October 20, 2006
Kool Haus
Toronto, ON
by Leah Collins

Someone was making an, ahem, killing off of The Killers on Friday night. As the lineup to their Toronto show hugged the block around the Kool Haus complex, word from the scalpers was a ticket to the sold-out show was going for $400. For the desperate fans shelling out scads of cash they'd probably earmarked for their next lost weekend in Whitby, the night had better be worth it.

But as the crowd rolled in to the sold-out club, it seemed the night would never get started. As giddy high-schoolers stood shoulder to shoulder with lumbering rock jocks, the stench of Axe body spray and cheap beer was thick in the room. And after an hour-and-a-half of waiting, the packed warehouse finally had some musical relief when Tin Bangs appeared on stage.

The hometown band are more accustomed to headlining holes-in-the-wall than supporting chart-topping acts. Their confidence and musicianship would suggest otherwise, though. As for the content, it was definitely Killers lite. There was plenty of "Somebody Told Me"-style sexual ambiguity. Lead singer Ben Taylor introduced "He's So Pretty" with a dedication to the dudes, although he made it clear that every other song was for the ladies. And each glammy song sounded as though it would close with the chorus to "Smile Like You Mean It."

Thankfully, it wasn't long until the crowd heard the real thing. It was 10:45 when The Killers strolled on stage, appearing to the din of a gypsy soundtrack and mad applause. It was a little behind schedule, but, there was an entire set to assemble: wooden floorboards covered the stage, white lights blanketed two walls of speakers, multi-coloured pennants dangled from the rafters. There was a rhinestone-encrusted keyboard (mounted on a mirror ball, no less) to wheel out along with a piano outfitted with a pink neon "welcome" sign. The effect under the smoke and spotlights was equal parts big-top and used-car lot: the perfect setting for the faded Americana of The Killers' new album, Sam's Town. So, naturally, the eponymous first song off the record was the first song of the night.

As Brandon Flowers (decked out in a white jacket spangled with silver pixie dust and Col. Sanders tie) worked the stage with ringmaster bravado, the crowd was already shouting the lyrics. That's dedication, since the record's only been out for two weeks. By the time the band moved into top-40 territory — the second song was current single "When You Were Young," followed by "Somebody Told Me" — there were tears streaming down squealing faces and mini-riots erupting as crazed fans tried to storm the railing.

The set sampled heavily from Sam's Town, but The Killers don't play as though they think they're hipper than the songs that made them. And that, if anything, is refreshing. Creepy moustache aside, Flowers smiles so much he could be a pinch-hitter for the Osmonds. And it makes his performance disarmingly genuine — despite his melodramatic tendency to stalk the stage like a lounge lizard.

The set closed with "Mr. Brightside," and Flowers letting the overzealous mob take over on most of the vocals. The crowd shouted for more before the last band member (David Keuning, who was dolled up like a dead-ringer for Marc Bolan) disappeared into the wings. Naturally, they came right back, with the crowd-pleasing "All These Things That I've Done" rounding out the three-song encore. Shrouded in white light and smoke, Flowers towered on top of Ronnie Vannucci's drum set, the mic stand extended into the darkness as the house wailed the anthemic chorus. A second encore simmered things down as the band appeared again with the appropriately theatrical closer, "Exitlude."