Los Angeles April 16,2005

 THE KILLERS
at the Wiltern, April 16

I'll save you a minute by announcing right now that the Killers' show gets the big thumbs up -and beforehand I was mainly a fan of their name. The Killers are not doing anything remotely new, and having a (ponytailed!) Jed the Fish introduce the band - as he might have done for the Furs or Gang of Four 20 years ago - only highlighted the show's throwback factor. But of all the neo-wavers out there, the Killers are the trustworthiest stewards of history: undeniably talented, respectful but not slavish.

As Vegas natives, they're also heavily inspired by Rat Pack style and Elvis absurdity. (''Viva Las Vegas'' played over the PA before they took the stage.) Wearing a tux and bow tie, singer-keyboardist Brandon Flowers tossed the mike stand like a proper crooner, flaunting a minutely controlled voice that, remarkably, hits the high notes without ever breaking into falsetto. Guitarist David Keuning nods to the Edge with intuitively simple ''solos,''while drummer Ronnie Vannucci proves that it's possible to mimic a drum machine with real humanity. In fact, through a roughly one-hour set heavy on hits from Hot Fuss, including the triumphant chorus of ''All These Things That I've Done'' - where the entire theater shouted, ''I got soul but I’m not a soldier'' - the Killers proved that, unlike most of their contemporaries, they grok the emotional vulnerability and youthful confusion that made synth-rock compelling in the first place.

-Kate Sullivan