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As support act Louis XIV found, it was a crowd that had assembled for only one reason; their defiant brand of indie rock ‘n’ roll fell on indifferent ears. Despite lead-singer Jason Hill’s best efforts to win the crowd over, the cheers that followed his announcement that they were about to play their last song said it all.
The masses were finally rewarded in grand style shortly after nine o’clock as the Nevada outfit strode out amid swirling spotlights and palm trees, taking up their positions before an enormous light wall (nicked from U2’s back-garden perhaps?) to open their set with the recent hit single ‘Human’; an instant crowd-pleaser.
Over the course of their 90 minute set, the group exhibited a fair portion of material from their latest studio outing, 2008’s Day & Age, proving that tracks such as ‘Neon Tiger and ‘This Is Your Life’ have as much gravitas played through stadium speakers as through headphones. The addition of saxophone and bongos gave ‘I Can’t Stay’ and ‘Joyride’ a distinctly tropical feel while the audience proved that songs like ‘Spaceman’ and ‘A Dustland Fairytale’ are as much a part of their repertoire as that of the band they had paid to see.
The Killers ploughed masterfully through classics such as ‘Somebody Told Me’ and ‘Mr. Brightside’, the very hint of each opening riff whipping the arena up into a frenzy. ‘Sam’s Town’ was given a melancholy twist with it’s opening reduced to just voice and piano, while the throngs of fans were transformed into a great, big, pacifist army in the anthem ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’ with the now iconic chant of ‘I’ve got soul but I’m not a soldier’.
The band themselves came across as a tightly knit team of musicians; Mark Stoermer’s bass and Ronnie Vannucci Jr.’s drums providing a steadfast musical rock on which guitarist Dave Keuning could create a sonic fortress, his extravagant hairstyle belying his cool and collected stage presence.
But it was Brandon Flowers who stole the show, demonstrating all the enthusiasm and enterprise of a truly great front-man. He delivered his songs with an honesty and a sincerity that really convinced you he was living them at that very moment, swooning and crooning as he bounded up and down the stage with admirable energy and glee. As confetti and fireworks crowned their final encore, ‘When You Were Young’, one couldn’t help but feel that, with Flowers at their helm, the Killers are destined for even greater glory.
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