“Comeback story of a lifetime” was projected on towering screens lighting up Austin City Limits Music Festival as Kings of Leon kicked off their weekend two headlining performance on Friday, and that’s exactly what was in store for this veteran rock band.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve been here. It’s good to be back,” frontman Caleb Followill told the buzzing ACL Fest crowd after opening the show with “Comeback Story,” a song from their 2013 album “Mechanical Bull” — which was released the same year they last played the festival.
Energized guitar licks were accompanied by a full live string section, an addition called “Strings of Leon,” which elevated tracks like “Back Down South” and a cover of George Strait’s hit song “Amarillo By Morning.” The band also played “My Whole World,” a new single off their upcoming album, “O My Beloved,” set for release Nov. 6.
The energy rose for the band’s biggest hits, “Use Somebody” and “Waste a Moment.” The 2008 anthem “Sex on Fire” saw fans dancing and spinning along the sloping hills, closing the night with a touch of wanderlust and the feeling that a “comeback story of a lifetime” was waiting for us all.