4 out of 5 stars
“I thought I would be painting houses my whole life, just drinking and writing music. And then we put a band together and we fucking took over the world,” Kings of Leon’s Caleb Followill shouted to the crowd at Scotiabank Place on Sept. 17.
And while they may not have taken over the world, that night they certainly took over Ottawa.
The concert was kick-started with a solid performance from opening act Glasvegas, a band from Glasgow, Scotland whose combination of heavy guitar and rough, but melodic vocals, had fans screaming along during songs like “Geraldine” and “Daddy’s Gone.”
Kings of Leon kept the energy alive as they opened with “Closer.” With cigarettes dangling casually from their mouths as they strummed rapidly on their guitars, they sent a clear message to the euphoric audience: We are rock stars.
The Kings kept things simple on stage, using some lights and screen but letting their music carry the concert. The band played mostly music from the most recent and well known album Only by the Night, including top hits “Use Somebody” and “Sex on Fire,” but gave long-time fans a treat with old favourites like “Genius” and “Taper Jean Girl.”
Despite a few fumbles that were almost uncatchable to the audience, the band played a tight set with lots of energy and the crowd responded with lots of love, standing and chanting for 10 minutes waiting for an encore.
And the Kings were happy to oblige, as they were for the entire evening.