Kings of Leon Fire Up Cruzan Amphitheatre

Kings of Leon used to complain that they got to play arenas only when they were overseas at big festival dates — even if each album released since 2004's Aha Shake Heartbreak inched the band closer to full-on American rock stardom. But thanks to 2008's Only by the Night, Kings...

By Shae Moseley

September 16, 2010

[
        {
          "name": "GPT - Billboard - Slot Inline - Content - Labeled - No Desktop",
          "component": "16971022",
          "insertPoint": "2",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "2"
        },{
          "name": "Editor Picks",
          "component": "15769925",
          "insertPoint": "4",
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "1"
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Rectangle 2x - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782206",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 8,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "7",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "Inline Links",
          "component": "16575154",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        },{
          "name": "GPT - Leaderboard to Tower - Slot Auto-select - Labeled",
          "component": "15782207",
          "insertPoint": "8th",
          "startingPoint": 12,
          "requiredCountToDisplay": "11",
          "maxInsertions": 25
        }
      ]

Kings of Leon used to complain that they got to play arenas only when they were overseas at big festival dates — even if each album released since 2004's Aha Shake Heartbreak inched the band closer to full-on American rock stardom. But thanks to 2008's Only by the Night, Kings of Leon are now living every band's dream and playing sweaty sheds such as Cruzan Amphitheatre all summer long. Still, the songs the Followill boys write have remained surprisingly substantive; they just have more reverb now. Night has plenty of radio-ready slickness but retains Caleb Followill's desperate, throaty wails and anthemic choruses.

Barring a large showing by the pigeon population, the Kings should have nothing to complain about Friday with two excellent openers in blues revivalists the Black Keys and garage rockers the Whigs.

KEEP NEW TIMES FREE... Since we started New Times, it has been defined as the free, independent voice of South Florida, and we'd like to keep it that way. Your membership allows us to continue offering readers access to our incisive coverage of local news, food, and culture with no paywalls. You can support us by joining as a member for as little as $1.