Kings of Leon Frontman Followill Feeling the Heat?

Was The Kings of Leon frontman, Caleb Followill suffering from heat exhaustion when he was unable to finish a concert in Dallas, TX Friday night? Or there there more going on?

According to People magazine, Followill, 29, started to have difficulty singing about a third of the way through the concert, and asked the audience to sing along with him. Almost an hour into the concert, Followill complained about the heat, saying, “I’m about to fall down here because I’m so goddamn hot.” Shortly afterwards, he left the stage, saying that he was not feeling well, felt nauseated, and that “I’m gonna drink a beer and I’m gonna come back out and I’m gonna play three more songs.”

Followill never did return to the stage, and band mates had to apologize to disappointed fans.

Later Followill suggested that more than the heat was involved in his appearance. He sent out a Tweet saying:

“Dallas, I cannot begin to tell you how sorry I am. There are internal sicknesses & problems that have needed to be addressed. No words. ” Later he added “I love our fans so much. I know you guys aren’t stupid. I can’t lie. There are problems in our band bigger than not drinking enough Gatorade.”

Finally, this afternoon, the announcement came that the remainder of the US tour will be cancelled:

“We are so sorry to say Kings of Leon are canceling their entire US tour due to Caleb Followill suffering from vocal issues and exhaustion…The band is devastated, but in order to give their fans the shows they deserve, they need to take this break. Unfortunately, the U.S. dates cannot be rescheduled due to the band’s international tour schedule.”

Heat exhaustion is a milder form of heat-related illness that can develop after several days of exposure to high temperatures if you don’t get enough, or the right kinds of fluids . With the tremendous heat waves we’ve been having this summer, it doesn’t hurt to review the signs of heat exhaustion and what to do to prevent it.

The warning signs of heat exhaustion include: Heavy sweating, paleness, muscle cramps, tiredness, weakness dizziness, headache, nausea or vomiting and fainting.

What steps can be taken to cool the body during heat exhaustion?

• Drink cool, nonalcoholic beverages. (A beer would not be the best beverage in this situation!)
• Rest.
• Take a cool shower, bath, or sponge bath.
• Seek an air-conditioned environment.
• Wear lightweight clothing.

Did Followill have heat exhaustion? I don’t know, it’s possible, but it certainly seems like there is more going on with “The Kings” than just the heat. I wonder, if there are vocal issues as well, whether Followill has strained a vocal cord. Not long ago we did a story about American Idol finalist’s Lauren Alaina’s problem with “vocal abuse” just before the finale. Check it out.

We have also done a few stories about celebrities and “exhaustion” such as Selena Gomez, Wyclef Jean, and Smashing Pumpkins frontman Billy Corgan.

In any case, as it seems we won’t be seeing The Kings of Leon live for a while, here’s a video instead.