The Killers

The killers are boring. They don’t get on the local news. they aren’t known to be on drugs or divas (although Brandon Flowers is known as an asshole). They aren’t the most outrageous band. Which is why it makes it hard to blog about them. They aren’t in tabloid magazines. Screwing Britney Spears or punching the lead singer of some other band. So what else is there to do but give you a video of them live to look at!

I was probably too drunk to arrive on time. But I couldn’t wait to get in. I looked my cigarette and decided that it just wasn’t worth another drag. I put it out and we started to head for the stadium. Yeah, I said it… Stadium. Not even a real stadium, one of those stupid stadiums on college grounds where there are flyers for Joe Schmoe’s party after the show. Maybe the first band had played, I didn’t know. I got lost coming here, I don’t like colleges. It’s why I don’t go.

The Rapture came on and the sound of the dumb ass cow bell made my head hurt worse than ever. Me thinks The Rapture should get off the stage and go “experiment with their sound” a little more. I hate cow bells. This isn’t blue oyster cult. Nobody else likes this crap. Except the girl who is sitting in front of us. In the nose bleed seats. The ones where you don’t really feel all that connected with the band. This girl feels more than connected she is connected enough for the rest of us and continues to scream and sing along to the stupid songs that come from The Rapture. There is no smoking in the stadium, I smell pot.

Finally, my head stops pounding because the crappy band has left the stage. The girl who is sitting in front of us finally stops having seizures and yes for a moment I ponder her death. It’s not her fault really that she likes crappy music. It’s all of her friends and the first person who ever told her to download that one **REALLY** cool The Rapture song..

Crappy music is subjective really, I mean, I’m here to see The Killers. So, I am in no place to be shouting around my theoreticals on taste of music but… The Killers are better than The Rapture. Nobody convulses when The Killers come on stage. They just scream.

In was a pretty good venue with a horrible set. They should have played their bigger hits later instead of a big clump. there was definitely a climactic moment when their most famous of their new songs came on, words I didn’t even know. The the noise level rose quite a bit while all the fourteen year olds held their friends hand and jumped up and down like an NSYNC concert. And Brandon Flowers stole the limelight, nothing was shared, it was obvious that he was the lead and would much rather the band be called Flowers and inc.

The encore was horrible, I left, I was pissed, disappointed even. They had let me down. There were too many little girls waving their hands in the air singing along to Bones. There were too many middle aged women stealing the beer and pushing their boobs out to Mr. Brightside. I couldn’t get over it. The whole evening was ruined. I’m pretty sure I saw a prostitute too. She was checking me out.

ahh.. Remember the days when The killers gave you chills? The Good kind.

If you didn’t know the band mates of The Killers, your time has come. I will cordially introduce you to all that are a part of the magic.

Brandon Flowers-Voice, Keyboard
David Keuning-Guitars
Mark Stoermer-Bass
Ronnie Vannucci-Drums

You will hardly see bass player Mark. He is shunned in the corner, no light fixture illuminating his glorious talent. Just Brandon, all lights on Brandon people.

Killers pre-sale tickets went on sale on the 4th of this month so kill me, I’m a little late on the uptake. So if you live in Cleveland, Columbus, or Houston, buy tickets and go see a pretty good show.

Pre-sale, she-schmale, regular tickets go on sale tomorrow. Maybe I’m not so late after all.

You may not remember the way us underground music lovers, know every band before they land on MTV, super charming hipster crowd does but, there was a time when The Killers attracted a more concentrated demographic. This demographic didn’t contain 30 something women in torn hosiery or thirteen year old girl who had to keep their eyes on the time because the curfew is calling. This demographic consisted of the well, “underground music lovers who know every band before they hit MTV super charming hipster crowd” Before The Late Show and before Stadium seating, The Killers were a band on a select few myspace music lists. When did the change occur? I don’t know. I didn’t even really care until I was driving in my car one day and stopped at the light. Much to my demise sits two blonde girls in the car next to me. Both with three nails painted black, Ashlee Simpson clothes, singing along to lyrics from Sam’ s Town. “Well, I guess you’re just so hip!” I wanted to yell. but the light changed and I had places to be.

Sam’s Town in all honesty doesn’t even compare to the brilliance that was Hot Fuss. This was the album that was released the year prior, remember children? Every track on Hot fuss is simply a delicious piece of music being pummeled into my ears. It is like a jack hammer of beauty smacking me upside the head telling me to listen and love.

Maybe I am biased to the originality of Hot Fuss which undoubtedly stole the spotlight from Franz Ferdinand (who never could recover from The Killers topping their album) but Sam’s Town didn’t deliver for me. There were speculations from the underground hipster music lovers that Sams Town was simply released for two purposes, Stadium seating, and to give Brandon Flowers a larger ego. Well, flatter away I say because Brandon Flowers is quite the little egoist and deserves praise for being a wonderful performer but I don’t know if he would be getting his rocks off nearly as gleefully if he knew little Avril Lavignes were buying his album.

There have been times in my life when I am scrolling through my itunes (okay, Limewire!) list thinking that I have nothing new to listen to. Times when music just isn’t moving me. These are sad times. But from the first time I heard this Las Vegas based band my heart jumped. It isn’t that I relate to The Killers, I don’t. I don’t even know what their lyrics mean. I don’t think they are the most talented band in the world, and no, I don’t think they are really that hot. But there is one thing The Killers never leave me longing for… solid riffs that make me sing and dance.

Lead singer Brandon Flowers has a unique voice that sounds sometimes like he just needs to cough and get the phlegm out. But that is also part of the appeal. This raw sense of raspy sexiness. I like sexy, sexy is great. So this is a nod to a great band. Listen and learn.