Kings of Leon return to Blossom Music Center for the first time in years! The band was last seen in Northeast Ohio in Cleveland at the NFL draft earlier this year (April, to be precise), making them one of the first musical acts to come to the region following “the summer that wasn’t.”
The Followill family, composed of Caleb, Jacob, Matthew, and Nathan, are hitting the road in support of their March 2021 release, ‘When You See Yourself,’ which peaked at No. 2 on the US charts.
AllMusic’s Stephen Thomas Erlewine described the album “as a continuation of Walls” in a positive review, commenting that “the moody stateliness of When You See Yourself showcases their knack for building melodrama.”
Robin Murray of Clash praised the record for containing the band’s “most tender and honest songwriting for a decade” and giving its fans “a certain intimacy” when they listen to it, writing that, “Subtle in its evolution, Kings Of Leon treat ‘When You See Yourself’ as a means to re-engage with their early bite, yet remain unwilling to cede their place at rock’s top table.
The band became the first to sell a newly-released album in the form of a non-fungible token, a type of cryptocurrency that contains unique assets such as music and art. The release came in the form of three different types of tokens for three separate packages in a series called “NFT Yourself”. They contained a special album package, a live show package, and an audiovisual package. The tokens were developed and hosted by YellowHeart, a ticketing platform employing blockchain technology.
(Here at CleveRock, we are still puzzled by what in the actual F*** a non-fungible token is!)
KOL has sold over 20 million albums and nearly 40 million singles worldwide. The multi-platinum selling band has had five singles on the Billboard Hot 100 chart, all seven of their studio albums on Billboard’s Top 200 list and two singles that reached #1 on Modern Rock radio. With the release of ‘WALLS,’ (2016) the band garnered their first-ever number one album debut on the Billboard Top 200. In addition, they have had eight Grammy Nominations, three Grammy Award wins, three NME Awards, two Brit Awards, and one Juno Award. They have toured all over the world, playing at top venues and headlining major festivals such as Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza, Austin City Limits, and Glastonbury.
The band is best known for their smash radio hits “Sex On Fire,” “Use Somebody,” “Radioactive,” “Waste A Moment,” “Closer,” as well as deep tracks “Cold Desert” and “Be Somebody.”
Direct support act Cold War Kids are touring in support of their New Age Norms trilogy. The first record, ‘New Age Norms 1‘ was released in 2019, followed up ‘New Age Norms 2’ in 2020, and the forthcoming ‘New Age Norms 3’ is set to drop in September 2021.
AllMusic’s Heather Phares cites Bob Dylan, Billie Holiday, Jeff Buckley, and The Velvet Underground as influences for the band’s blues rock-influenced indie rock sound. The band has identified other major influences as Fiona Apple, Nick Cave, Led Zeppelin, Radiohead, The Smiths, U2, and Tom Waits.
Ticket info
Reserved pavilion seats are priced at $110.50, $90, 50, $70.50 or $50.50. General admission lawn tix are $27 each. Prices subject to additional fees. Tix can be purchased in person at the Blossom Music Center box office or online, below:
