Kings of Leon plant flag for rock at TD Garden
Here’s a complete list of rock artists founded in the new millennium who have headlined TD Garden: Coldplay, the Black Keys, the Killers, Maroon 5, Linkin Park, Avett Brothers, Imagine Dragons, Mumford & Sons and Kings of Leon.
The list is pathetic for a few reasons.
Coldplay and Linkin Park both sneaked onto the list by releasing debuts in 2000. Coldplay’s and Maroon 5’s designation as “rock” can be considered dubious. Few of these headliners have catalogs that can compete with their influences. The Black Keys are no Rolling Stones, Imagine Dragons are no Radiohead, Coldplay is no U2. (Sorry to trash Coldplay repeatedly, but these statements are true.)
But the saddest thing about the list is how short it is.
On Friday, Kings of Leon become the first modern millennium rock band to headline TD Garden in 2017. There’s a decent chance they will be the only contemporary band to play the arena in 2017. Right now, the Garden’s calendar is filled with the expected mix of pop (Ariana Grande), country (Eric Church) and aging icons (Tom Petty, Red Hot Chili Peppers, Roger Waters).
Rock isn’t dead — awesome acts still fill clubs. But at the mainstream level, it’s become the walking dead. Heritage acts, many of whom haven’t made new albums in decades, crowd out up-and-comers. (Think of such recent stadium headliners as The Who, Paul McCartney, Bruce Springsteen and Guns N’ Roses.) It’s time to admit old-timers can’t always compete with younger bands.
Kings of Leon often take a beating, but the group’s latest album, October’s “Walls,” features more angst, energy and emotion than anything Springsteen has released recently. While McCartney is an indelible genius we’ll listen to for generations, his live show lacks the punch, the compulsory hint of danger, you get from Kings of Leon.
Oh, sure, “Walls” doesn’t have that cool Strokes-goneSouthern-rock thing that made the band’s first couple of albums feel like a rock ’n’ roll rebirth. But ultimately, the guys are a force for good in the genre.
The quartet’s breakthrough single, “Sex on Fire,” moans with urgency and blooms with a mighty crescendo. Back in 2008, when it became a sensation, the closest thing to a rock radio hit was Buckcherry’s “Sorry.”
Whatever you think of Kings of Leon, if you care at all about rock, you must do everything you can to promote “Sex on Fire” over the miserable piece of schlock that is “Sorry.”
Kings of Leon should be thanked for dragging Top 40’s ears toward more dynamic sounds. They should be celebrated as a gateway drug to more vital music: Jason Isbell, Kingsley Flood, Ballroom Thieves. A kid who falls in love with “Use Somebody” isn’t far from discovering “The Joshua Tree,” “The Bends” or Spoon.
This agenda of furthering the genre isn’t theoretical. Classic indie acts and upstart bands have benefited from Kings of Leon taking them out on tour. These opening slots can be a rare chance for unappreciated masters to play an arena (see Built to Spill, the Walkmen) or they can push young artists toward their own headlining gigs in arenas (see the Black Keys, Gary Clark Jr.).
If we want rock to thrive, it needs to thrive at all levels. It needs to pack basement shows, club gigs, concerts at theaters and spectacles at TD Garden. I have faith Kings of Leon can help make that happen. I also have faith the band has one more awesome album in them.
Kings of Leon, with Deerhunter, at TD Garden, Friday. Tickets: $30-$65; ticketmaster.com.