Two and a half years ago exactly after purchasing these tickets, and another 12 years since being introduced to the band by my friend Lucy Hale, I FINALLY got to see the incredible indie rock legends The Killers live in concert.
The show was spectacular and had everything I could have wished for and more. Brandon Flowers is an outstanding singer. So good in fact, that I’d describe him as the Freddie Mercury of the 21st century.
At the start of the first baseline note, I immediately knew they were opening with My Own Soul’s Warning, which made perfect sense as it was the Imploding the Mirage Tour and that song was from the Imploding the Mirage album. The song has a great build-up and explodes into an epic blend of guitars, drums, keys and vocals, getting the crowd pumped for an extraordinary night of music.
They then went into the song Enterlude, a short piano piece with the lyrics:
“We hope you enjoy your stay
It’s good to have you with us
Even if it’s just for the day
We hope you enjoy your stay
Outside the sun is shining
It seems like heaven ain’t far away
It’s good to have you with us
Even if it’s just for the day”
I thought these words were so lovely, welcoming us to the show, connecting with the crowd and hoping we’ll enjoy ourselves. Also, with the line “It seems like heaven ain’t far away”, my immediate thought was “Lucy isn’t too far away”.
The Killers then went into all their greatest hits including When You Were Young, Jenny Was a Friend of Mine, Smile Like You Mean It, Somebody Told Me and Read My Mind, all of which were phenomenal, full of energy, power and passion.
The most mind-blowing moment of the night was their stunning electro version of the song Human, with their spectacular lights show. I couldn’t appreciate the visuals in all its glory, thanks to my blindness, but I can definitely say it was fucking bright!
The band played several more songs from the Imploding the Mirage album including Caution, Running Towards a Place, Fire in Bone and Dying Breed. I admit I’m not familiar with this album but the tracks still sounded awesome.
They even played two tracks off their latest album Pressure Machine, which was released in August 2021. There was the single In the Car Outside and a country ballad titled Runaway Horses. Both are very different styles of music but both with emotional and moving lyrics.
Other songs on the setlist included Shot at the Night, For Reasons Unknown, Runaways and A Dustland Fairytale. Before performing A Dustland Fairytale, Brandon played tribute to his late mother and honoured the song to everyone who has lost loved ones in the past few years. This was so touching and made me think of Lucy, Lottie and even my furry friend Sasha.
Ahead of playing the ultimate singalong track All These Things That I’ve Done, Brandon mentioned how he remembered performing this song at their first UK shows back in 2003. I never realised how old this track was until then. The early 2000s still feel like yesterday. Despite the age of the song, it was amazing to listen to live and hear the crowd sing the iconic line “I’ve got soul but I’m not a soldier”.
When the encore came, I knew there were only two songs they could possibly close on – Spaceman and Mr Brightside. I love both these songs for their energy, excitement and utterly bizarre yet memorable lyrics.
As well as the remarkable and joyful rhythm of Spaceman, cool blue lasers were streaming across the stadium like a science fiction palladium show.
With Mr Brightside, it opened with a techno remix with more stunning light effects then the iconic guitar riff blasted out and the whole place exploded into song. It was such a magical and unforgettable moment to hear one of the best indie rock tracks performed live by The Killers themselves.
