The Killers
BEC. 09.12.24
You can tell a lot about a band by their merchandise. The Killers are no exception. Among the hoodies and posters, you’ll find a range of t-shirts that see the Killers font re-imagined to pay homage to INXS, AC/DC and Midnight Oil. The house PA is cranking out everything from Fleetwood Mac to Roxy Music before the band hits the stage. All are good omens.
At 9pm sharp the curtain opens, lasers flash and Las Vegas’ finest are already in fifth gear. They open with ‘Read My Mind’ and follow it with a dazzling ‘Somebody Told Me’. For this listener, that’s like Springsteen playing ‘Born To Run’ two songs in. It’s like the Towering Inferno starting with the building catching fire.
So where do you go from there? Well, in the Killers’ case, you just keep the intensity coming for the next two hours.
Celebrating twenty years since the release of their seminal debut Hot Fuss, the band have weaved around the country alternating sets that include playing that LP in its entirety or performing the bulk of their ‘greatest hits’ set Rebel Diamonds. Tonight we get the latter.
The band have been doing this for a long time, and they know how to rock. They add the ‘roll’ too, which is just as important. They also add the showbiz glitz and that’s the cherry on the top.
Influences are worn on their sleeve. U2 would envy the Killers light show. The Killers, to cop a phrase from Bono, ‘have stolen back’ the desert iconography. The ghost of David Bowie looms large with frontman Brandon Flowers. Maybe it’s the cocked wrist and the pointed finger as he leans into the crowd? Maybe it’s the elements of Bowie’s ‘Queen Bitch’ that help propel ‘Mr Brightside’? There’s a little Springsteen in the patter as he talks about crossing the Pacific Ocean to play here. Either way, Brandon is one of the greatest frontmen on the planet. Period.
The main set is dotted with highlights. ‘Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine’, ‘The Man’, ‘When We Were Young’ and ‘A Dustland Fairytale’ were among them.
The band ground to a halt twice. First, a woman fainted. Next time, a man was ejected. Brandon wondered why he was ‘egregious’ … he was, after all, wearing a Roxy Music t-shirt.
Metaphorically the roof had been well and truly blown off the building during the main set, and this was before they played an absolutely killer (sorry) version of INXS’ ‘Don’t Change’.
More lights and confetti cannons followed as they returned for an encore which included ‘Your Side Of Town’, ‘Boy’, ‘Human’ and a version of ‘Mr Brighside’ which segued back into ‘All These Things’.
What a band, with its five piece core and three backing singers. Ronnie Vannucci remains a powerhouse on the kit. But, it was Flowers who held the sold out room in the palm of his hand from the opening gambit.
In 2024 the Killers have the same zeal and commitment to the concert experience as they did two decades ago. Long may they run.
Words: Sean Sennett
Photo © 2024 Chris Phelps
www.chrisphelps.com
The Killers – 2024
Brisbane Entertainment Center
Brisbane, QLD
12.9.24
