Kings Of Leon Turn Madison Square Garden 'Radioactive'

NEW YORK — With red smoke, a clean, metallic set and a crowd as varied as their albums, the Kings of Leon launched into a 22-song set at Madison Square Garden Tuesday night with "Mary," a song from their new album, Come Around Sundown.

The Kings then took a very full (thought not quite sold-out) crowd on a two-song trip back to earlier times with "Crawl" and "Molly's Chambers" before crooning this summer's single, "Radioactive," a song that sounds perfect for in the arena. From there, they continued to weave the best of their raw beginnings, sing-a-long hits from the hugely successful Only by the Night and new tracks from Sundown.

The crowd was a mix of 30-something professionals, 20-something drinkers and the occasional flannel, and KOL's song choices was made to please every variation of fan. While some commuters filtered out before the show's end, most stayed on until the very end.

After recording their album in New York City, the boys from Tennessee declared the Garden their new home court.

"The first time we played here, we were the opening band. It feels good not to be the opening band tonight," frontman Caleb Followill told the crowd. "Now that we've spent more time in this beautiful city, it means a lot more to us."

The Followill brothers and cousin took a couple minutes to announce a couple of very special guests: their moms.

"Just want to say how wonderful it is to have our moms here tonight — the two prettiest women in the world," Caleb announced before playing the fittingly titled "Back Down South."

KOL wrapped the show with "Use Somebody," inspiring the crowd to use their best shower-singing voices and sway like they were at a seventh-grade dance. But the energy was turned up again for the encore — "Be Somebody," "Sex on Fire" and "Black Thumbnail" — when the band said goodbye with a pyrotechnics show.

Have you seen Kings of Leon on tour lately? Share your show reports in the comments.