Before the spectacle arrived, it was opener Alex Cameron, a singer-songwriter from Australia who
A highlight of the opening set was when Molloy talked about the furniture the band had borrowed from the venue. It was a barstool with a “Shithouse Mike” label on it.
“It has some triggered pine, it’s polished, it has a nice aluminum composite footrest,” Molly said. “It’s comfortable and attractive, and I give it four stars out of five.”
Unfortunately for the openers, it was three stars out of five, if that. While it would’ve been a good set for an intimate venue, it didn’t feel wonderful enough on the big stage.
On the topic of “wonderful,” the Vegas rockers kicked off their set with the title track off the latest number one album, “Wonderful, Wonderful.” (Okay, we’ve far exceeded the quota of using the word “wonderful” in this article.)
And by that
Lead singer Brandon Flowers strutted out in an all-white suit, which we later learned was the “white suit that was saved for the Miami show.” Eight more musicians joined him onstage, including Vannucci on a big, lit-up pedestal. Three backup dancers were stationed in front of three Venus symbols.
There was also a big, “MIAMI” painted water tower stage-right and, on the opposite end, two giant neon arrows. It was the perfect homage to the tour and the band’s home (Vegas).
From there, it was on to the latest mega-hit, “The Man.” Pink confetti rained down, and Flowers swaggered around the stage as iconic, old-school neon signs flashed in the background. “The Man” is totally one of those songs that you wonder, “How in the hell is anyone going to sing this live?”
Well, Flowers kept up with the pace in pristine fashion.
Other high-tempo highlights included blazing renditions of “Somebody Told Me,” “Spaceman,” “For Reasons Unknown,” and “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine.”
Zooming back in on the vocals, Flowers aced the calmer moments, too. “Rut” — a slower highlight on the latest LP — was incredible live. (It highlights a loved one’s struggles with PTSD.) And the band played a deconstructed, roller-coaster version of “Dustland Fairytale."
To close the main set, the Killers rocked an album-quality version of “All These Things I Have Done,” leaving the crowd chanting, “I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier” as red, white, and blue confetti fell from the ceiling.
After what felt like the longest break ever, the Killers returned for a four-song encore. The reason for the delay? Well, Flowers was wearing an Elvis-like gold suit layered
The group closed out the evening with fiery versions of “When You Were Young” (there was literally fire pouring down in the background) and “Mr. Brightside.”
Toward the beginning of the intergalactic evening, Flowers quoted the legendary daredevil Evel Knievel: “You pay for the attempt, not the perfect landing.”
Well, in Miami the Killers definitely stuck the landing.
