Live Review: The Killers at the Paradise Theater

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Parent Category: Film and the Arts

Category: Reviews

Published on Monday, 01 October 2012 16:48

Written by Abner Willis

In years past, The Killers have taken on personas as gender-bending nightclub goers (their debut alum, Hot Fuss), dusty Americana underdogs (Sam’s Town), and glitzy Vegas showmen (Day & Age). They bring irony to their poses, and their newest is no different. 

On September 18, 2012 The Killers were supporting their first album in five years – the triumphant Battle Born – and playing the role of World’s Biggest Band.

The stadium rockers and Las Vegas natives rocked New York City’s Paradise Theater (capacity a mere 3,885). The show was part of American Express' "Unstaged" series, which pairs musicians with film directors (in this case, Werner Herzog) to create live international webcasts.

Front man Brandon Flowers sauntered toward the microphone in tight black pants and matching leather jacket; he let everyone know, before the music even started, that we were at a rock and roll concert. The crowd roared in anticipation as his band mates follow in similar garb.

The audience was more than willing to play along with the band as they inhabited their newest persona, and the result was an exhilarating collaboration between performer and audience. It was the the fun of bigness without the self-serious sanctimony of many stadium rock shows; the epic solos and soaring harmonies without the intention (or wish, anyway) to save the world.

In the crowd our hearts burst with feeling, but we were singing along to songs about alien abduction and sweaty nightclubs – and everyone knew we were really there just to have fun. As a result, we didn’t have that queasy feeling that comes with indulging faux-emotion. 

The small size of the venue fed the frenzy. It was a rare experience -- an up-close look at one of the world’s biggest bands at the height of their abilities.

There were a few serious and sentimental moments. The new Springsteen-influenced single "Runaways" opened the show cinematically with visions of a lost America -- or at least, a romanticized lost America often depicted in popular culture:

“Blond hair blowing in the summer wind…
I turn the engine over and my body just comes alive /
ain’t we all just runaways”

The thundering show closer, When You Were Young, finished the set with a similar vision of wide-screen escapism via the open road and a soaring chorus:

“We’re burning down the highway skyline /
on the back of a hurricane /
that started turning / when you were young” 

These songs were packed full of nostalgia and sentiment, and the Killers played them hard – like they really meant it.

But what exactly did they mean? This scope and sentimentality is grounded in Flowers’ belief in the fun of getting swept up in emotion – and the show Tuesday was fun and felt deeply authentic. With every fist-pumping suggestion of importance came a knowing grin and a semi-awkward but somehow-awesome robot-style dance move. Flowers didn’t take the songs -- or himself -- too seriously and that made the experience all the more joyful and freeing.

The set list drew on the band’s wide array of musical styles, but the overall performance never felt disjointed. The transition from the blippy synths of new song "Flesh and Bone" to the somber strings and soaring guitars of "Read My Mind" seemed natural. Each member has his own distinctive approach to playing; combined, they left an unmistakable Killers stamp on every song.

Guitarist Dave Keuning played his usual combination of U2-like echoing lead lines that danced around, highlighted, and contrasted the bass progression and chunky power chords that mimicked it. This was on full display in the pre-encore closer "All These Things That I’ve Done," where he kicked into a chugging, almost bluesy riff following a spiraling and melodic solo. 

The contrast between the two parts enhanced each, and as the bluesy riff built the crowd gained energy and momentum; their voices almost drowned out the band during what’s come to be the signature refrain of a Killers’ concert:

“I’ve got soul /
but I’m not a soldier”

Brandon conducted the crowd with the microphone stand, thrusting it into the air in synch with the snare hits; he looked like he was leading a parade.

Drummer Ronnie Vannucci, as usual, played hard and fast with a steady bass drum that anchored the songs in the band’s signature "dance-rock." Meanwhile, he was surprisingly varied and unpredictable with the rest of the kit, giving the music its propulsive energy. 

Even the borderline Euro-dance-pop of "Human" got an injection of twitchy and fervent vitality from a frenetic tom-drum-snare-high-hat groove.

Bassist Mark Stoermer has a style similar to Vannucci’s, combining rock solid sturdiness with surprising agility and incorporating complex counterpoint lines often left to a lead guitarist. That style was on display in his show-stopping Alt-Goth-Funk bass line of the first encore song "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" (I didn't invent that genre, Stoermer did when he wrote the line).

"Jenny…" is a fan favorite about a date ending in murder that manages to skirt tastelessness via the detached irony of Flowers’ vocals, which are bright and cutting and possess a charming quaver somewhere between apprehension and vibrato.

Before they tore into the final song of their encore, Flowers assumed a voice that’s part Elvis-impersonator, part-circus maestro: “We have one more song. We’re gonna play it as haaard as we can play it. Are you willing to receive it as haaard as you can receive it?” 

He grinned broadly; even the sexual energy and aggression of a rock star came across with an ironic twist. 

Aside from the requisite (and very un-ironic) screams from the female section, it was a funny and telling moment – he was letting everyone in on this secret joke, the acknowledgement that what was about to happen wasn’t really important, but was going to be a hell of a lot of fun.

Standing amongst the screaming and dancing fans, sweaty and out of breath, that felt very important to me.

The Killers
Sept 18, 2012
Paradise Theater

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