Notes

Canvas by the Kings of Leon
There's been kingsofleonmerch to adjust to for Kings of Leon as they return to their home country after long absence. They're getting back together with their first bandmates, returning back to the US after a decade on tours, and playing their first shows in NZ for the past 13 years. It's a significant change for the Nashville four-piece however it shouldn't deter them from keeping their fans happy.


Their latest album, When You See Yourself will be released this week and marks their first album in a while that's not just rock and roll. Rather it's an album that's set between arena-quality pop songs and studio-intimate ballads, and reveals a band that has more to say than just the usual bravado and bluster.


The track "When You See Yourself hints at what a successful Kings of Leon record could be like in 2021. The opening track "When You See Yourself, Are You Far Away", is lively with pinging polyrhythms and suggests that they could have found the road that has been empty for so long.


On other tracks, they band throw down a raft of innovative ideas. The band has a brand new vocoder that is wave-adjacent on My Party, a rocky reggae-infused version of Raggo and desert landscapes with heat-haze recommended by Trunk.


It's hard to believe that the Nashville group could be so well-known to such a diverse crowd in Auckland the night before if it weren't for their hit single Sex on Fire. The 12,000-strong crowd of spectators clapped and moved to the songs, while they played to the beat and let their good-time singing take over the stage.


While the setlist featured several of their most popular hits, like Use Somebody and Bucket it was their encore which got everyone moving. They concluded their set with the massive anthems that sing-along that've become their trademark, and had the crowd singing until the end.


It's been a long time since we've seen Kings of Leon in NZ and they certainly have made up for it by bringing their show to Spark Arena last night. They didn't disappoint.


Despite the fact that they were performing on only four hours of sleep, they still able to put on an impressive performance. While they didn't last for too long however, their wit and riffs were as strong as ever.



The whole crowd was dancing to Sex on Fire. It's rare for a song to can have this kind of effect on a band, however, it definitely did for Kings of Leon.


Between the hits, they played a couple of the songs that were acoustic, as well as an original cover of Counting Crows' I Still Believe in You. They were a huge success with the crowd and their closing set was concluded with an enthusiastic rendition of "Closer" by the crowd.


This music will make you see why fans are eagerly awaiting the group's return to NZ. It's a great opportunity to celebrate the band's success with their faithful supporters.

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