Minutes before their headlining set at Pilgrimage Music and Cultural Festival was scheduled to begin, Kings of Leon took the Midnight Sun main stage at Franklin, Tennessee’s Harlinsdale Farm.
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The Followills—brothers Caleb, Nathan, and Jared, and their cousin, Matthew—got their 90-minute set going with their 2013 track, “Supersoaker.”
Not long after, frontman Caleb alerted security and medical personal to an issue near the front of the stage, telling the people involved, “I hope everyone’s alright.”
While it’s unclear how that particular situation found its conclusion, it wasn’t the only such issue during the performance. At least two times, officials helped separate individuals in the crowd, pulling one away on a stretcher, and carrying the other over to a medical cart.
Unlike the first instance, Kings of Leon didn’t seem to notice the situation. As such, their show, which was full of colorful lights and backed by the screaming glee of thousands of fans, continued as planned.
Kings of Leon’s Hometown Show
Throughout their set, the band played some of their biggest songs from their two-decade-plus catalogue. Fans got particular enjoyment from 2008 songs “Use Somebody” and “Revelry,” as well as 2007 track “On Call,” and their 2024 release, “Mustang.”
“This show is living up to the hype,” Caleb remarked at one point.
In between songs, a running theme of the night became clear—the importance of home. Members Kings of Leon grew up on-and-off Tennessee, even founding their band in Mt. Juliet, which is less than an hour’s drive from the festival’s grounds.
Because of that, the guys had lots of friends and family in the crowd. Caleb shouted out all the loved ones present at least three separate times.
“A lot of people who’ve been here with us since we started in this town,” he said. “It’s always good to come back home and play to the ones we love.”
It’s not just the people at home they love, but the area itself too. While introducing”Back Down South,” Caleb told the crowd that the 2010 song “reminds us we have some place to come home to.”
Kings of Leon closed out the show with their 2008 hit, “Sex on Fire.” The crowd could not have been more thrilled to hear the tune, and Kings of Leon could feel that energy.
Before leaving the stage, Caleb showed his appreciation by screaming out, “Thank you, Pilgrimage!”
Photos by John Shearer/Getty Images for Pilgrimage Music & Cultural Festival
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