it's good to have you with us, even if it's just for the day. [deja vu!]
I saw The Killers tonight and thought I'd do a quick write-up while it's still fresh in my mind. Of course it's 3 AM, so it's likely I won't make sense.
We got to the venue [Saltair, the one that Ben Lee nicknamed the Taj Mahal in the middle of the desert] just a little before 6 (the concert started at 8) and ended up really, really close to the stage. There were only 1 or 2 people in front of me for the entire concert. Awesome view. Of course, we were basically right by the speakers so I went a bit deaf [Cassi, we were right where we stood for Ben Lee]. I've come to accept I'll ultimately lose my hearing from all my concerts.
The people around us were really nice and non-shovers, so that was great. That was my biggest complaint about my last Killers concert. Well, at this there was a guy next to me who desperately wanted to be where I was, so we basically spent the concert leaning against each other. It amused me when I realized how stubborn we both were being, but I wasn't about to lose my place! There was a little, innocent mom standing next to me who kept offering advice for how to fully experience the concert. "My daughter told me to plant your feet and don't let people in front of you." "My daughter told me that once the opening act is over people will rush to the front. Prepare yourself now." It was nice of her to be so considerate and share her daughter's advice. ;)
The first opener was Danny Vegas. The way they introduced him made it seem like he was going to be a big joke (they said Brandon Flowers had just rescued him from a Mexican prison and he had decided to relocate to Salt Lake?! Maybe it was true?), so for the first couple of songs I was waiting for the punch line. He was actually pretty good musically, but the whole thing was kind of weird. Apparently it was his birthday, so he sang a song about being happy because it was his birthday. Yay. I'm glad he was so happy. The next act was Louis XIV. I've heard some of their songs before so I knew they weren't really my type. They were a little bit better than I expected, but I think they played too long and I don't think the crowd really got them. Becaues of the crowd's reaction to them I was afraid they'd announce they were playing their last song and the crowd would be rude and cheer for that. Luckily that didn't happen. Ronnie from The Killers came out and played a song or two with them, and that seemed to liven the crowd up enough to finish out the set.
Finally around 9:30 The Killers came out with confetti galore. They opened with "Sam's Town" followed by "Enterlude," which was no surprise. That's how they opened the last one. Then they went right into the singles. See, I think they're at about the perfect time/popularity for a concert. They've had enough successful singles that they can play them all so the casual radio listener can go and enjoy themselves, but they have only released two albums so they have enough time to play all the album tracks that are fan favorites. So, they got through "When You Were Young," "Bones," and "Somebody Told Me."
Then...blackness. No lights. A minute or two passed, and Brandon told us they had blown a fuse. What a shocker. This was at Saltair, the same venue where just a few months ago we watched an entire band go temporarily deaf because of a technical glitch. At first the crew tried to fix things while the band talked, but I guess the band decided the show must go on. They started to play "Smile Like You Mean It" in blackness. Just as it was starting Brandon grabbed a flashlight. So, he sang and shone the light at various times on himself, the crowd, and the rest of the band. It was impressive to see him juggle the flashlight with his microphone while playing the keyboards...and catching his bandmates. At one point Dave, the guitar player in front of us, was trying to move around the stage and almost fell. Brandon had to catch him. Luckily they got the lights fixed in time for the next song. I was halfway expecting them to go on a mini intermission or play only a couple more songs and call it a night.
The rest of the concert went really well. They played all the songs I'd want them to (except "Glamorous Indie Rock and Roll," but they played that last time) and played a long, long encore. The set list was exactly like they've played everywhere else on the tour, but that's because it was a good setlist. I was impressed that Brandon was so much better with crowd interactions this time. Last time I was expecting him to at least mention having grown up in Utah...or something. Nope. I don't think he said more than 10 words last time. He still didn't talk much, but he talked a lot more this time. He even mentioned traffic on I-15, which was enough of a Utah reference to make me happy (even though I-15 goes through Vegas, too). He kept leading the crowd in sing alongs, which is one of my favorite things about concerts. Especially when they're songs everyone knows, and I think most people at the concert knew nearly all the words to nearly all the songs. Chill worthy.
Speaking of Brandon, I had a near perfect view of him for the entire night. Obstructed for everyone else, but perfect for Brandon. Yes, I know he's supposedly quite arrogant, not to mention he's married and soon to be a dad. Still, he's one of my biggest celebrity crushes. Go ahead, make fun of me. I don't care. I think he's one of the better looking men on the planet, so having a perfect view of him was quite enjoyable. Except it kept distracting me and making me think of Rufus Wainwright's song about him.
After the last concert I was a little undecided on if I'd want to see them again. I'm so glad I did. They really, really impressed me. I want to relive it!
Next concert: John Mayer, next Friday. :)
Oh, and Bunny Bunny!
We got to the venue [Saltair, the one that Ben Lee nicknamed the Taj Mahal in the middle of the desert] just a little before 6 (the concert started at 8) and ended up really, really close to the stage. There were only 1 or 2 people in front of me for the entire concert. Awesome view. Of course, we were basically right by the speakers so I went a bit deaf [Cassi, we were right where we stood for Ben Lee]. I've come to accept I'll ultimately lose my hearing from all my concerts.
The people around us were really nice and non-shovers, so that was great. That was my biggest complaint about my last Killers concert. Well, at this there was a guy next to me who desperately wanted to be where I was, so we basically spent the concert leaning against each other. It amused me when I realized how stubborn we both were being, but I wasn't about to lose my place! There was a little, innocent mom standing next to me who kept offering advice for how to fully experience the concert. "My daughter told me to plant your feet and don't let people in front of you." "My daughter told me that once the opening act is over people will rush to the front. Prepare yourself now." It was nice of her to be so considerate and share her daughter's advice. ;)
The first opener was Danny Vegas. The way they introduced him made it seem like he was going to be a big joke (they said Brandon Flowers had just rescued him from a Mexican prison and he had decided to relocate to Salt Lake?! Maybe it was true?), so for the first couple of songs I was waiting for the punch line. He was actually pretty good musically, but the whole thing was kind of weird. Apparently it was his birthday, so he sang a song about being happy because it was his birthday. Yay. I'm glad he was so happy. The next act was Louis XIV. I've heard some of their songs before so I knew they weren't really my type. They were a little bit better than I expected, but I think they played too long and I don't think the crowd really got them. Becaues of the crowd's reaction to them I was afraid they'd announce they were playing their last song and the crowd would be rude and cheer for that. Luckily that didn't happen. Ronnie from The Killers came out and played a song or two with them, and that seemed to liven the crowd up enough to finish out the set.
Finally around 9:30 The Killers came out with confetti galore. They opened with "Sam's Town" followed by "Enterlude," which was no surprise. That's how they opened the last one. Then they went right into the singles. See, I think they're at about the perfect time/popularity for a concert. They've had enough successful singles that they can play them all so the casual radio listener can go and enjoy themselves, but they have only released two albums so they have enough time to play all the album tracks that are fan favorites. So, they got through "When You Were Young," "Bones," and "Somebody Told Me."
Then...blackness. No lights. A minute or two passed, and Brandon told us they had blown a fuse. What a shocker. This was at Saltair, the same venue where just a few months ago we watched an entire band go temporarily deaf because of a technical glitch. At first the crew tried to fix things while the band talked, but I guess the band decided the show must go on. They started to play "Smile Like You Mean It" in blackness. Just as it was starting Brandon grabbed a flashlight. So, he sang and shone the light at various times on himself, the crowd, and the rest of the band. It was impressive to see him juggle the flashlight with his microphone while playing the keyboards...and catching his bandmates. At one point Dave, the guitar player in front of us, was trying to move around the stage and almost fell. Brandon had to catch him. Luckily they got the lights fixed in time for the next song. I was halfway expecting them to go on a mini intermission or play only a couple more songs and call it a night.
The rest of the concert went really well. They played all the songs I'd want them to (except "Glamorous Indie Rock and Roll," but they played that last time) and played a long, long encore. The set list was exactly like they've played everywhere else on the tour, but that's because it was a good setlist. I was impressed that Brandon was so much better with crowd interactions this time. Last time I was expecting him to at least mention having grown up in Utah...or something. Nope. I don't think he said more than 10 words last time. He still didn't talk much, but he talked a lot more this time. He even mentioned traffic on I-15, which was enough of a Utah reference to make me happy (even though I-15 goes through Vegas, too). He kept leading the crowd in sing alongs, which is one of my favorite things about concerts. Especially when they're songs everyone knows, and I think most people at the concert knew nearly all the words to nearly all the songs. Chill worthy.
Speaking of Brandon, I had a near perfect view of him for the entire night. Obstructed for everyone else, but perfect for Brandon. Yes, I know he's supposedly quite arrogant, not to mention he's married and soon to be a dad. Still, he's one of my biggest celebrity crushes. Go ahead, make fun of me. I don't care. I think he's one of the better looking men on the planet, so having a perfect view of him was quite enjoyable. Except it kept distracting me and making me think of Rufus Wainwright's song about him.
After the last concert I was a little undecided on if I'd want to see them again. I'm so glad I did. They really, really impressed me. I want to relive it!
Next concert: John Mayer, next Friday. :)
Oh, and Bunny Bunny!