I’ve seen The Killers three times before, four if you include Brandon Flowers’ solo tour, so this was my fifth time being a “victim.” You may think the routine is old hat by now, but every time The Killers take the stage, it is as if I am seeing them for the first time. I know every single word to every song and yet I will never get tired of their music.
When I mentioned the term “victim,” you may have been wondering what that means. I had not heard that before last week when I was reading an article covering their performance at Mohegan Sun, which was the night before I saw them in Bethlehem Thursday, May 21. It’s a fun way to describe the audience at a Killers concert because if they were literally “killers,” we would be the “victims.” Not to overdo the puns here, but the band killed their set in Bethlehem. The energy, passion and all around vibrancy was far from dead in their songs.
There have been many rumors circulating about whether The Killers have any more years left of performing, but after last week’s show, I can truthfully say that I don’t think that’s going to be happening any time soon. The band started 13 years ago and have released four amazing albums, not including “Direct Hits,” a compilation of their best work, released last year. They love what they do and that is shown in the way they captivate their audience and the fact that they continue to play shows.
This year was supposed to be a hiatus for them after they toured in 2013, but they haven’t stayed true to that at all. They actually joked about the fact that “this is how we do a hiatus,” by playing shows. The Killers went onto headline the Hangout Festival in Alabama this past weekend and have upcoming festivals scheduled. They are even rumored to take on Philly’s very own Made In America festival in September (*fingers crossed*).
Thursday’s show opened with the Christmas song, Oh Little Town of Bethlehem (since we were in Bethlehem, Pennsylvania) while The Killers took the stage. From there, it was just outright extraordinary. The set list was as follows:
- When You Were Young
- Spaceman
- The Way It Was
- Bling (Confession of a King)
- Human
- Somebody Told Me
- Bad Moon Rising (Creedence Clearwater Revival cover)
- For Reasons Unknown
- From Here On Out
- A Dustland Fairytale
- Heartbreak Beat (The Psychedelic Furs cover)
- Read My Mind / Runaways
- All These Things That I’ve Done
Encore:Shot at the NightJenny Was a Friend of MineMr. Brightside
Hearing “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” was the true definition of “Throwback Thursday;” they usually do not play as many songs from their debut album, “Hot Fuss,” considering it came out 10 years ago. “Mr. Brightside” is typically saved for last because it really ends the show with a bang. The Killers always do a cover, too. Last time I saw them, in May 2013, they chose Cyndi Lauper’s “Girls Just Wanna Have Fun” and that was a fun surprise. This time it was Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising” and The Psychedelic Furs, “Heartbreak Beat.” Flowers could sing absolutely anything and make it sound angelic, so as long as he’s singing, I really don’t care what it is.
The crowd was an odd mix of older people with some young people scattered about. Because the venue was a casino, The Sands Event Center, it makes sense that the crowd was older than the norm. I was just happy that no one was crowd surfing or being obnoxious because when I see a Killers concert, it is almost like a religious experience and I become completely transfixed, so clearly interruptions of any kind are unwelcome. Another welcome change from the norm of Killers concerts is that it was all general admission so we were able to get close to the stage. I was surprised by the size of the Event Center, which held only 3,800 people, because the band is used to playing major venues such as Wembley Stadium in the UK that holds up to 90,000 fans. Again, I am not against it at all and would actually appreciate these locations in the future because I get to be closer to my favorite band.
Of course, I cried for “Dustland Fairytale” and I have to tell you, it is not the first time I’ve cried at a Killers concert. The first time I saw them as a group at the Firefly Festival in 2012, I also cried. There is just something about Flowers’ vocals and the all around passion that each of the four band members exhibits that gets me every time. The love that they have for their music reaches the crowd and the sheer beauty of it is undeniable. I can honestly say that I have been personally victimized by The Killers and I love it.