talent: 4.0 out of 5.
- Stage Show: 3.5 out of 5.
The results were in just as the concert started. 9,500 fans voted to make the Kings Of Leon the temporary Kings of The MTS Centre...at least for two hours of the evening that is.
On October 4t, 2011 The Kings Of Leon rolled through Winnipeg for the first time as part of their Come Around Sundown tour. As I had never seen the Kings Of Leon before, I couldn't rock it like I had been here before.
The Kings Of Leon traveled with Saskatchewan based band The Sheep Dogs who kicked off the show promptly at 7:30.
The Sheep Dogs had a rustic and twangy sound to them. If there was ever a time I had wondered what music from Saskatchwan sounded like, The Sheepdogs would be exactly what I would have imagined the answer would have been.
It seemed that the band had somehow managed to harvest the feelings of prairie life and turn them into flourishing lyrics and tones.
The Sheepdogs In both their performance and their appearance were very reminiscent of early 1970's rockers. It almost felt as if we should have been at the Winnipeg Folk Festival or better yet the original Woodstock Festival.
The Kings Of Leon hit the stage an hour later and fans filled the floor and were treated to a grab bag of hits that showcased songs from their earlier days of Because The Time to their latest album Come Around Sundown.
Within minutes of walking on stage red and white lights flashed while smoke billowed from behind the drum set. The four band mates approached their instruments and began to play hard.
Giant projection screens sat to the left and right of the stage and streamed a video mix of the band as they played using a variety of post effects. The band seemed to favor the old 8'mm effect which allowed for a creative way to compliment the rockabilly sounds they delivered.
In person Anthony Caleb Followill sounds exactly as you would hear on the Kings Of Leon albums. Polished, focused, and determined to delivering his music as fans have come to know it. While watching him play guitar his talent and passion for music is apparent.
The only negative I would say about the Kings show was that there seemed to be a slight disconnect between the band and their fans. There was little to no crowd interaction coming from the stage aside from a quick back and forth conversation about the bands American origins. The energy levels that I had seen on earlier DVD tours didn't match those of the performance at the MTS Centre.
Though the band did deliver a great set-list, I had hoped for a higher energy performance.
While
watching it was obvious that all of the band members were truly focused
on delivery which could explain why they may not have been jumping
around on stage or interacting with the crowd.
I am happy to say that the lack of energy didn't seem to make an impact on the overall production quality of the performance.
I was also surprised when the lead singer announced the band was experiencing technical difficulties towards the middle of their set. Though I personally didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary some fans seated in the higher levels claimed that the acoustics were slightly off.
Followill was told to stall for the crowd by means of casual conversation. He started by awkwardly saying "So...how you doing" which had fans cheering and then just like that, the performance continued.
While playing the song Closer from the 2008 album Only by the Night, Cameron Matthew Followill was seen playing his guitar with his teeth. The technique was certainly noteworthy and creative and made for a very cool effect.
Drummer/percussionist Ivan Nathan Followill dropped beats using a cross between drum sets and electronic drum machines that blended perfectly with the rest of the band.
Bassist Michael Jared Followill favored stage left for the majority of the performance and seemed content, cool and mellow as he was seen slapping the bass guitar.
With the Kings Of Leon providing a creative soundtrack to the evening fans could be seen closing their eyes and letting their imagination take them wherever they wanted to go.
The average decibel levels ranged between 90-95db's and did peak at slightly over 100db's as the band began to play Sex On Fire which seemed to get the most response from fans.
The band came back for their encore and finished up with three songs including the popular tune Use Somebody which was also welcomed with great audience response.
Overall I was pleased with the performance as were most of the fans I talked to post show. I appreciated that the band didn't focus exclusively on tracks from Come Around Sun Down.
Though more recent commercial success may have changed the way some view the band I still appreciate them for what I knew of them and didn't feel right judging them as anything other than musicians.
Talented Musicians.
-Av
Twitter Timeline: http://twitter.com/aimlessandru
It seemed that the band had somehow managed to harvest the feelings of prairie life and turn them into flourishing lyrics and tones.
The Sheepdogs In both their performance and their appearance were very reminiscent of early 1970's rockers. It almost felt as if we should have been at the Winnipeg Folk Festival or better yet the original Woodstock Festival.
The Kings Of Leon hit the stage an hour later and fans filled the floor and were treated to a grab bag of hits that showcased songs from their earlier days of Because The Time to their latest album Come Around Sundown.
Within minutes of walking on stage red and white lights flashed while smoke billowed from behind the drum set. The four band mates approached their instruments and began to play hard.
Giant projection screens sat to the left and right of the stage and streamed a video mix of the band as they played using a variety of post effects. The band seemed to favor the old 8'mm effect which allowed for a creative way to compliment the rockabilly sounds they delivered.
In person Anthony Caleb Followill sounds exactly as you would hear on the Kings Of Leon albums. Polished, focused, and determined to delivering his music as fans have come to know it. While watching him play guitar his talent and passion for music is apparent.
The only negative I would say about the Kings show was that there seemed to be a slight disconnect between the band and their fans. There was little to no crowd interaction coming from the stage aside from a quick back and forth conversation about the bands American origins. The energy levels that I had seen on earlier DVD tours didn't match those of the performance at the MTS Centre.
Though the band did deliver a great set-list, I had hoped for a higher energy performance.
I am happy to say that the lack of energy didn't seem to make an impact on the overall production quality of the performance.
I was also surprised when the lead singer announced the band was experiencing technical difficulties towards the middle of their set. Though I personally didn't seem to notice anything out of the ordinary some fans seated in the higher levels claimed that the acoustics were slightly off.
Followill was told to stall for the crowd by means of casual conversation. He started by awkwardly saying "So...how you doing" which had fans cheering and then just like that, the performance continued.
While playing the song Closer from the 2008 album Only by the Night, Cameron Matthew Followill was seen playing his guitar with his teeth. The technique was certainly noteworthy and creative and made for a very cool effect.Drummer/percussionist Ivan Nathan Followill dropped beats using a cross between drum sets and electronic drum machines that blended perfectly with the rest of the band.
Bassist Michael Jared Followill favored stage left for the majority of the performance and seemed content, cool and mellow as he was seen slapping the bass guitar.
With the Kings Of Leon providing a creative soundtrack to the evening fans could be seen closing their eyes and letting their imagination take them wherever they wanted to go.
The average decibel levels ranged between 90-95db's and did peak at slightly over 100db's as the band began to play Sex On Fire which seemed to get the most response from fans.
The band came back for their encore and finished up with three songs including the popular tune Use Somebody which was also welcomed with great audience response.
Overall I was pleased with the performance as were most of the fans I talked to post show. I appreciated that the band didn't focus exclusively on tracks from Come Around Sun Down.
Though more recent commercial success may have changed the way some view the band I still appreciate them for what I knew of them and didn't feel right judging them as anything other than musicians.
Talented Musicians.
-Av
Twitter Timeline: http://twitter.com/aimlessandru
