Muziek.nl Interview June 8,2009

It is rare to see Brandon Flowers as happy as he was at Pink pop. Not even during the show by his band The Killers. No, perhaps the finest moment in the life of the singer arrived several hours later. Together with Bruce Springsteen and his legendary E Street Band, he sang "Thunder Road". So special, that the US media reported on it last week.

Months before then, many people agreed that The Killers would be good headliners for Pinkpop. Initially it was thought that the band would close out Monday's concert. This interview with Mark Stoermer took place just before the action at Pinkpop.

Mark is asked about how the billing with Springsteen came about.

I don't know the exact story. We were approached to play another day, but I don't know what day. Then we said if we don't headline, the only spot we want is to open for Bruce.

How important is Bruce Springsteen for The Killers?

That man is a legend. We are all big fans. Although Brandon is without a doubt the greatest fan in the band. To be honest, it's not often we have a band playing after us. We're the headliners at most festivals. At the same time, this was an opportunity that rarely comes along.

When it was announced that Bruce Springsteen would play at Pinkpop, there were a lot of comments saying he is too old for such a festival and that only old people listen to his music. Do you agree?

No. Bruce Springsteen transcends all age groups. He is without a doubt one of the greatest artists in music history.

If we are to believe Brandon, The Killers will soon be thought of the same way. He leaves no opportunity unused to say that The Killers are the greatest band in the world. What do you think?

We have come a long way and I ma extremely proud of what we have achieved. Now it's important that we maintain a certain level of quality. And get better as songwriters. There is still growth potential. We could become even more popular, but if that doesn't happen, it's not the end of the world. Personally, I find it more important to continue to deliver quality and not disappoint the fans. That's hard. When our second album "Sam's Town" was released, we lost many fans. On the other hand, we reached a whole new audience. Hopefully in the future we'll gain more fans than we lose (laughs).

A wider audience will also bring more pressure. 

It wouldn't bother me because the greatest pressure comes form ourselves. This has been since the start of the band, before we had a record deal. We played in a garage and wanted to play the best possible music. It's no different now. OK, there's more pressure from outside, but we're still our own biggest critics.

As the biggest critic, how is the band in recent years?

From the beginning we were very good at writing songs, but we've come very far. Compared with the early days, it's like a different band onstage now. We feel more at ease and have become better musicians.

You've done a club tour and now festivals. Which is better?

Festivals are a greater challenge than our sown show. The crowd isn't there just to see you. Most people know only a few or song or none at all. Those people you have to win over. If you're on a club tour, you're in your own safe world. Festivals get you out of your element and get you more grounded. It's more of the real world.

http://www.thekillersfansite.com

Thanks to Sam for the flashing K