Killer Review
November 19th 2007 06:39
The Killers
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne.
14 November 2007
Those fortunate enough to be in the 12 000 strong crowd at Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday night witnessed a Killer performance which descended into ebullient chaos. By the shows end a giant corn cob and a pig were gallivanting around the stage alongside at least a dozen extra people who appeared from the wings and tipped beers on the musicians heads, sang, danced, and threw pitta bread Frisbees and flowers into the crowd. It was the end of a long world journey for The Killers, who were out here for Big Day Out earlier this year, and have been on the road since then. Like the privilege of seeing the closing night performance of a theatre piece, spectators were allowed to catch a glimpse of the band letting their hair down after a great show and a prodigious tour.
The opening was epic: a translucent curtain shrouded the stage, shimmering with projected scenes of tumescent desert cacti and Las Vegas long shots. Four silhouettes appeared behind it, and as the first stirring buzz of a deep guitar riff sounded the curtain dropped with a festive explosion of confetti cannons as the band ripped into Sam's Town, the eponymous track form their most recent album. The strobe lights flickered as they powered through When you were young and Somebody told me and the crowd erupted to chorus every lyric.
The burlesque front man Brandan Flowers strutted around the stage like a rigid robot, clearly enjoying the night, almost as much as drummer Ronnie Vannjucci seemed to be the happiest man in Melbourne.
When Flowers announced 'We must have played this song a thousand times but we are not sick of it', the crowd ignited for Mr Brightside. A fantastic cover of Joy Divisions Shadowplay got the crowd bouncing again after some softer, melodic tracks broke up the frenetic pace of the concert. After the second encore it was obvious that the band were loving the moment. 'It is great to be alive' Flowers quipped, grinning from behind his keyboard. Guitarist Dave Keuning, at least half cut by this stage, issued a command to 'leave the lights ' and then apologised for a random jam with 'its been a long tour. We just havin some fun'
Things got weird toward the end. On stage it wass chaos. Flowers proclaimed that he had seen history made here, when Feddera won the Australian Open. He then announced that 'the crowd was loud then, but I reckon we can blow the roof of this stadium' as the Killers launched into a second helping of When you were young. They were playing it because they loved it, and it was echoed in the crowd. The crowd lapped it up and the whole stadium bounced to the last song of what must have been a magnificent tour.
Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne.
14 November 2007
Flowers Powers the Killers
Those fortunate enough to be in the 12 000 strong crowd at Rod Laver Arena on Wednesday night witnessed a Killer performance which descended into ebullient chaos. By the shows end a giant corn cob and a pig were gallivanting around the stage alongside at least a dozen extra people who appeared from the wings and tipped beers on the musicians heads, sang, danced, and threw pitta bread Frisbees and flowers into the crowd. It was the end of a long world journey for The Killers, who were out here for Big Day Out earlier this year, and have been on the road since then. Like the privilege of seeing the closing night performance of a theatre piece, spectators were allowed to catch a glimpse of the band letting their hair down after a great show and a prodigious tour.
The opening was epic: a translucent curtain shrouded the stage, shimmering with projected scenes of tumescent desert cacti and Las Vegas long shots. Four silhouettes appeared behind it, and as the first stirring buzz of a deep guitar riff sounded the curtain dropped with a festive explosion of confetti cannons as the band ripped into Sam's Town, the eponymous track form their most recent album. The strobe lights flickered as they powered through When you were young and Somebody told me and the crowd erupted to chorus every lyric.
The burlesque front man Brandan Flowers strutted around the stage like a rigid robot, clearly enjoying the night, almost as much as drummer Ronnie Vannjucci seemed to be the happiest man in Melbourne.
Things got weird toward the end. On stage it wass chaos. Flowers proclaimed that he had seen history made here, when Feddera won the Australian Open. He then announced that 'the crowd was loud then, but I reckon we can blow the roof of this stadium' as the Killers launched into a second helping of When you were young. They were playing it because they loved it, and it was echoed in the crowd. The crowd lapped it up and the whole stadium bounced to the last song of what must have been a magnificent tour.
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