(Video after the jump) Hailing from Las Vegas, it should come as no surprise that The Killers are first-class entertainers. So, standing outside in 12-degree weather, I at least knew I was going to see a good show. I last saw The Killers in Austin, at the 2006 Austin City Limits music festival. They put on a great show, even I wasn’t familiar with their music at the time. This time I’m a fan, so expectations were higher.
UPDATE: The Killers have added a slew of tour dates, in what will be a busy summer. Check out the bottom of this post for the latest dates. If you want to see The Killers live visit BarrysTickets.com for great deals on The Killers concert tickets.
It all starts with the stage and the effects. They opened with “Spaceman” and an explosion of lights. The entire stage, amps – just about everything was covered in small lights. Add a dozen more swirling lights and a huge video screen behind the stage and you’re engulfed in a performance, not just a concert. The video screen was interesting. It would show some effects and the occasional accompanying music video, and it was just grainy enough to be visible but not distracting. But none of it would matter without the powerful presence of lead singer Brandon Flowers (pictured). He emphasizes lyrics, pauses, guitar riffs, beats, you name it, he has body language for it. And he’s all over the stage pacing, sprinting and standing on top of amps – perfect for when you have that six-foot-seven guy standing directly in front of you for every single concert you attend … it’s not just me, right? But I digest … on to the music.
Both in Austin and here, the first thing to strike me about The Killers is how together they sound. It seems like every song is a mini-anthem, thoroughly modern but with a retro 80′s dance feel. It’s all timed and it’s hard to tell if they ever miss a beat.
They played as solid mix of tunes from their new album, Day & Age
The best part of the show came with back-to-back-to-back songs Sam’s Town, Read My Mind and Mr. Brightside. Flowers played Sam’s Town under a white spotlight, sitting and playing piano in a sort of acoustic and subtly plugged-in version of the song. And just when you thought it was time to slow it down, they rolled right into All These Things That I Have Done, with Flowers leading the increasingly loud, chanting crowd to “I got soul, but I’m not a soldier…” They closed out the show to a crowd-pleasing When You Were Young.
The “I wasn’t crazy about that song until I heard it live” award goes to A Dustland Fairytale.
There were two downsides to Tuesday’s show, although minor. First, UIC Pavillion is not the best place to see a show. Sight lines are good, but acoustics are bad.
Second, there were times when it seemed the band was going through the motions a bit. I suppose you can’t blame them – being the crowd-pleasers that they are, they probably play some of their songs so much it’s difficult to not get bored.
Below is some video from the show of Smile Like You Mean It. This was taken in a covert fashion, so apologies for the lack of a good view. And below that is Jenny Was a Friend of Mine - the view is even worse, but it sounds pretty good.
| Jul 16 2009 | 8:00P | Festival Les Vieilles Charrues | Carhaix |
| Jul 18 2009 | 8:00P | Festival Super Bock Super Rock | Lisbon |
| Jul 19 2009 | 8:00P | Benicàssim Festival | Benicàssim |
| Aug 8 2009 | 8:00P | Horseshoe Casino – Southern Indiana | Elizabeth, Indiana |
| Aug 9 2009 | 8:30P | Lollapalooza | Chicago, Illinois |
| Aug 31 2009 | 8:00P | Merriweather Post Pavilion | Columbia, Maryland |
| Sep 1 2009 | 8:00P | Nikon at Jones Beach Amphitheatre | Wantagh, New York |
| Sep 2 2009 | 8:00P | PNC Bank Arts Center | Holmdel, New Jersey |
| Sep 4 2009 | 8:00P | TD Banknorth Garden | Boston, Massachusetts |
| Sep 5 2009 | 8:00P | Quai Jacques Cartier | Montreal, Quebec |
| Sep 6 2009 | 8:00P | Molson Amphitheatre | Toronto, Ontario |
| Sep 9 2009 | 8:00P | Red Rocks Amphitheater | Morrison, Colorado |
| Sep 12 2009 | 8:00P | Shoreline Amphitheatre | Mountain View, California |
| Sep 13 2009 | 8:00P | Santa Barbara Bowl | Santa Barbara, California |
| Sep 16 2009 | 8:00P | Hollywood Bowl | Los Angeles, California |
| Sep 18 2009 | 8:00P | Cox Arena | San Diego, California |
| Sep 19 2009 | 8:00P | Mandalay Bay Event Center | Las Vegas, Nevada |
| Sep 22 2009 | 8:00P | ARCO Arena | Sacramento, California |
| Sep 24 2009 | 8:00P | Memorial Coliseum | Portland, Oregon |
| Sep 25 2009 | 8:00P | Qwest Arena | Boise, Idaho |
| Sep 26 2009 | 8:00P | The E Center of West Valley | Salt Lake City, Utah |
| Sep 28 2009 | 8:00P | Dodge Theatre | Phoenix, Arizona |
| Oct 1 2009 | 8:00P | UCF Arena | Orlando, Florida |
| Oct 2 2009 | 8:00P | USF Sun Dome | Tampa, Florida |
| Oct 3 2009 | 8:00P | American Airlines Arena | Miami, Florida |
