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Had you told me in 2005 that the Kings of Leon were headlining the Marcus Amphitheater, I would’ve been more than a little excited. Shocked, too, even.

Because that was the year I first saw the brothers/cousins Followill at The Rave, and it was a face-melting performance – just so few people in Milwaukee were really into this band that had no airplay at the time. In 2005, they were promoting their second album, "Aha Shake Heartbreak," which felt just as transcendent as KOL’s debut record, "Youth and Young Manhood." I was transfixed.

I thought the Kings Of Leon were supposed to save rock music. When I saw them for a second time at Summerfest in 2006, this time at the Miller Lite Oasis, something felt different, wrong. KOL seemed slow. Plaintive. Glam. Quiet? Turns out that was the direction this band would head in, and it’s what made them extremely popular. I, however, stopped buying their records.

(PHOTO: Andy Tarnoff)

But I came into tonight’s show with an open mind and was rewarded with a little old Kings, lulled by a lot of new Leon. It felt good at times, though droning starting around the 45 minute mark. The less-than-full crowd clearly had no issues, singing along happily, even to "On Call," that never ending song. Who am I to judge?

They played one of my favorite KOL songs, "Taper Jean Girl," as their second tune, and it sounded great. Caleb, sporting a cardigan and mustache – not a beard – looked less glam than last time. More Rivers Cuomo nerdy, even; I liked it. Drummer Nathan was wearing a Harley tank top. Nice touch.

(PHOTO: Andy Tarnoff)

Speaking of visuals, that taper jean girl with the motel face came to life behind the band with old school kissy lips, nudie girls and crucifix neon animation, giving way to some microscopic blue and fractal gold imagery and other beautiful scenes to accompany the beat. Whatever the music did or didn’t sound like, it was one of the more gorgeous presentations I’ve seen at Summerfest. Would the actual, late Leon be proud?

"This is our first concert in about four months," said Caleb, looking at least mildly amused to be here before launching into "The Bucket."

If you haven’t already gathered this, I wasn’t at all times blown away tonight, yet never really disappointed, either. Though their newer catalog doesn’t move me personally, I knew what I was getting into: fans lapped up these late-model tunes that turned the guys from the bizarre love children of Led Zeppelin and Lynyrd Skynyrd into a crossover radio dynamo. For every "Taper Jean Girl," there’s an overplayed "Sex on Fire" tarting up the radio and/or Guitar Hero – that’s the way fame works. Even the still-spectacular "Molly’s Chambers" wound up in a Volkswagen commercial, right? I mean, "Radioactive" tonight sounded like an American version of U2. It makes sense.

(PHOTO: David Bernacchi)

And that’s cool. I always wanted the best for the Followills, even after I felt like their secret was out. The Amp is really an ideal venue for how this band’s sound has evolved. Yeah "Molly’s Chambers" maybe sounded better in a little club like the Rave, but "Use Somebody" sure did echo right in the sea of sound and its swaying fans. Same with "Radioactive."

This kind of music just feels like Summerfest.

After all, this is a band meant to be seen live. I could watch Jared Followill tame that bass guitar forever (the band played a weird, overly bassy "Molly's Chambers" and "Sex On Fire," not that I’m complaining). On the records, his brother, Caleb, sometimes sounds like a character in an Adam Sandler movie, but you can’t deny his stage presence – he sounds clear when he's in person. The guy behind me, anyway, thought so; he was broadcasting it live on Periscope (is that legal?). Maybe I’m a sucker for flashing lights, but I found it an interesting and cool sight, too, when Caleb asked the audience to bust out their lighters and cell phone flashes.

(PHOTO: Andy Tarnoff)

Performance wise, the band sounded perfect throughout, except for some timing flubs in "Use Somebody." (Spoiler: no one cared.)

So, while my personal, imaginary, time-traveling KOL show would've been restricted to those first two records, as their newer songs go, I was still happy to hear some serious shredding during "Black Thumbnail" in the middle of their three-song encore. I wish they would’ve played "Pistol of Fire" or "King of the Radio" or "Holy Roller Novocaine," but it’s not in 2003 or 2005 – it’s 2015. Kudos to the Kings for keeping it fresh; arguable kudos for tearing through their 95 minute set ... but they made what little chatter from Caleb feel sincere.

"There's a lot of bad music out there that you could be listening to," mused Caleb, sipping a beer. "Thank you for coming."

Yeah, the real Leon would be proud.

(PHOTO: David Bernacchi)

South African alt rock band KONGOS opened for KOL, and it was a pretty good pairing. I quite liked their reggae inspired version of "Eleanor Rigby." In general, they sounded a little like Tears For Fears or INXS ... with accordion.

Kings of Leon set list:

Supersoaker
Taper Jean Girl
Fans
Family Tree
Mary
The Bucket
Closer
The Immortals
Knocked Up
Pyro
Temple
Radioactive
Molly's Chambers
Don't Matter
On Call
Notion
Cold Desert
Use Somebody

Encore:

Crawl
Black Thumbnail
Sex on Fire