The Killers-Fansite

When the Killers stormed L.A.'s Wiltern LG for a pair of gigs last October, it was plainly evident that the stylish Las Vegans had outgrown the midsize venues they were accustomed to playing.

Conjuring a vast sonic expanse to support the group's simple but infectiously anthemic tunes – and enveloping themselves in a faux-Western motif to enhance the scenery of its second album, "Sam's Town" – the quartet revealed a rousing show tailor-made for arenas. It needed polishing and at least a half-hour more material to really feel like the proper vehicle to make a major-scale leap, but it nonetheless seemed destined to wow a whole new generation of concert-goers once a bigger tour was underway.

That last part surely came true during the Killers' sold-out Staples Center performance Monday night. There's a reason why the band has become so popular in such a relatively short time, and it's hardly because the Killers are so much better than their peers, as lead singer Brandon Flowers enjoys claiming. It's because the glitzy quartet has a knack for uncomplicated, soaring, sometimes soul-edifying choruses.

While other young outfits grapple with identity crises or strain to reinvent the rock 'n' roll wheel, the Killers merely refer to U2's hook-'em-in playbook. "Bones," "When You Were Young," "Mr. Brightside," "Somebody Told Me," "All These Things That I've Done" – the number of inescapable, chant-worthy hits the group has already amassed is impressive indeed.

No wonder a much-maligned critical stumble like "Sam's Town" hasn't stemmed the tide of fans now rabid about the group's music. And all ages, too: The thirtysomethings to my left were leaping about as excitedly as the teenage girl behind me, who amazingly didn't realize "Somebody Told Me" – the band's first single – was a Killers song.

Yet if remodeled Flowers and friends seem locked into U2's trajectory with monorail-like momentum, they are nonetheless several years away from measuring up to even the weakest effort from that towering influence. Just because they now play upon U2's stage doesn't mean they have the slightest idea what to do there.

Problem No. 1, and it's a huge obstacle that must be overcome immediately: The band and its sound engineers have absolutely no idea how to properly blend and balance the blow-ya-back force of its synthetic rock.

Flowers' beds of sustained keyboard chords – sometimes doubled in strength by an auxiliary member, other times tape-tracked so he can sing unchained – are partly what separate the Killers' Big '80s rehash from the neo-new-wave approach of so many other bands today. But it can no more be the dominant sound than Dave Keuning's chugging, heavily distorted guitar riffs. And when both are overcranked, as was often the case here, the wash of fuzz can obliterate everything in its path.

Indeed, for much of the set – especially during "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" and "Smile Like You Mean It" – Flowers came off as if he were singing beside a jet engine, when so many of the band's songs (and those in particular) call for a cleaner, less in-your-face approach. Nuance, it seems, has flown right past these gents; it was only when Flowers would plunk down at his upright piano that his vocals would come through clearly.

With two exceptions, I should add: "Read My Mind," the best song off "Sam's Town," and "All These Things That I've Done," one of the most effective sing-alongs this decade, were head and shoulders better than anything else they delivered during this slightly expanded replay of those Wiltern shows, replete with a sloppy "Indie Rock 'n' Roll" (retire it, guys) and a Bowie cover tacked onto the end of "My List."

Those standouts were bell-like, the swooping melody of "Read My Mind" bolstered by bittersweet chording. But that's still only two great tracks among an hour of catchy but less overwhelming matter. Therein lies another weakness with the Killers right now: They draw by the tens of thousands every night (including a sold-out stop Tuesday at San Diego's Rimac Arena), yet they don't have enough would-be classic material yet to flesh out a riveting arena show.

Nor do they have enough charisma. Flowers is a refreshing departure from central-casting frontmen; his arch, dapper manner can become unexpectedly compelling when a heavy blast overtakes him, causing his diminutive frame to spasm. But at no point during the Killers' 90-minute set did I feel like he had the crowd in the palm of his hand – not the way My Chemical Romance's Gerard Way did recently at the Forum.

It takes more than a handful of songs and a red-draped set to make for a superb large-scale attraction. My Chem isn't fully there any more than the Killers are, but it at least has a leader wisely drawing inspiration from Freddie Mercury. The Killers merely have red, white and blue confetti showering the stage and "Joshua Tree"-dour black-and-white photography as a lead-in.

It makes some kind of sense that a complete unknown would open for the group whose singer likes to talk so much smack about other bands – after all, who else would dare? But I feel sorry for Howling Bells, a solid new outfit from Sydney, Australia, which received an undeservedly chilly reception.

That probably had much to do with timing, as the restless crowd had already suffered through colorless tripe from some other faceless band whose name I didn't catch. They were hungry for the real thing when Howling Bells emerged with a sound that streamlines PJ Harvey's grittier style, then tops it with Juanita Stein's vocals, eerily reminiscent of Siouxsie Sioux's.

Stein rose above the audience's indifference, cleverly mocking their stony silence without resorting to juvenile taunting. Yet ultimately the group probably made no lasting impact – a shame, for though it's far from great, it's certainly seems off to a strong start.

But the Vegas-based band has the same relationship to the originals that Caesars Palace has to ancient Rome and Paris Las Vegas has to Paris, France: They take the most easily recognizable aspects, expand them and strip them of all context and soul. They can write these big, anthemic arena-sized melodies, but the emotions behind them are small and bloodless. It takes more than a couple of references to fairgrounds and cars to turn "This River Is Wild" into convincing Springsteen-styled Americana. And guitarist Dave Keuning can layer on all the Edge-y harmonic fifths he wants, and Brandon Flowers can strain his voice while singing "the devil's water/it ain't so sweet," but there's no way it will sound Bono-fide.

Bookending the 90-minute show with the ponderously titled "enterlude" and "exitlude," ("it's good to have you with us, even if it's just for a day") and reprising the self-consciously poetic refrain from "Read My Mind" ("The good old days, the honest man/The restless heart, the Promised Land") attempt to give the evening a conceptual coherence it doesn't earn -- the staging seems more concerned with how much confetti it can pump out.

The band's weaknesses are most glaring on their cover of Joy Division's "Shadowplay," which falls laughably short of the original. And "Glamorous Indie Rock and Roll" is a mirthless parody, the work of someone who feels the need to lash out at the cool kids who have excluded him. He can try all he wants, but a show this pompous and empty-headed is never going to get their attention.

The Killers slay LA crowd

Las Vegas rockers sell out massive arena

The Killers played a sold-out show at the massive Los Angeles Staples Center last night (April 9).

Kicking things off with an elaborate light show and an explosion of confetti, the Las Vegas quartet started off their set with the three opening tracks from their latest album, 'Sam's Town'.

Frontman Brandon Flowers looked dapper in a dark suit, and kept between-song banter to a minimum.

"LA! LA! LA!" he shouted to the 20,000-strong crowd before launching into the band's hit single 'When You Were Young'.

A large sign reading 'Sam's Town' hung over the top of the stage, and beneath it another sign said 'Welcome'.

Despite the band's minimal crowd interaction, the audience ate it up, pumping their fists into the air and singing at the top of their lungs to hits including 'Mr Brightside' and 'Bones'.

The band said their first goodnight after the hour-and-a-half set, but quickly gave in to the crowd's hollers for more.

The Killers' first encore included 'For Reasons Unknown' with Flowers wailing on keyboards, and the uplifting crowd-pleaser 'All These Things That I've Done'.

But they didn't end there. The band soon returned for a second encore to perform 'Exiltude' -- the farewell song from 'Sam's Town' -- and a rousing repeat of 'When You Were Young'

The Killers bury themselves alive

Review: The Killers drowned their first SoCal arena show in a flood of synth and guitar fuzz.

The Killers slay LA crowd

Las Vegas rockers sell out massive arena