The Killers - Wonderful Wonderful - Live 2017

The Killers Live 2017

Image by: The Killer Stroke via Flikr.com

     Almost a week later since seeing The Killers perform at the Birmingham Genting Arena on 06/11/17, I still find myself having their music stuck in my head, their best track performances on a loop. That to me speaks volumes on how fantastic they are live and I would do anything to see them perform again as it has taken 14 years for me to see them live already. Unfortunately, pictures of the concert will not be included in this post.

14 Years Ago

     I've been a fan of The Killers ever since I was 10/11 years old with the release of Mr Brightside in 2003. It was a time where I began to shape my music tastes with Indie Rock being my go-to genre. Kaiser Chiefs and Franz Ferdinand were also notable favourites of mine at this time. Hot Fuss (2004) was one of my first albums that wasn't pop based or a Now compilation and was played on repeat to no end. I remember 'Somebody Told Me' being played at school events and on the radio and knew they were destined to be a high profile band. Thus, I eagerly awaited the arrival of Sam's Town (2006) and it did not disappoint - it is my favourite album of their career with stand out tracks such as, 'When You Were Young' and 'For Reasons Unknown'. They had revamped their look and represented their roots of living in Nevada which also came across in music videos. Although I am incredibly grateful that I have finally seen them live, if I could have seen any tour of their's, it would have been this one. Day & Age (2008) was the last album I purchased, it had a different sound but had some great tracks nonetheless like, 'Human' and 'I Can't Stay'. After this time, my music tastes changed and I began listening to more alternative and what is known as 'emo' music such as 'My Chemical Romance' and 'Paramore'. The Killers were still a part of my life but took more of a backseat. 

     My mom was lucky enough to see Brandon and Co perform at Hyde Park in London earlier this year where she bought me an exclusive t-shirt, always wishing that I could have gone with her. So when I found out that she had surprised me with arena tour tickets, I was elated and couldn't wait for the date to arrive. It was time for 10/11 year old me to come out of my cage and relive my childhood/early teenage years. 

The Concert

     The Killers kicked off their UK tour opening with  'Wonderful Wonderful' from the latest album of the same name; I was already blown away by Brandon Flowers' stunning vocals. Now, prior to this tour I had not listened to The Killers current album, so listening to new music and enjoying it from the start was like a breath of fresh air. Only now after listening to their newer tracks, had I wished that I can see them again to appreciate their latest music even more so. All of their latest album tracks were also accompanied by gorgeous cinematic images on stage that assisted the audience in understanding the meaning behind the words and for me, created a wonderful immersive effect. That being said, the staging, lighting and visual effects were fantastic, but may have also been helped by being in great seats that took in the entire stage. Neon lights were a main feature along with a desert water tower that represented Las Vegas, situated in non-other than the bands home town of Nevada that really shined through in another new album track titled, 'The Man'.

Image by: Bea. In a dustland via Flikr.com

     When obvious crowd favourites were played the atmosphere was electric, helped by front-man Brandon Flowers incredible energy during hit songs like, 'Spaceman' and 'Somebody Told Me', In fact, the entire set-list had me overwhelmed especially music that was completely unexpected. Personally a phenomenal unreleased track from Sam's Town named 'This River Is Wild' was my best performance of the night, such a great song and sang with such emotion that I could have almost cried in delight as I sang along - I mentioned previously about wanting to have seen the Sam's Town tour and this song is a reason why. This is the song that won't leave my head. Brandon sings with such passion that I would often forget that I was sat in an arena and not a smaller venue like Birmingham 02 - as a result, 'Smile Like You Mean It' gave me chills not only due to sound but my own interpretations of the track, which holds something close to me. The encore was wild, playing everyone's end of the night club favourite, and my starting point with the band, 'Mr Brightside'. To hear this live was like something else entirely as the whole venue was on its feet and loving life, sparklers erupting and confetti falling from the ceiling turned the night in one big party. I didn't want it to end.

     There's no doubt that this concert is up there in my top five live performances, standing proudly alongside the Foo Fighters and Paramore. If you were to close your eyes, it was like listening to an album but obviously on a much grander and in my opinion, better scale. I am also glad that I had the privilege of attending on the first Birmingham tour date, as the second date didn't even compare in terms of the set-list. For me, The Killers were a 5 star event and if given the opportunity, I would definitely go again.

- What's your favourite track?

-The Killers UK Tour Ends 28/11/17

*The Killers- Wonderful Wonderful - Out Now*