Thursday, Feb. 05, 2009
The Killers at H.O.B.
The Killers show on Jan. 29 at the House of Blues in North Myrtle Beach was sold out well in advance, creating an in-demand concert ticket. When I pulled up, there were people roaming the parking lot down each aisle, begging for extra tickets. I even heard that they were going for $400 on eBay. The entrepreneurial side of me was put on hold as I had my eye on actually checking out the show.
As I walked into the overly crowded venue, looking for a place to stand that I could actually see the stage, openers M83 had just started. M83 is from France, and have been putting out records since 2001. I was only familiar with their 2005 album, "Before the Dawn Heals Us," but enjoyed that one a bit. Live, they were far better. Shoegaze pop done synth-pop style - the best of both worlds. They had a nice thick sound, and the stage was dark and atmospheric. Although on record M83 is solely Anthony Gonzalez, he had a full band with him. If you took bands like Sigur Ros, Cocteau Twins, and My Bloody Valentine (with less guitars), and added more pop hooks and danceable beats, you might have an idea of what this band is about. I was surprised to see that they went over very well with the audience, which judging from a scan around the room, looked frighteningly normal. It was just not interesting to people watch at all.
While the stagehands were getting ready for The Killers to go on, loading things on and off, and decorating the stage, I noticed something that bothered me. Why does HOB not close the curtains between bands anymore? It really ruins some of the vibe to see all the stage props and decorations before the band is ready to rock. It kind of leaves no room for a grand entrance, ya' know? Oh well.
Speaking of the stage: Before the band came out you could see already that it was going to be a very elaborate setup. There was a huge, fully lit keyboard stand in the shape of the letter K, the floor was zebra print, and there were bright lights everywhere, which screamed of The Killers' hometown, Las Vegas.
The lights dimmed, and a countdown came on the screen. As the lights came back on, The Killers were on stage and went straight into "Human,'' the first single off of new album "Day And Age." The screen behind the band had hearts and stereo speakers pumping along to the song, and the energy was very high, which made an excellent start. The second song was another new song, "Losing Touch." At that point I was really hoping that they wouldn't focus on the newest record. The song is a departure from their danceable rock and more on the cheesy '70s rock vein, which explains their latest fashion choices. I was a little relieved when they started playing "Somebody Told Me" off of "Hot Fuss," their best album, if you ask me. From that point on they started flip-flopping from new to old songs, and I started to enjoy the set more and more. Lead singer Brandon Flowers finally took off that stupid jacket he wears with the bird wings on it, which also made me happy.
They played "Smile Like You Mean It" which was the highlight for me, being that's my favorite Killers song. All the lights and big stage atmosphere gave the feeling of a real, legitimate rock show. At one point in the middle of the set, I swear I caught Flowers lip-synching. I can't be sure, but I saw him move away from the mike and the vocals just kept going. And no one was singing backup. Then later I saw it happen again. Do we have an Ashley Simpson on our hands? Regardless, the show was still fun, and The Killers put on a good show. For a few songs there was some major percussion going on, and even some sax. They were starting to sound like an emo Kool and The Gang, particularly in the songs "Joy Ride" and "I Can't Stay." Another highlight for me was the Joy Division cover "Shadowplay," where they had scenes from the movie "Control" playing on the screen. They ended the set with their hits "Mr. Brightside" and "All These Things That I've Done." For the encore, the band included "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine," and "When You Were Young."
In the beginning I was afraid that The Killers would only play new songs. While they did do a fair share, they also pretty much just played their whole catalog. So I think everyone left pretty happy that night.
