Killing Me Softly
While Ventura County went "woof" (Californian brush fires are a fact of life here, but they take on a whole new worrying meaning when not only can you see and smell them, but also have several areas of the city under mandatory evacuation orders), yours truly and the S.O. headed off to deepest L.A. and the campus of USC to catch The Killers at the cavernous and pompously titled Los Angeles Memorial Sports Arena.
I was feeling pretty chuffed in getting to within spitting distance of the venue in just over an hour... somewhat less so when an hour and a half later we're still stuck on the Freeway off-ramp, meaning that we successfully miss the support band, The Felice Brothers. However, given that to these ears they come across as a poor man's transatlantic Mumford and Sons, this is probably no great loss.
Taking our position up in the cheap seats, the first impressions are that yes, this is a sports hall - at 17,000 capacity it's slightly larger than that of my alma mater - then again US universities seem more attuned to churning out athletes rather than scholars (it's more lucrative). It is also, like most multi-function venues, a vast barn of a building with the acoustical properties to match...
Now I'd first caught The Killers about four years ago at the all the more cosy confines of the SBB, but with the success of "Days & Age", the band are approaching stadium-rocker status and somewhat larger and impersonal venues will have to do.
With the crowd becoming impatient and every pause in the PA muzak being rewarded being wildly greeted with shrieks and applause, front man Brandon Flowers takes the stage for a solo rendition of "Enterlude" during which the rest of the band and touring entourage take to the stage and launching a blistering rendition of "When You Were Young". Cue everyone out of their seats (Seriously, seating at a gig... What is that all about?)
For the next 90 minutes or so the band treat us to a broad selection drawn equally from all their albums and while it's fair to say that their style has mellowed somewhat with the release of last years' "Battle Born" (or transformed into a cheesy power ballad pastiche of their former selves), live it's a different matter - these boys know how to put on a show. Most of the favourites are there, (no "Bones" mind... wibble), and there's a really good mix from their repertoire, which ensures that no one gets bored (although given the hysteria level generated this was always highly unlikely).
There's a welcome outing for their up-tempo cover ofJoy Division's "Shadowplay", which is as close as you'll get to dance to Joy Division this side of a Wombats' song. Unfortunately the band throw in an incredibly naff version of the Beach Boys' "California Girls" - no doubt to appease the locals, who are lapping up everything by now. Luckily though they redeem themselves with another "Sam's Town" classic in "Read my Mind".
The band provide us with a four track encore; a rousing version of "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine", "Mr Brightside" (the song which really launched The Killers Stateside and which was played to death on every "alternative" radio station at the time... to paraphrase, you could drive across L.A. and scanning through the dial always hear that bloody tune!), sandwiched by another bizarre cover, this time of Tommy James & the Shondells' "I Think We're Alone Now", with Brandon taking the opportunity to diss Tiffany at the same time (didn't your ma teach you some manners?), before wrapping up the show with "Battle Born".
I can't help having mixed emotions about this gig. It was a damn good show. Despite being one of rock's least demonstrative front men, Brandon Flowers knows how to get a crowd eating out of his hand. The band were incredibly tight and did their up most to battle the appalling acoustics (although the news from the more expensive seats was that it was like listening to a cheap - but - loud transistor radio).
I'd definitely recommend that if they're in a town near you, that you beg, steal or borrow a ticket, but I can't help but feel that was all a little impersonal - it felt like watching Glastonbury on TV. I guess that this is the natural progression for bands who are riding the wave... they end up migrating to Arena and then Stadium sized venues (but hey, watch out for the shore, lest you want to end up at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano).
Then again, most of the bands that I've watched and supported over the years never made it beyond the pub/club venue stage, so what do I know?
Now I'd first caught The Killers about four years ago at the all the more cosy confines of the SBB, but with the success of "Days & Age", the band are approaching stadium-rocker status and somewhat larger and impersonal venues will have to do.
With the crowd becoming impatient and every pause in the PA muzak being rewarded being wildly greeted with shrieks and applause, front man Brandon Flowers takes the stage for a solo rendition of "Enterlude" during which the rest of the band and touring entourage take to the stage and launching a blistering rendition of "When You Were Young". Cue everyone out of their seats (Seriously, seating at a gig... What is that all about?)
For the next 90 minutes or so the band treat us to a broad selection drawn equally from all their albums and while it's fair to say that their style has mellowed somewhat with the release of last years' "Battle Born" (or transformed into a cheesy power ballad pastiche of their former selves), live it's a different matter - these boys know how to put on a show. Most of the favourites are there, (no "Bones" mind... wibble), and there's a really good mix from their repertoire, which ensures that no one gets bored (although given the hysteria level generated this was always highly unlikely).
There's a welcome outing for their up-tempo cover ofJoy Division's "Shadowplay", which is as close as you'll get to dance to Joy Division this side of a Wombats' song. Unfortunately the band throw in an incredibly naff version of the Beach Boys' "California Girls" - no doubt to appease the locals, who are lapping up everything by now. Luckily though they redeem themselves with another "Sam's Town" classic in "Read my Mind".
The band provide us with a four track encore; a rousing version of "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine", "Mr Brightside" (the song which really launched The Killers Stateside and which was played to death on every "alternative" radio station at the time... to paraphrase, you could drive across L.A. and scanning through the dial always hear that bloody tune!), sandwiched by another bizarre cover, this time of Tommy James & the Shondells' "I Think We're Alone Now", with Brandon taking the opportunity to diss Tiffany at the same time (didn't your ma teach you some manners?), before wrapping up the show with "Battle Born".
I can't help having mixed emotions about this gig. It was a damn good show. Despite being one of rock's least demonstrative front men, Brandon Flowers knows how to get a crowd eating out of his hand. The band were incredibly tight and did their up most to battle the appalling acoustics (although the news from the more expensive seats was that it was like listening to a cheap - but - loud transistor radio).
I'd definitely recommend that if they're in a town near you, that you beg, steal or borrow a ticket, but I can't help but feel that was all a little impersonal - it felt like watching Glastonbury on TV. I guess that this is the natural progression for bands who are riding the wave... they end up migrating to Arena and then Stadium sized venues (but hey, watch out for the shore, lest you want to end up at the Coach House in San Juan Capistrano).
Then again, most of the bands that I've watched and supported over the years never made it beyond the pub/club venue stage, so what do I know?
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