NEED TO KNOW
Caleb Followill is back onstage — with some assistance from Bruce Springsteen and Zach Bryan.
Months after suffering a “freak accident,” the Kings of Leon singer made a triumphant return to performing, appearing with the rock band three nights in a row at MetLife Stadium on July 18-20 while touring with Bryan, 29.
During their final show in East Rutherford on Sunday, July 20, Bryan brought Followill, 43, and The Boss out to perform a special rendition of Springsteen’s 1982 song “Atlantic City,” capping off a successful weekend back on the road.
Bryan introduced Followill as the “sweetest man I’ve ever met,” according to a fan video. He then welcomed “one of the greatest men to ever exist, a New Jersey native, Mr. Bruce Springsteen.” The crowd cheered on the surprise guest and chanted “BRUCE” for the 75-year-old icon as he hugged Bryan.
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This performance comes months after Followill had to put his tour on hiatus due to a major injury. On May 28, Followill announced that he shattered his heel and several Kings of Leon shows would be canceled as a result.
The band was meant to kick off this leg of 10 European shows in Paris on June 10 and conclude in Portugal the following month.
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“Unfortunately, I regret to inform you that those shows will have to be canceled due to a freak accident that happened the other day. Broke my foot pretty bad just playing with my kids,” he said in an Instagram video.
“It’s pretty gnarly. I’ll spare all the details but we’re fortunate enough to have some great doctors here in Nashville that gave me emergency surgery. And I’m on the mend, but they’ve told me that I can’t be on my feet or traveling or anything for the next eight weeks or so.”
“And that’s a big bummer, man. We were so excited,” added Followill.
“We had a lot of exciting things planned, and now we’re just gonna have to pivot and find a new way to continue the work that we’ve started,” he said of the band, made up of brothers Nathan and Jared and cousin Matthew Followill.
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“I’m very excited when we do get to show you the stuff that we’re doing, and in the meantime, we’re gonna do whatever work we can while I have these limitations.”
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While Followill continues his recovery, Kings of Leon will perform at Golden Gate Park in San Francisco in August before heading to Europe for shows in the UK, Norway and France into early September. The band returns to North America in late September.
Kings of Leon released their ninth studio album Can We Please Have Fun in 2024. It’s now available to stream.
