Dustland Fairytales

The Killers
O2 London, February 23

I had high hopes for this Killers gig, having seen them a couple of years ago during their Sam's Town tour and thoroughly enjoying it. The O2 arena is a significantly bigger venue than where I saw them in America, but we had a decent spot on the floor, once we managed to navigate around a cluster of absurdly tall people.

I was excited when I found out Louis XIV was the support act for the Day & Age tour. Generally opening acts are complete unknowns that you sort of nod along to for forty five minutes without a lot of enthusiasm, so getting to see a second band that I know (and actually like) was an unexpected bonus.

Well, until they started playing.

Louis XIV was actually worse than most of the opening acts I've seen and known nothing about, mostly because I actually had expectations that they would possess at least some level of talent. Honestly, this is a band that has decent name recognition and has managed to release two albums, the first of which I really enjoy. However, their performance was lackluster, their lead singer can't sing (he performs in a kind of oddly aggressive spoken word that manages to be both boring and jarring), and their music, when played live, lacks the louche, sleazy slinking beats that makes it enjoyable. Sometimes I actually couldn't recognize songs that I know (well known single God Killed the Queen was a prime example of this, and I could tell from the blank looks on the rest of the crowd's faces that I wasn't alone). All in all, an unfortunate start to the gig.

Intermission followed, during which the O2 filled to capacity, even the seats in the rafters that were so bad Lanette commented she would pay "About £5" for them.

The Killers appeared much more promptly than when I last saw them (concerts here seem to be quite prompt, with the exception of Pete(r) Doherty. Their set looked amazing, complete with a dramatic light screen, mirrorball piano, Brandon's new keyboard faced with a giant, lightbulb-studded K (I miss the classic eagle claw-disco ball combo), and some rather random palm trees. The feather epaulette jacket that has been ubiquitous in this album's promotions was also present for the first two songs, at which point Brandon tossed it contemptuously aside.

Opener Spaceman was absolutely massive live, and Brandon seems to have opened up a lot to the crowd and performing since his earlier days. Spaceman was followed by Somebody Told Me, which got a predictably huge crowd response, then Smile Like You Mean It.

After revisiting some classics, B. Flow and Co. dipped back into Day & Age for This Is Your Life and Joy Ride (easily the most camp song in the history of The Killers). The new songs sound sharp live, but lack some of the stadium-filling guitar riffs that made Sam's Town a great tour album.

The rest of the set list (not necessarily in order):
Human
Mr. Brightside
Losing Touch
Bling (Confessions of a King)
Sam's Town
Neon Tiger
Shadowplay
For Reasons Unknown
Read My Mind
All These Things That I've Done
(encore)
A Dustland Fairytale
Bones
Jenny Was A Friend of Mine
When You Were Young

Mr. Brightside was an obvious standout, as was Human, which achieved far more success in the UK than in the US (basically the story of The Killers in general.) Neon Tiger was glammed up with a surprise tiger-striped background, and Read My Mind sounded great live, as always. It's really one of their classic tracks, bringing in Springsteen-esque nostalgia and imagery without being as much of a blatant copy as some of Sam's Town is. Shadowplay, first covered by the band for Antion Corbjin's film Control, was a pleasantly murky addition to the set, and inspired the best of Brandon's jerky, awkward dancing. All These Things was fantastic, although I would have preferred to hear it at the real conclusion of the gig instead of When You Were Young, which is a terrific track but not quite as spectacular. Jenny Was A Friend of Mine was a nice encore surprise, especially when juxtaposed with the sweeping romance of Dustland Fairytale. The live changeup to "she kicked and screamed while I held her throat) in the second chorus makes the song much darker, and IMO should have been on the album version.

Overall, really a great gig. The Killers were in top form, and Brandon has really expanded as a showman, even from the last album, although it's a bit disappointing how little he plays keyboard live these days. He spoke to the crowd far more, and seemed glad to be in England, referring to it as the place where they first achieved success. The stage show was a step up from the last tour as well; the light screen was used more creatively than most bands, especially during All These Things.

The verdict? Louis XIV, abysmal. Killers, great as usual. They really are the heirs to stadium rock in the U2/Bruce vein.