'Even if you're Amish you know who U2 are'. Kings of Leon talk to U2.Com about touring with you know who.

It was as much a surprise to them as to anyone else.

But when U2 asked The Kings of Leon, three brothers and a cousin from America's Deep South, if they fancied playing support on 'Vertigo//2005',they didn't think twice about it.

And a few weeks into the tour, having adjusted to playing nightly to 20,000 fans waiting for the arrival of U2, bass player and youngest brother Jared Followill, sat down with us to reflect on the experience to date. The whole of this interview is carried on the U2.Com Subscribers site, but here's a few choice extracts.

U2.Com: Were you surprised when you got the call to play with U2?
Jared: 'Dumbfounded. We didn,t know what to do. Their manager said, 'Don,t give us an answer immediately, take your time, talk it over. Come back to us when you have thought about whether it is the right move. 'So we all looked at each other and said YEAH! and called them back within a few seconds!' It was like, 'Dude we don't have to think about this - it's U2!,

U2.Com: So, with a few shows out of the way, how does it feel to be opening up for them?
Jared: 'It's amazing and also kind of weird, opening up for a band which has such a following and also such a powerful message. Every night it is like listening to the best greatest hits record ­ you get to hear it and it is always different. We had a respect that was so high for them ­ and it's like we now have a new respect that we didn't think was even possible!'

U2.Com: U2 put down their success in the US to persistent touring, year after year, in the early days ?
Jared: 'If even 5% of the people at these shows like us and buy our record, we will have done a great thing with this tour. But, you know, for us it is enough just to be playing with U2. It,s a big learning process to be watching them every night: we all have our notepads out, because they just show you how to create a show that is so much bigger than anything we have ever seen before.'

Photo by Daren Fentiman.