It's almost part of the fabric of arena-sized shows nowadays that guest appearances be built in, thanks to The Rolling Stones, Arcade Fire and a litany of other groups that have brought unlisted acts along with them for individual shows. The most recent instance was during the Kings of Leon's Hollywood Bowl show in Los Angeles when the group brought out Coldplay vocalist Chris Martin toward the end of the set.
The act was part of Leon's current tradition of playing one song from its discography exclusively for each stop.
"We don't play piano," said Caleb Followill, finally acknowledging the yet-unused Yamaha stand-up piano gracing the stage. "So we brought Chris Martin."
The performer came on to help out with the Kings of Leon's 2003 track "Talihina Sky" and stuck around for "Notion." Those more interested in the celebrity-news aspect of the performance will be happy to know that Martin's rumored beau Jennifer Lawrence was also in attendance.
"I hope you enjoyed that," Followill told the crowd post-Martin. "It cost us a lot of money."
The show was the last of the Mechanical Bull tour and The Hollywood Reporter indicated that the group seemed beaten down from the road, writing that the band "sometimes find themselves slipping too far towards (posturing)" but described the surprise arrival of Martin to be "one of the show's most genuine moments."
The Kings of Leon are done for the time being, so maybe they can draw from the positive reactions to its guest and plan on inviting more performers next time around.
