May 18, 2007, 7:03 am - travy24
I saw KOL at the Rave last year and, while they put on a great show, they seemed almost as if they were in a shell. There wasn't much band-crowd interaction, although the audience was really into the show. I saw them again at Summerfest last year where they balked at a setlist and enlightened the audience with as-yet-unheard new gems like "Fans." Last night I found myself at the Rave for my 3rd KOL show and it trumped the first two easily. I would give the first show a 4, second a 4.5, and this one a 5. Yes, Caleb was under the weather. Yes, it was still a great show. The Kings played rockers throughout and peppered the show with great new tunes from Because of the Times such as "Fans," "On Call," "Knocked Up," "Charmer," "Arizona," "My Party," "True Love Way," and an awesome rendition of "McFearless" during an extended encore. No letdown with older standards like "Trani," "Molly's Chambers," "Spiral Staircase," and a great rendition of "Slow Night, So Long" at the end of the encore that whipped the crowd into a frenzy. Caleb even opened up and spoke to the crowd a few times, which to me shows the band is coming into their own and growing comfortable with the stage and huge audiences. I do my best to get everyone I know to give these guys a chance because they blow everything else out there away. Anytime they set foot in Wisconsin I will be there.