Throughout most of Saturday, a blanket of grey clouds cast a shadow over Marlay Park in Dublin, punctuated briefly by unexpected spurts of warm sunshine. This was still a far cry from the warmth of Nashville, the place that the main act of the evening, Kings of Leon, call home. Known for their live performances at large arenas and outdoor gigs, the former Oxegen headliners enjoyed a generally favourable response when they released their latest album, ‘Can We Please Have Fun’, in May.
Cork-based band Cardinals initiated the evening’s performances, captivating the audience with the melodious accordion line and well-penned lyrics of Roseland. Despite a guitar string break, lead singer Euan Manning didn’t miss a beat. Keep a watchful eye on Cardinals as they have cleverly used this superior support slot to establish themselves as an act to anticipate in the future.
Following Cardinals’ Pogues-inspired tempestuous performance, The War On Drugs stepped into the limelight. The synth rock group from Philadelphia showed that their previous night’s headlining show in Belfast had kept them in invigorated spirits. Adam Granduciel, the band’s leader, expressed his admiration for the stunning evening before they ushered in ‘Under The Pressure’. The hypnotising keyboard melody and the fluctuating saxophone riff, served as perfect complements to the ambience of the warm, outdoor, summer concert.
As the intermission ended, the grand stage screens lit up with a close-up of a cassette sliding into a player. In response, the Kings of Leon ignited the evening with ‘Ballerina Radio’. As the large audience was gradually shedding their inhibitions, it was ‘The Bucket’, the band’s catchiest song, which truly got them in the groove. The refined musical skills of the band were obvious from the beginning, each musician appearing effortlessly adept at their instrument. This was particularly striking when drummer Nathan Followill was seen nonchalantly blowing bubbles with his gum during the song’s verses as well as over the majority of the two-hour performance.
Having performed ‘Taper Jean Girl’, lead singer Caleb Followill felt the need to apologise for the impacted quality of his voice, due to some allergies. Expressing his feelings about his own vocal performance, he quipped, “My voice sounds like rubbish … but we can all sound like rubbish together.”
Being alert and paying careful attention were crucial to discerning the slight diversion from their standard presentation for the show. The general mood among attendees varied with each song. The crowd, however, was really drawn back in when they performed ‘Sex On Fire’. This hugely overplayed radio hit still remains a must-hear live performance for everyone, at least once.
Followill conveyed his appreciation for the crowd’s love and assured them that he had no intentions of abbreviating the show, despite his noticeable allergies.
A few raindrops added to the atmosphere as they performed ‘Pyro’, a crowd favourite accompanied by visually stunning stage graphics. Followill then indirectly mentioned the concert location during the opening line of ‘Mustang’, another popular track from their latest album. He expressed, “We’re always thrilled about performing in Ireland.”
The band’s momentous pause in the middle of ‘Nowhere To Run’, to aid a fallen audience member was remarkable and demonstrated Followill’s sense of responsibility as a band leader.
Followill expressed his excitement to return to the stage with another performance for the audience. He mentioned, “I’m itching to return and give you all another performance. I’m grateful for your endurance through this journey.”
Their set ended with an encore of ‘Waste A Moment’ and ‘Use Somebody’, where the audience responded with the night’s most poignant and passionate singing.
Generally, the crowd could barely find anything to grumble about after witnessing their comprehensive set of tracks, new and old. The night had left the audience highly satisfied as they headed home, humming some of the most notable hits in contemporary rock.