Killers - Concert Review

[coop41]

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Ok, here is the entire review:

Preface:
Sunday April 8th- I remember I purchased two tickets to see the Killers April 11th. $35 each plus convenience charges and other fees, total $102!!??? HUH?

Ask wife if she's still in....Nope!

Monday April 9th ask client since Blir has turned me down as well
(O fer 2!) Client agrees! Yeah! Tax write-off!!!

Wednesday April 11th. arrive at 4:45 for 6:30 concert. After client buys dinner and 3 rounds of drinks we realize concert starts at 7:30. oops, my bad.

7:15 pm client buys first round of drinks at Dodge Theater, $22.50! Ouch!
7:29 client buys second round (we switch to beer as surely it's cheaper- $19.00 Eeek!).
7:30 Opening act from Australia starts playing. The band is called Howling Bells and are a female fronted band. I have seen a lot of bands play in the last 60 days (SXSW!) and if you get a chance to see Howling Bells..... kill yourself. It will be much more enjoyable than listening to them. They are terrible.

9:00 pm The Killers start and sound much better than the previous band and ease my fears about the show. From my vantage point it appears The Killers consist of the following lineup:
Robert Plant circa 1983 on guitar
Andy Kaufman on drums
The dude from Phantasm on bass
Lead vocals is Vic's partner from The Shield. Actually, he reminds me of whichever Mael brother sings from Sparks. At least what I remember from their April 29th, 1982 concert at UCSD (the one I was so disappointed that Belinda Carlisle didn't sing vocals on Cool Places).

The first four songs are probably my favorite four Killers songs. Should I leave now? No. The gal in front of us is slightly overweight and not very attractive yet the way she is dancing is highly erotic. My client uncomfortably agrees.

I am anticipating the fact that the lead singer is not the most charismatic and maybe this makes him even more appealing to me. He looks uncomfortable in front of a crowd yet he can really sing. His robotic movements are actually compelling to me. Maybe it's the four or five Grey Goose and Cranberry coupled with the two giant beers, I'm not quite sure. Girl in the row in front is still doing her table dance.

After 1 hour, the Killers leave the stage.
A few minutes later they return for their encore including an obligatory cover, this one I believe a Joy Division cover (damn, I should have listened to all my Joy Division records so I would know the name of the song! At least I had my Joy Division shoes on, complete with no laces so I wouldn't hang myself).

Client says it was a great concert and I actually have to agree.
I thoroughly enjoyed myself....or was it the 7 or 8 adult beverages...


Venue - Dodge Theater - C- Not the best place to see a concert, acoustics aren't really great

Crowd - I was surprised, it was a much older crowd than I anticipated, at 43 I wasn't out of place at all.

Band- A Highly entertaining and one of the best "Big Shows" I have seen in awhile!

[coop41]

Here's a less inebriated review from azcentral.com. I forgot to mention one thing that they do in the review, no dialogue between songs!




Glitz and glamour provided by The Killers
04/11/2007 11:13 PM

Nicki Escudero
www.amp.az

The Killers- April 11, 2007
Dodge Theatre

The Killers brought some Las Vegas glitz to the Dodge Theatre April 11 for their “Read My Mind” tour.

The show started out with a flashing sign of “Sam’s Town,” also the title of their latest album and a casino in the band’s home town of Vegas. The band members’ figures flashed across the screen, as did images from the album art for 'Sam’s Town,' and a multitude of strings created a grand orchestral beginning to the concert.

The band appropriately opened with “Sam’s Town,” as confetti shot out over the crowd. Singer/keyboardist Brandon Flowers wore a white jacket with a Western tie, and he also had a scruffy look that has been characteristic of him since this album’s release.

Throughout the show, Flowers seemed a little awkward, robotically dancing and appearing stiff at times. He also failed to establish a rapport with the crowd besides singing, rarely talking between songs except to say “Thank you” a few times.

The fans, mostly 20- and 30-somethings, didn’t seem to mind, though. They filled the entire front standing room-only section of the theater and jumped up and down, pumped their fists, danced and sang along during the show.

Flowers also proved he didn’t have to talk much to please the audience because his musicianship was impressive, with polished vocals and great skill behind his piano and red bejeweled keyboard, not to mention his bass playing on “For Reasons Unknown.”

The band played every song off of Sam’s Town, and they also brought out debut album 'Hot Fuss' hits “ Somebody Told Me” and “Smile Like You Mean It” early on in the set, pumping up the audience right from the start.

While the music energized the crowd, the lighting and set design was also scintillating. The lights alternated bright colors, and flowers covered the instruments, creating a great classy contrast to the brightness of the twinkly lights. Confetti peppered the audience once again during “Bling (Confessions of a King),” as the air was goldenly glimmering and complemented the song lyrics.

Besides playing all their hits, The Killers also brought out 'Hot Fuss' bonus track “Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll,” which much of the crowd sang along to.

For their encore, the band played “All These Things That I’ve Done,” with Flowers lifting up the mike stand as the crowd chanted, “I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier.”

They ended playing the “Exitlude” of 'Sam’s Town'. Flowers sang, “We hope you enjoyed your stay,” and from the roaring cheers coming from the crowd, the fans certainly did.

[Frau_Blucher]

[quote]Originally posted by coop41
[br9:00 pm The Killers start and sound much better than the previous band and ease my fears about the show. From my vantage point it appears The Killers consist of the following lineup:
Robert Plant circa 1983 on guitar
Andy Kaufman on drums
The dude from Phantasm on bass
Lead vocals is Vic's partner from The Shield. Actually, he reminds me of whichever Mael brother sings from Sparks. At least what I remember from their April 29th, 1982 concert at UCSD (the one I was so disappointed that Belinda Carlisle didn't sing vocals on Cool Places).[/quote]
LOL!

Thanks for the review Coop. Sounds like a great time. There's certainly worse bands out there today, but their whole self-conscious directed type of persona still bothers me. No matter what, "All these things that I've done" is an absolute rock anthem. I wouldn't be surprised if that was the finale.

I also wouldn't be surprised if the JD cover was "Shadowplay" which is coming out as part of a covers album in conjunction with the JD "Control" documovie.

[highway1pch]

Awesome review! Thank you.

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[KYYX4ever]

funny reading, but good. Thanks for posting. I'd catch these guys if they ever came thru Albuquerque.

[birdmadgirl]

LMAO at Joy Division shoes without laces!

Good review, Coop.

[marie3]

Thanks for the very entertaining review. Sounds like you had fun regardless of the reason.