Four Winds

The Killers
Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
August 31

August 31’s show at Merriweather Post Pavilion marked my third excellent encounter with The Killers; the only problem that plagues them is abysmal support. In London they were prefaced by talent-bereft Louis XIV, while this show paired them with Wolfmother, who shared nothing stylistically with their headliner. Their sonic onslaught and self-indulgent solos did little to engage the crowd. Andrew Stockdale asked if anyone had been to Wolfmother’s previous Merriweather show; met with silence he remarked, ‘Well, we have nothing in common.’ Truer words...

After a short interlude The Killers appeared, Brandon Flowers bounding onstage in feathered epaulettes. Opener ‘Joyride’ could have switched with Day & Age standout ‘Spaceman,’ which came later in the set. Despite its strange subject matter, ‘Spaceman’ is one of the most impressive songs in the band’s live repertoire, surging forward and pulling the crowd along in its grandiose wake. Follow ups like ‘Somebody Told Me’ paled in comparison, although crowd response to tracks from Hot Fuss was consistently massive.

The best surprise of the night was rarely-played ‘Believe Me, Natalie,’ a bright burst of synth that thrilled loyal fans like me. Though a technical keyboard issue had Flowers scowling, the song itself was dead-on, a perfect reminder of the slick, chilly sound that made the band famous.

Tracks from Sam’s Town were some of the biggest of the night, including the lovely and poignant ‘Read My Mind,’ ‘Bling’ with an added singalong verse, and ‘Bones,’ which saw Flowers at his most hand-shakingly enthusiastic. Joy Division cover ‘Shadowplay’ was solid, although I would have loved to hear their stunning cover of Conor Oberst’s ‘Four Winds’ (if you haven’t heard it yet, get it now). Flowers also threw in a brief interlude of ‘Love Me Tender.’ Set closer ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’ ended in a frenzied singalong under a rain of confetti, with Flowers conducting the crowd and brandishing his mic into thousands of singing voices.

An abbreviated encore of excellently dark ‘Jenny Was a Friend of Mine’ (with switched lyrics ‘she kicked and screamed while I held her throat’) and ‘When You Were Young’ kept up the energy at the end of the show, but my absolute favorite song of the night was ‘A Dustland Fairytale.’ Practically made for arena shows, the slow build from piano and vocals to a grandiose finale was stirring. The drama of the last verse had a girl behind me in the crowd crying, something I’ve never seen at a gig before.

The Killers put on a consistently energetic and diverse live show, and Flowers seems truly passionate, practically bursting with nervous energy as he sprints across the stage. The best thing about repeat viewings of their gigs is seeing how he’s changed. Once nervously stiff and tethered to his keyboard, Flowers now spends the show in motion, leaping onto speakers, twirling the mic stand, and gesturing wildly. At Merriweather he also seemed to be having a great time, cracking a smile in the midst of songs, shoving guitarist Dave Keuning forward playfully during a solo, and reaching out to grab the hands of a few lucky fans, something I would never have expected on the Hot Fuss tour. Perhaps his shining new stage presence reflects the expansion of The Killers’ music from their dark Vegas roots and the dusty desert to the brighter, more diverse sound of this Day & Age.

Island in the Sun

Virgin Mobile Freefest
Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD
August 30

I packed my rainboots for Virgin Mobile Freefest but was surprised by beautiful sun, while the grounds of Merriweather Post Pavilion (made famous by Animal Collective) provided shady space for listening to the diverse acts. The Pavilion Stage lineup focused on the mainstream, while the West Stage was a mix of indie and...Public Enemy. Still trying to figure that out.

The first band I caught was Taking Back Sunday, who were the day’s biggest disappointment. Plagued by fuzzy sound that was further marred by sludgy dance tent echo, their songs seemed largely the same, a mix of unclear guitars and middling vocals. Even the afternoon sun was against them; the pavilion’s shadow was so deep that the band was completely obscured for lawn viewers, eliminating the chance for a redeeming stage presence.

Next up were Jet, who topped Taking Back Sunday but didn’t thrill. Their sound quality was far better, but it couldn’t negate the fact that the majority of their songs sounded similar. Crowd pleasers like ‘Are You Gonna Be My Girl’ and ‘Cold Hard Bitch’ delivered, but new tracks fell flat.

Jet were followed by The Bravery. Their new songs sounded similar to the old, so favorites like ‘An Honest Mistake’ carried the set. The Bravery are technically solid but I found that they lacked a crucial energy live. Moments like the sharp opening bass line of ‘Believe’ drew me in, but others, like a loping version of “Time Won’t Let Me Go,’ didn’t hold my attention. One interesting moment-- Sam Endicott introduced new track ‘Jack o’ Lantern Man’ as ‘a song about a guy I fucking hate.’ Still curious who that is.

Awaiting Weezer, the crowd was treated to the spectacle of two parachutists jumping from a helicopter onto the roof of the pavilion, where they shared champagne with unexpected guest Richard Branson. The parachutists and Weezer were the biggest surprises of the night; Weezer nailed their set with upbeat energy and technical prowess. Opening with a snippet of ‘War Pigs,’ they moved to ‘Hash Pipe’ and ‘Undone (The Sweater Song),’ perfect tracks to engage the expanding crowd. New single ‘(If You’re Wondering If I Want You To) I Want You To’ was enjoyably uptempo and followed by classics like ‘Buddy Holly’ and ‘Say It Ain’t So.’

Memories of middle school prompted me to stay for Blink-182 instead of catching Girl Talk (a terrible mistake). My notes read, in full, ‘Damn annoying.’ Blink’s musical skill was mediocre at best and Tom DeLonge reveled in childish stage banter that revolved around how many obscenities he could fit into an intro. (The songs were not as ‘fucking awesome’ as he thought, and they certainly didn’t ‘blow [my] dick off.’) After enduring a few tracks including ‘Rock Show,’ I cut my losses and left for Franz Ferdinand.

The criminally underpopulated West Stage hosted Franz’s set, which could be faulted only for excessive smoke machine use, obscuring louchely energetic frontman Alex Kapranos and guitarist Nick McCarthy as sharp opener ‘This Fire’ got the crowd moving. Standouts included the terrific ‘No You Girls,’ a stomp through ‘Take Me Out,’ and ‘Outsiders,’ which saw the entire band attacking the drum kit for an extended outro. ‘Turn It On’ and ‘Tell Her Tonight’ lagged, but the encore solidified the band’s place as my favorite of the day. Energetic ‘Michael’ and ‘Darts of Pleasure’ preceded a stunning version of ‘Lucid Dreams.’ While the sprawling keyboard solo that concluded the track might have challenged casual listeners, it was a joy for fans. Kapranos and McCarthy created extended waves of sound on multiple keyboards, layering beats carefully for nearly fifteen minutes before letting the track fade to drums as waves of residual smoke roiled across the stage.