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Salt Lake City May 2,2005
The Deseret News
Killers deliver killer set of songs
When
the Killers took the Kingsbury Hall stage, they promised to
take the audience to "Midnight Show."
Although the concert ended two hours shy of the magic hour, the
audience and the band were screaming the anthemic chorus of the final
song "All These Things That I've Done" at the top of their lungs.
There's a lot of pressure on a band that headlines a tour on the
strength of a single album, namely "Hot Fuss." But the Killers
vocalist-keyboardist Brandon Flowers, guitarist Dave Keuning, bassist
Mark Stoermer and drummer Ronnie Vannucci cranked it up and added
a couple of surprises.
The Las Vegas-based neo glam band added "Indie Rock & Roll," from
the United Kingdom release of "Hot Fuss." The band also premiered a new
song, "Matthew," to the delight of the cheering audience.
Backed with a dazzling light show that included strobes, roving
stage lights and a chase-light speckled logo, the performance was a mix
of Devo, ABC, Duran Duran, U2 and the Beatles.
Flowers' frantic charisma kept the audience on its feet while
Keuning's clean leads and powerchord chugs steam-engined song such as
"Change Your Mind" and "Andy, You're a Star."
Stoermer and Vannucci thumped out a steady rhythms and jazzed
things up with syncopated mixes during the paranoia-laced "Jenny Was a
Friend of Mine," the dynamic "On Top" and the empowering "Smile Like You
Mean It."
The Killers surprised everyone and leaped into the dance club
favorite "Somebody Told Me" and the bouncy "Mr. Brightside" early.
Flowers' cutting vocal delivery and his new-wave, robotic movement
brought to mind bits of Billie Joe Armstrong from Green Day throughout
the set.
Opening the show were Tegan and Sara. The Canadian twins, whose
last name is Quin, were personable and played low-key, acoustic-laced
electric rock in the same lines as Japanese-pop punk.
"You Wouldn't Like Me" and "So Jealous" were a couple of the
highlights of the 45-minute set.
When the siblings harmonized, their voices were so alike that they
blended nicely on songs such as "I Bet It Stung" and the audience
favorite, "Walking with a Ghost."
By the time Tegan and Sara finished their set of catchy hooks and
head-bopping vocal delivery, the audience was primed and ready for the
Killers.
by scott Iwasaki
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