It makes me feel old realizing that it’s been 8 years since Hot Fuss came out. I still remember hearing all those songs for the first time as a freshmen in high school, and just being taken in by how catchy they were. It was an age where I had just really discovered my own set of bands, and I’ll never forget the simplicity of life back then, and of these gorgeously catchy pop-rock songs. At one point kids in my school made fun of me for liking the band, and some probably still would, but who gives a shit?
The Killers are now chart topping superstars who can sell out any venue in a flash. Their show at the elegant Paradise Theater tonight was a release show for their new album Battle Born. So far in my early listening, the album is somewhat disappointing. Having heard some of them live tonight made me see some of them in a new way. I’ll give it more time to grow.
The real reason I went to the show was to hear all of the big bombastic hits played loud and proud by the Las Vegas 4-piece. They delivered all of these songs in mega fashion, leaving no trace of energy behind. Essentially it was a rundown of their greatest hits, rightfully staying true to Hot Fuss and Sam’s Town, with the best pieces of Day & Age sprinkled here and there.
The highlights of the night were in the Hot Fuss tracks, “Mr. Brightside”, “All These Things That I’ve Done”, “Smile Like You Mean It” and “Somebody Told Me”. They threw in covers of Alphaville’s “Forever Young” and Joy Divisions “Shadowplay” as a nice change of pace.
The sound at the venue wasn’t perfect, but the band fought threw it by the end, giving us a powerful encore that included “Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine” and “When You Were Young”.
The Killers delivered a fun show, and a fun time, just as much so as when I first discovered them. People may not appreciate them as much as me, but I won’t lose any sleep over it.
The whole show was streamed live on youtube with direction from Werner Herzog. Watch the whole show here.
Join the conversation