Nashville-based rock band Kings of Leon brought the North American leg of their Can We Please Have Fun World Tour to a sold out crowd at the Arizona Financial Theater on August 20, 2024. The band headlined the bill with support from Phantogram. Kings of Leon is currently touring in promotion of their new album, Can We Please Have Fun.
The Phoenix crowd turned up early, with nearly every seat filled by the time the electro-pop duo Phantogram took the stage, joined by two other touring musicians. The duo kicked off their set with “Don’t Move”, a track off of their 2011 Nightlife EP. Although the lyrics of the song were “Keep your body still”, the crowd was on their feet dancing. The set lighting remained mostly dark with flashing spotlights, the air was hazy, and the bass was booming, which made for a moody, underground club-like feel. The audience bopped their heads along as the duo played through tracks both new and old, including new single “Happy Again” off of their upcoming album Memory of a Day, set to release on October 18. Singer Sarah Barthel noted they had only debuted the song live the night before and that it was a song that meant a lot to her. Josh Carter stopped the song shortly after it began due to his guitar being out of tune, and Barthel noted that it’s “important for bands to show you that they’re actually playing”. The replay of the song went off without a hitch, and the new tune was well received by the crowd. The duo closed out their set with favorites “Black Out Days” and “When I’m Small”, which sufficiently had the crowd hyped and ready for Kings of Leon to take the stage.
Setlist: Don’t Move/ Fall in Love/ All a Mystery/ Run Run Blood/ Pedestal/ Mister Impossible/ Happy Again/ Answer/ Black Out Days/ When I’m Small
Brothers Caleb, Jared, and Nathan Followill, along with cousin Matthew Followill, and touring musicians Liam O’Neil and Timothy Deaux, entered the room and sent the crowd into a frenzy, kicking off their set with “Ballerina Radio”, the opening track off of their recently released album Can We Please Have Fun. The audience was treated to a two-hour-long set consisting of 27 songs spanning their extensive discography. The set was also visually stunning. Large, arched screens flanked the stage, displaying various images, videos of the band, song lyrics, and song titles, while a massive LED panel hung behind the band, depicting similar content. The colors used throughout the displays often had a psychedelic feel. During “Razz” and for several songs to follow, multiple camera operators appeared in front of the members of the band. The screens surrounding the stage displayed the live footage from their cameras, which included up-close and personal views of the members, as well as close-ups of their instruments. These were filmed with constant movements from the operator's hands, which created a bit of a chaotic feel.
Midway through the set, lead vocalist Caleb Followill introduced “Song for the City," which he explained was the time of the night in which they would play a song that would not reappear on the setlist for any other city on the tour. For Phoenix, that song was “Slow Night, So Long”, which was performed flawlessly despite not having been rehearsed.
Throughout the night, Caleb worked the stage, making sure to play songs from each side of the crowd, and interacted with audience members, reading signs, and sharing personal anecdotes. Beach balls were released into the crowd near the end of the set, adding to an already energized atmosphere. The band closed out the night with fan favorite “Use Somebody,” and there is no question—fun was had by all.
The North American leg of the Can We Please Have Fun World Tour is just getting started. You can catch Kings of Leon on tour with Phantogram through October 7, when the band closes out the tour at the MGM Music Hall at Fenway in Boston, MA.
Setlist: Ballerina Radio/ The Bucket/ Waste a Moment/ On Call/ Manhattan/ Actual Daydream/ Razz/ My Party/ Sex on Fire/ Revelry/ Beautiful War/ Nowhere to Run/ Pyro/ Slow Night, So Long/ Mustang/ Molly’s Chambers/ Milk/ M Television/ Back Down South/ Split Screen/ The Bandit/ Find Me/ Closer/ Seen/ ENCORE: Rainbow Ball/ Knocked Up/ Use Somebody
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