When The Killers burst onto the scene in 2004 with their auspicious debut album 'Hot Fuss', it would have been a little farfetched to imagine that 20 years down the line, they'd be packing Australian arenas on their first tour since wrapping up a massive 2024 residency in hometown Las Vegas in honour of that first record.
I, for one, certainly didn't see it coming – particularly after seeing their pretty average Enmore Theatre show back in 2004, where I felt they lacked the stage presence and depth that the melodrama and musicianship of the recorded album delivered.However, by 2006, with the release of 'Sam's Town', I was a card-carrying member of the church of Brandon Flowers and gang.
Tonight (6 December), their first of two Sydney gigs, they would play a greatest hits set based on 2023's 'Rebel Diamonds' collection, which covered their seven studio albums as well as what was kept from their aborted eighth set. The following night they'd play the 'Hot Fuss' set.
Image © Chris Phelps
While greatest hits sets may forever pale in comparison to the GOAT – Taylor Swift's 'Eras' tour, of course – tonight was pure joy, with a set that heavily leaned on 'Hot Fuss' and a couple of covers thrown.
What was anything but a pure joy is the nightmare that is getting in and out of Qudos Bank Arena – or anywhere at Olympic Park, to be honest. Heading in, bags needed to be checked, which was fine (but a small tote bag with my work laptop was a bit much, on top of what most people had paid for tickets).
Then I was informed a photo of my ID wasn't sufficient ID for retrieving tickets from the box office, so it was back to the bag check to retrieve a licence. Security also inspected said bag, even though it wasn't going into the venue. Then another security checkpoint, before the ticketing gate. So, sadly I can't tell you how good opener 'Read My Mind' or 'Somebody Told Me' was, but it sounded alright while attempting to get in nonetheless.
Flowers, resplendent in a sparkling suit and black satin shirt that was part Vegas showman, part young Neil Diamond, strutted around the large stage with all the drama their 2004 show did not have, and there were some early highlights: 'Spaceman', 'Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine' and 'Smile Like You Mean It' rounded out the upbeat early third of the set.
Image © Chris Phelps
Interestingly, despite playing under a neon sign emblazoned with 'Rebel Diamonds', they whipped out a song from their first greatest hits album – 2013's 'Direct Hits' – in the anthemic 'Shot At The Night', which ushered in a mellower section of the show.
While plenty of punters chose this as an ample time to go to the bar or the bathroom, there were still a lot of phone cameras in the air capturing clips. It's clear that despite their huge early success, their enduring career has brought along new fans with each release.
'Hot Fuss' broody tune 'On Top' was a highlight of this section for me, however, as was 'The Man' – those two songs sandwiched by some of the lesser impactful numbers of the night ('Dying Breed', 'A Dustland Fairytale' among them).
When Flowers paused after 'Be Still' to tell the crowd playfully it was time for them to pick it up a notch, the third and final act of this 22-song set had begun; and it kicked off in a brilliant way, with what I believe is one of their finest songs – 'Runaways' from 2012's 'Battle Born', an album that received some pretty harsh judgment at the time. Not surprisingly, it was barely represented in tonight's set.
Image © Chris Phelps
For me, the moment of the night was getting 'All These Things That I've Done' and 'When You Were Young' back to back; the former, the third 'Hot Fuss' single is their most epic, and forms a kind of first half to a two-part play, along with the latter, 'Sam's Town''s first single. I'm not sure in the ten-ish times I've seen the band play since both records have been out that I've seen them rolled out back-to-back.
Playing expertly into the local crowd's hands, the last song before an encore was a scintillating rendition of INXS's 'Don't Change'.
Interestingly, a day earlier Superchunk's frontman and Merge Records co-founder Mac McCaughan [stay tuned for that article this week] had told me what an impact INXS had had on him growing up, hearing them on US college radio for the first time. It gave me a new perspective on the band, and what an influence they'd had on American musicians – including, evidently, the Killers.
By this stage, the seated crowd were largely on their feet, yet a fair few sat down once again for the next few tunes: 'Your Side Of Town', 'Boy' from that scrapped eighth record, and a cover of Erasure's 'A Little Respect'.
Image © Chris Phelps
However, everyone was up again for 'Human', which seamlessly flowed into the dreamy, electronica of Jacques Lu Cont's mix of 'Mr Brightside' (and if you haven't heard it, do highly recommend).
As has been the band's way, it was a teaser, before they launched into the hit in full, which was always going to be the closer, once it was clear they weren't dropping it in the main set.
It was a fitting way to end, as people flooded the merch tent or filed out for trains and cars, which again proved to be somewhat of an ordeal. At least the trains were running this time, unlike when tens of thousands of people were left stranded following the Matildas' World Cup loss to England in August last year.
While it may not have been, personally, the absolute best Killers show I've seen – they do set the bar high – it's always a joy and a spectacle, and we imagine those who filled our seats the following night had just as fun a night. Inside the arena, at least.
