Kings of Leon Pyro

At the week's end San Francisco's Golden Gate park will showcase a whole lot more than just buffalo. From between the trees, nooks and coves park goers will hear the welcoming calls of this year's Outside Lands (August 14th &15th) with headliners Kings of Leon and Further, amongst many bands slated to perform. Last week SFCritic took part in the event's official tele-press conference that featured singer Nathan Followill of Kings of Leon.

Since a pigeon's poop abruptly ended Kings of Leon's performance earlier last month (in St. Louis), it came as no surprise that the mess was the first topic to be addressed. In response to whether the group would go on stage with a shot-gun loaded, (suggestively against the festival's environmental agenda) Nathan quipped "We're actually working with a company for a pigeon repellent spray that we can use for future shows."

One of last year's headliners, Pearl Jam, had no problem with the birds. Noting that Pearl Jam are buddies of Kings of Leon, SFCritic asked if Eddie Vedder (singer of Pearl Jam) had given the group any advise on preparations for the festival. "We actually got to hang out with (Ed) in Seattle two weeks ago, but I think the booze got in in the way of any relevant conversations we could have had," Nathan replied.

Fortunately for Nathan, and festival goers there will be plenty of booze at Wine Land, the official tent featuring a slew of local wineries. A self-proclaimed "foodie and wino," one might find Nathan tasting one, two, three, or floor wines. "I think it's going to be tough for us to balance the music and the food and the wine. But I promise you I will definitely have purple teeth by the time I take the stage on our night." Nathan seemingly will follow in the footsteps of Brandon Boyd of Incubus, who last year performed at Outside Lands with a wine bottle in hand, stating it was a remedy for his maladies. But with wine flowing, and music blaring, anyone can be a rock star at Outside Lands.