All Points West '08 Recap: Saturday

Kings of Leon's Matthew Followill / Photo by Shawna Adams

Brothers Bonding at the Blue Comet Stage
The main stage on Saturday turned into somewhat of a family affair with bands prominently featuring sets of brothers. First up: the Followills, aka Kings of Leon. On a propulsive take on "Crawl," from their forthcoming LP, Only By the Night, Caleb Followill sounded more clear and confident than ever, later letting his voice bring new life to even the lowest-key Southern dirt-road selections from his band's debut, Youth and Young Manhood. During the three spare opportunities where new songs were played, the quartet's energy completely soared beyond anything seen before. Love them, loathe them, or stare at them awestruck for fitting into those tiny pants, Kings of Leon continue to ascend into American rock's royal family.

As for Radiohead, when it comes to family, Colin and Jonny Greenwood's brotherhood is confirmed based on looks alone. But when it comes to completing the entire sound and aura of their band, it's evident Jonny has got to be from another planet. He can rip on electric guitar like a teenager in a garage, then tinker with a xylophone to bring lightness to the dark, or pound hard enough on percussion to shake you in your sleep. It's amazing to witness firsthand, his versatility confirming his role as Radiohead's Lucious Fox to Thom Yorke's Dark Knight. Greenwood's contributions to a collective set of perfection -- one that definitely surpassed Friday's show -- were something to behold, all hype aside.

Some of the second night's best moments had to have been reveling in red and blue flouresence in front of Lady Liberty herself during "The National Anthem," the swarming and unpredictable spiral that grew out of "Kid A," Yorke awakening the angels somewhere while singing "Nude," a sold-out crowd awashed in complete and total silence during "Exit Music (For a Film)," and a one-two punch finale of soaring alt-rock transitioning into robotic dance rhythms found in "Planet Telex" and "Idioteque."

Read Friday's coverage of All Points West here.
Check out pictures from All Points West.