Killers review
July 18, 2004
By: Jessica Eyre

DAILY HERALD (Utah County)

Wild horses wouldn't have been able to drag the four members of The Killers back into Salt Lake City's Lo-fi Café for an encore on Thursday night.

From the beginning of the show, with opening bands Mellowdrone and Evening, the heat was oppressive and cool air from overhead vents didn't have a chance. And all the bottled water in the world couldn't provide what an open window or fan could have.

By the time The Killers took the stage for their 45-minute set, most people near the stage had already sweat through their shirts, and it wasn't much better in the back.

But fortunately for concertgoers, suffering through the high temperatures was worth it when The Killers spit out their surprisingly big sound with "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine."

Frontman Brandon Flowers shed his signature suit jacket for one song before slipping back into it, all the while wiping the dripping sweat from his face.

The band's energy was high. Drummer Ronnie Vannucci could barely keep himself behind his kit, many times jumping up to his own beat.

Flowers has soul. He's a great entertainer, performing songs as though he were having an intense conversation with the audience. It was as if he were on stage giving a monologue -- with hand gestures, arm waves and facial expressions -- putting his personality to the songs and lyrics.

Occasionally during the concert, Flowers pulled double duty as a singer and a keyboardist, producing electronic sounds or playing the catchy lines that often identify songs. (Flowers barely got out the first few notes of "On Top" before the crowd nearly drowned him out.)

The group played most songs off their debut album "Hot Fuss," including their current single, "Somebody Told Me."

Aside from the heat, the Lo-fi Café isn't a bad place for a concert. The space is oblong, with a 3-foot stage on the far end. The floor is tiered, and the only bad spot is behind the two support beams, but they're easy to avoid.

The scale of this concert was great because concertgoers are in the vicinity of the performers. So when Flowers raised an eyebrow on a line such as "Pace yourself for me / I said, Maybe, baby. Please," everyone saw it.

While it was fun to see The Killers in the beginning of their U.S. tour, it will be that much better to see them on a bigger stage for more than 45 minutes -- because their show is killer.

And though there was no encore, we won't hold a grudge. It was great to get out of the heat and into the summer night air.