Kings of Leon & Phantogram at State Farm Arena [Photos]

This week, Kings of Leon and Phantogram took the stage in the State Farm Arena here in Atlanta, delivering rousing sets to thousands of fans. Kings of Leon just put out their very good new record, Can We Please Have Fun, in May but brought a career-spanning setlist to Georgia on Wednesday night, including “Waste a Moment,” “Pyro” and, of course, “Use Somebody.” They also tackled some tracks from the new LP, songs they didn’t record “because of label pressure, in search of a quick payout or to impress anyone.” “It’s obvious that they made Can We Please Have Fun with only one thing in mind: creating for the thrill of it. And as is the case with any piece of art that anyone—or you yourself— sets loose into the world, it’s only as serious as you take it,” Paste critic Ellen Johnson declared.

In her review of Can We Please Have Fun, Johnson also wrote that “Kings of Leon aren’t outright making fun of their cultural perception over the last decade or so, they are at least aware of it.” She expands on that idea, declaring that “as the album’s title suggests, they are unbothered by what naysayers or reformed haters might think and are far more concerned with the pure energy of their own output. The band is not the embarrassment so many music snobs want them to be. They’ve been here through decades of shifting pop culture and musical tastes, and they still have a singular style.”

Check out our photos from the show, captured by our pal Donny Evans, below.

Phantogram

Kings of Leon