Music Crush Monday: The Killers
The Killers played LA’s Banc of California Stadium this past Saturday to a packed crowd, with surprises and throwbacks as they brought the house down.
The Killers are currently touring and Johnny Marr (from The Smiths) has joined them as their opening act. It’s honestly a two for one main concert deal, we could hardly contain ourselves for his song collection, and nevermind that we lost our voice when Brandon Flowers sang a throwback from The Smiths while Johnny Marr tore up the chords. Johnny Marr’s opening set included hits like “Panic” and “There is a Light That Never Goes Out,” along with songs from his solo music, he ended the set with the unmistakable 1984 tune “How Soon Is Now?”. Another big surprise of the night was when Lindsey Buckingham from Fleetwood Mac joined The Killers on stage towards the end of the show. It was a treat of treats for the Rock n’ Roll loving crowd.
We can honestly say we haven’t felt as if we’d been to a true concert since restrictions lifted and we’ve been able to congregate again. It was a pleasure to spend the night dancing and singing along to The Killers, as they took us for a literal ride. Early on in the evening Brandon Flowers called out an intoxicated fan who was endangering those around him, asking security to escort him out. This type of attention to detail and caring is what sets The Killers apart. Making sure fans had a safe experience was clearly top priority for Brandon, stopping the show to make it safe. In an era where so many value quantity over quality, The Killers made sure the best experience was had for everyone.
“Human”, “When You Were Young”, and “All These Things That I’ve Done” nostalgically pulled at core memories of our high school years and later university. Newer tracks like their most recent release, “Boy”, reminded fans this is Rock n’ Roll, and you’re watching fucking Rock Stars. The song and its performance had that 70’s to 80’s bonafide Rock n’ Roll God feel to it. As the show continues Brandon Flowers once again looked to the audience as he announced a sign was pulling at his heart strings. Cut to a few moments later when said fan was brought on stage to rock out to their iconic “For Reasons Unknown”. As the fan took the stage his shirt showed all of us what had captured Brandon’s eye, the man was fighting cancer. That man’s name was Joel and we can say he deserved every second on that stage with The Killers. Joel is an iconic drummer! He crushed the song, playing level with veteran rock stars it was awe inspiring and we hope Joel has a speedy and permament recovery. Rock on friend, rock on.
Johnny Marr’s time on stage wasn’t over after opening, The Killers surprised us by brings Marr back and performing The Smith’s “This Charming Man,” that had us bouncing on our toes with excitement. Not a band to let surprises go to waste, they continued to surprise the crowd with a special appearance from Fleetwood Mac’s Lindsey Buckingham whose presence on stage immediately got everyone screaming with glee and up on their feet, as he and The Killers played the unforgettable 1977 hit “Go Your Own Way”.
