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Kings of Leon to play Sports Illustrated event

Sports Illustrated is getting ready to celebrate the launch of its 2015 swimsuit issue in February 2015 with a first-ever, two-day event in downtown Nashville.  And here's the kicker – it will include a headline performance by Kings of Leon. 

Sports Illustrated partnered with the Nashville Convention & Visitors Corp. to plan what it says will be two days of fan events and musical performances on Lower Broadway currently scheduled for Feb. 11 and 12.  Tents will be set up with food to go along with the various musical performances.  The models from the Sports Illustrated swimsuit edition are also slated to be in attendance. 

As for their part in the festivities?  Kings of Leon and Mikky Ekko will play what is being called a limited-ticket engagement on Feb. 11 at the Schermerhorn Symphony Center.  There will also be a ticketed package on Feb. 12, which will include an event at Acme Feed & Seed to showcase Nashville restaurants. 

Sports Illustrated Publisher Brendan Ripp said, "We wanted to partner with a town that wanted to help us build the most consumer-facing brand in swimsuit.  Nashville is just a great town.  It's a sports town, it's a music town, it's a college town and it's a fun town.  We're bringing the swimsuit franchise to fans of Sports Illustrated." 

The 2015 swimsuit edition will be released Feb. 9.  The issue reaches more than 70 million people worldwide. 

The upcoming event will be a high profile gig for the band after its Mechanical Bull world tour was disrupted in 2014.  They were forced to cancel a number of shows after Nathan Followill sustained injuries in a bus accident.  Followill was hurt when a pedestrian reportedly jumped in front of the band's tour bus during their North American run.  He sustained broken ribs during the resulting emergency stop. 

Kings of Leon ride the "Mechanical Bull" (Updated 1/19/14)

The last time we talked about Kings of Leon, the band was getting ready to work on its sixth studio album.  That project, "Mechanical Bull," was released on September 24, 2013 behind the lead single "Supersoaker." 

As it turns out, "Supersoaker" was the perfect summer song when it rolled out back in July of last year.  It was followed by the release of the second single titled "Wait for Me," on August 6.  Then, during the Heineken Open'er Festival 2013, Kings of Leon performed "Don't Matter," another new track from the album.  That trio definitely gave fans a sneak peek of the music to come long before they ever took a ride on the "Mechanical Bull." 

With the album release now behind them, Kings of Leon – Caleb, Jared, Nathan, plus their cousin Matthew Followill – moved on to their next project.  Their song "Last Mile Home" is featured on the soundtrack for the film "August: Osage County," which is based on the Pulitzer Prize-winning play by Tracy Letts and stars an All-Star cast including Meryl Streep, Julia Roerts, Margot Martindale, Chris Cooper, Benedict Cumberbatch, Juliette Lewis, Julianne Nicholson, Ewan McGregor, Dermot Mulroney, Abigail Breslin and Sam Shepard. 

Kings of Leon also recently performed on NBC stalwart "Saturday Night Live," and kick off their 2014 tour in February.  Some early dates include stops in Atlanta, Nashville, Louisville and Detroit.  The guys have also confirmed they'll stop at Chula Vista's Sleep Train Amphitheatre for a March 22 concert, with Local Natives opening the show. 

Kings of Leon rule the day and 'Night' (Updated November 20, 2012)

The turn of the century was particularly kind to Kings of Leon, which used musical diversity to impress a much wider audience.  The group released three albums between 2003-2007, but it was 2008's "Only by the Night" which sent the popularity of the band soaring. 

A multi-platinum project, "Only by the Night" debuted in the Top 5 on the Billboard Top 200 chart, went to No.  1 in five countries and has sold more than 6.5 million copies worldwide.  The lead single, "Sex on Fire," was followed by the smash "Use Somebody," which became the band's first top 10 hit in the U.S. The album was nominated for Best Rock Album at the 51st Grammy Awards, where the band earned four trophies overall, including a win for Record of the Year. 

The popularity of Kings of Leon was surreal at this point, as the band appeared on the cover of Rolling Stone magazine, performed on NBC's Saturday Night Live and headlined Bonnaroo, Lollapalooza and Austin City Limits. 

The band's fifth album, "Come Around Sundown," was released in late 2010 and was supported by a tour which included more than 50 stops in North America and Europe.  The end of the U.S. leg was canceled after Caleb appeared heavily intoxicated in Dallas, Texas and disappeared from the stage.  On October 31, 2011 the band announced a hiatus, though Jared tweeted on August 23, 2012 that Kings of Leon would be 'working on album 6 very soon.' 

About Kings of Leon

This quirky, funky, folksy and refreshingly original and acclaimed Alt/Country Rock "Band of Brothers", Kings of Leon, began sharing their uplifting brand of cerebral Rock-n-Roll mixed with a touch of country in 1999 and continue to grow, explore and expand their music.  The band consists of brothers Caleb, Nathan, Jared Followill, along with first cousin Mathew.  It has been a musical journey that's taken them around the world and then back to their musical roots in Tennessee.  With several studio albums to their credit, the band retains a refreshingly upbeat presence in their electric live performances and continues to delight fans across the globe.  Get Kings of Leon tickets to watch this band live in concert. 

Summerfest with Kings of Leon at Marcus Amphitheater on 06-25-2015FROM $73

News

November 22, 2014

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