The Killers perform at Lollapalooza

The Las Vegas boys know how to put on a show!

The Killers set up the sold out Lollapalooza crowd for a hit filled, high energy show when they kicked off their headlining set with their mega-hit “Mr. Brightside”, off their debut album “Hot Fuzz”. The crowd erupted into a dance party that continued throughout the show, making The Killers set at Lollapalooza one of the most fun in years. Equally as impressive as the bands ability to command a crowd was their sheer musicianship. Drummer, Ronnie Vannucci Jr., proved that he is a serious heavy hitter, anchoring the fast paced set as guitarist, Dave Keuning, shredded in an exquisite way that we haven't seen since the early nineties.

Past influences could be detected throughout the night as The Killers plowed through a number of covers. First up was “I Think We're Alone Now”, Flowers noting that pop star Tiffany stole the song from Tommy James & the Shondell's announcing that, “We're here to take it back.” Later in the set, The Killers put their spin on the old standard, “My Kind of Town”, infusing the Sinatra classic with modern sports references and of course, a shout out to Lollapalooza. The greatest moment of the past co-mingling with the present was when Bernard Sumner of New Order joined the headliners on stage for “Shadowplay”, a cover of New Order's predecessor Joy Division. Singer, Brandon Flowers, seemed genuinely in awe of playing with Sumner and the crowd reveled in the moment.

Brandon Flowers subscribes to the Bruce Springsteen school of showmanship, leaving it all on the stage and having a great time doing it. Flowers sounded fantastic and had the crowd in the palm of his hand, leading them in chants of “I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier” during “All These Things That I've Done” and making sure that everyone brought their dancing shoes for “From Here On Out” off of their 2012 album, “Battle Born”. As the night came to a close, Flowers playfully taunted the crowd asking, “Did we forget to play anything?” After hearing a single, very telling, guitar note, the crowd broke out into applause and joined Flowers in a sing-a-long of “When You Were Young”, bringing the night to a euphoric end.

With their second headlining set at Lollapalooza, The Killers have solidified their status as modern rock gods. Their songs excel at storytelling and have a depth that most bands don't dare to explore. With their keen hit-making ability, The Killers are going to have a long, rich career that like a fine wine will get even better with time.

Full Setlist

Mr. Brightside

Spaceman

The Way It Was

Smile Like You Mean It

Bling (Confession of a King)

(with 'Human' piano intro)

Shadowplay

(Joy Division cover) (with Bernard Sumner)

Miss Atomic Bomb

Human

Somebody Told Me

I Think We're Alone Now

(Tommy James & the Shondells cover)

For Reasons Unknown

From Here On Out

A Dustland Fairytale

My Kind of Town

(Frank Sinatra cover) 

Read My Mind

Runaways

All These Things That I've Done

When You Were Young