Las Vegas Celebrity club August,23 2006
Las Vegas Review Journal


The Killers dream big and deliver

Band debuts songs at club

The aspirations were big, the bass lines were bigger, and the man clutching his chest, flush with confidence, seemed to outsize them all.

"I know that I can make it," Brandon Flowers sang authoritatively over rhythms that could be felt in the chest. "As long as somebody brings me home."

Of course, for Flowers' band, The Killers, home is right here in Las Vegas, a city that disavows limits on pretty much everything and treats moderation like an unwelcome house guest.

This is The Killers' muse.

You can hear it in their tunes, which have stars in their eyes and ambitions as grand as any of The Strip's architectural flights of fancy.

A town like this isn't about bringing anyone down to earth, and amidst all the larger-than-life trappings of Las Vegas, The Killers have seemingly challenged themselves to outstrip them all.

Because of this, some critics have been put off by the band's lofty aims and healthy self-esteem, which Flowers is never afraid of putting into words. (Flowers on The Killers' forthcoming sophomore disc, "Sam's Town": "This album is one of the best albums in the past 20 years," he told MTV News.com earlier this year).

Others are drawn to the band's brashness.

But it's best to ignore both camps and just let The Killers do what they do better than most: inspire rock fans to dance again.

There were plenty of bodies in motion when The Killers packed the Celebrity on Wednesday night to debut a handful of selections from their hotly-anticipated new disc.

The free show, sponsored by the Myspace Web site, drew long lines of fans that spanned city blocks. Dozens were turned away after the club reached capacity, while others got tired of the hourlong wait to get into Celebrity and gave up.

But those who managed to press themselves into the club paid witness to a band that's beginning to make good on all the hot talk that has enveloped the second album.

On a stage festooned with sagebrush and blinking Christmas lights, the band premiered a clutch of new tunes that felt broader in scope than the earlier songs, ripe with nonlinear arrangements and an emphasis on texture as well as the skyscraper hooks that helped the group go platinum.

The Killers dug into their latest single, "When You Were Young," with particular vigor, throttling from twinkling keys to full-bodied guitars that had the crowd pumping fists in the air.

And then there was the brooding "Bling," driven by ricocheting synth lines and some particularly heavy-handed drumming from Ronnie Vannucci.

"Bones" paired what sounded like a sampled horn section with whirring synth.

"My List" mingled a domineering bass line with a "We Will Rock You" beat, sounding like a nouveau Queen tune.

The Killers delved into their back catalog as well, intermingling hits like the show-ending "Mr Brightside" with "Hot Fuss" album cuts like "Midnight Show."

As these numbers re-emphasized, The Killers are fond of climactic moments and arch gestures.

They stuff their tunes with melodrama, which takes on a physical dimension on stage: Flowers strangles his mic stand, wags a finger at the crowd and sings with his arms outstretched like a preacher testifying to the powers of arena rock bluster.

It all adds a sweaty, visceral edge to the band's repertoire. Unlike dancefloor-minded acts of the past -- groups like New Order and Depeche Mode, whose sound could border on the clinical at times -- The Killers dirty up the proceedings with David Keuning's buzzing guitar and Flowers' lively, lived-in voice.

It's made The Killers stars, and at Celebrity, they seemed to be pushing hard against the bounds of their sound, striving for something more.

"Dreams aren't what they used to be," Flowers sang during a heated take on "Smile Like You Mean It," closing his eyes for a moment to imagine something bigger.

by Jason Bracelin.