Kings Of Leon Get 'Radioactive' On EMA Stage

MADRID — On the red carpet, mere minutes before the show kicked off, the Kings of Leon promised that their 2010 MTV Europe Music Awards performance would probably be the first time they played "Radioactive" on this scale. And in a way the song felt both epic and intimate, if that's what they meant.

The group hit the stage, filling the giant scale of the room with their rockness. They didn't miss a note as third big act of the night, following up Shakira's hip-shaking performance and 30 Seconds to Mars' collaboration with Kanye West at the preshow.

With nothing but a few spotlights on them, Caleb Followill and his band brought some good old American Southern hospitality to the show. The guys were up for two awards at the big show, including Best Live Act and Best Video, but they didn't show any nerves as they let their song speak for itself during their performance.

The song's general rocking capabilities made the performance epic, but at the same time, the sparse lighting gave it the intimacy of a club gig, despite the fact that they were playing the Caja Magica for an awards show.

Perhaps there were no evident show-night jitters because the Kings of Leon didn't think they had any chance of winning. "I think our chances are slim to more than slim," KOL frontman Followill laughed.

"And slim just left," drummer (and brother) Nathan added. "So we're not going to win at all."

The 2010 EMAs air on MTV2 on Sunday (November 7) at 9 p.m. ET, and an edited, performance-heavy version will be broadcast Friday at 9 p.m. ET on MTV.