KOL - Kings of Leon - Columbus, OH
Should we risk it? The rewards would be worth the trouble if the weather made it possible. "Work hard, play hard," my friend says.
100 miles away. 6 hours until it begins. Inches of snow accumulating in Cincinnati. Cancellations are happening. This just might be a good night!
My friend and I made the trip to see Caleb and Co., the Followill Bros. or what-have-you. We met up with some friends prior to the show at Lifestyles near the brewery district in downtown Columbus.
The Whigs opened up the show. A three piece unit out of Detroit I believe. Much enjoyment and prosperity is hopefully in their future as they filled their roll as a quality "warm-up" band.
KOL comes out, clean cut and casual as if they were unimpressed with the meager sold-out crowd that they used to get when they were virtually unknown. Now they have a pop hit, a following, and more than a few albums of work. They've traveled the planet, amassed huge supporters at festivals overseas, but still haven't gained the respect in the states that they think they are due at this point in their careers.
The hardest rock song from their latest album - Crawl - begins the show. I must have been expecting 10 foot high, David Lee Roth leg-kicks, pyrotechnics and naked showgirls off the get-go because I thought one of my favorite songs would have been amazing live. Nope. Just average for me. Did they slow it down? Am I not that big a fan? I was all jacked up looking to get my fill of KOL down-south-dirty-bluesy-rock. What happened?
I liken this feeling to meeting a girl that you've talked to on the phone, but have never met face-to-face. Maybe even a job interview, where the position sounds too good to be true. Excitment is swelling. First impression is solid. In reality, it's a little fake, pretentious, and border line annoying. Then I remember the old saying, "if it sounds too good to be true, then it probably is." She isn't that cute. The job is a glorified data entry job. Expectations, in reality, are false hopes of perfection.
Don't get me wrong. I still remain a big supporter of KOL. A little let down though.
The rest of the show was fun and very respectable. I'm not a tough critic. I see the glass-half-full. Closer and Cold Desert were fantastic as well as many oldies but goodies they played within their 22 song set. $45 for tix. Alright, maybe a bit pricey, but overall, glad to see them doing well. As long as the frontman stops calling the crowd "you people."
The Other Paper Review
BTW - the pic represents what I was expecting, even though I knew what I was getting. I gotta quit lying to myself.
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