The Killers are an institution in Las Vegas, part of the city’s mythology that will be enhanced with a 10-show residency at The Colosseum. In the U.K. they are practically deified, with every album having topped the charts since 2004 debut Hot Fuss. They filled O2 Arena six times in July, providing an unforgettable moment when they stopped the show to screen the last five minutes of the European Championships semifinal. England won, the audience went wild, and The Killers launched into “Mr. Brightside.”
Where is a band to go after creating that slice of rock history? A special sort of homecoming may be just the grounding The Killers need after that high point, part of a summer schedule that included headlining the opening dates of the Fuji Rock Festival in Japan and Lollapalooza in Chicago. In a time of uncertainty about the future of the music business, two decades after the release of their debut album, The Killers have proven that their music endures and they are still one of the most popular acts in the world.
The Killers: Live in Las Vegas brings the musicians that created Hot Fuss together onstage to celebrate the 20th anniversary of the album by performing it in its entirety. “Mr. Brightside” is where the band mythology really begins, as guitarist Dave Keuning had created the chord progression before aspiring vocalist Brandon Flowers answered his ad in the Las Vegas Weekly seeking like-minded musical souls.
Powerhouse drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. and multi-instrumentalist Mark Stoermer, whose muscular and melodic basslines provided crucial primary colors to The Killers’ sound palette, completed the lineup. The sound had a foundation in the post-punk and new wave scenes of ’80s London and Manchester, with Keuning proving himself to be one of the most innovative and idiosyncratic rock guitarists since The Police’s Andy Summers and fashionable Flowers evoking The Cure’s Robert Smith, Joy Division’s Ian Curtis and New Order’s Bernard Sumner in the perceptions of the critical establishment.
With a fictional band in New Order’s video for 2001 comeback track “Crystal” inspiring their name, The Killers went on a mission of world domination that began in earnest with a trip to England and the U.K. release of “Mr. Brightside” as a single. DJs and audiences embraced the band that had revived a very British music style and served it up in its birthplace, much like the Rolling Stones did with blues in the ’60s before blazing their own path in the ’70s.
It’s easy to see the parallels between the two bands. The Killers evolved their sound to include elements of heartland rock during the course of seven studio albums, which latest release Rebel Diamonds takes a retrospective look at. It’s a good time for the band to look back, take stock of everything that happened from the stage of The Colosseum with family and friends in attendance, then chart a course for the future that may be a complete break from the past.
Caesars Palace. ticketmaster.com
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