Saddledome, Calgary - May 24, 2007

 

By TARA MERRIN - Sun Media

 

http://jam.canoe.ca/Music/Artists/K/Killers_The/ConcertReviews/2007/05/25/kil.jpg

 

 

NOTE: Please read the whole review before judging. It looks quite negative at the beginning but it ends up being positive.

 

 

CALGARY - No photographers, please.

 

When news broke no cameras would be allowed into The Killers' show at the Saddledome last night, some bright red flags went up.

 

Did the Las Vegas rockers have something to hide? Do they have stand-in doubles for their videos? Were they afraid a simple close-up of their teeth would reveal they are not actually British?

 

As it turns out, the answer to all the above was no, leaving only one reasonable explanation: The Killers must think they are bigger than they really are. And, after seeing last night's strobe and confetti-filled show, it's not hard to understand why.

 

While The Killers' music is about as deep as the '80s disco-rock it's obviously influenced by, the band does have reason to be a tad big-headed. After all, this is the same group who music critics love to compare to The Cure, Depeche Mode, Duran Duran, Bruce Springsteen and even U2. (All of whom allow photographers into their concerts.)

 

And, on top of that, they actually are very good live.

 

 

Last night, with a touch of '80s glam and some entertaining grandstanding, The Killers delivered a fun, high-energy, fast-paced 90 minute set, filled with tunes from their first two CDs, Hot Fuss and Sam's Town.

 

Dressed in black and sparkly ruby boots, frontman Brandon Flowers, recovering from bronchitis, was in good voice. (The poor sound system was typical for a 'Dome show).

 

As he pounded through close to 20 tunes, including Somebody Told Me, When You Were Young, Bones and Mr. Brightside, the singer appeared to be enjoying himself -- a feeling that rubbed off on the 12,000 fans at the show.

 

Guitarist Dave Keuning, not wanting to go unnoticed, stole some of the attention from the band's charismatic lead with an impressive solo and some skilled riffs during Jenny Was A Friend of Mine and Uncle Jonny.

 

Yes, it was '80s disco-rock at its finest. But, when it comes to The Killers, it might be best to hold off on the whole U2 comparisons -- at least for now.

 

As for their clones Hot, Hot Heat, the Victoria indie rockers who opened the show, apparently video did not kill the radio star.

 

And that is not an insult.

 

 

Source

 

Now here's a negative review of the same show

 

Killers rip through Town with flashy but empty set

Frontman Flowers lacked charisma, and band missing the juice to slay this crowd

Sandra Sperounes, The Edmonton Journal

 

Published: Thursday, May 24, 2007

EDMONTON - Welcome to Sam's Town - population 12,000.

 

It's a dark, flashy place, run by four Killers armed with disco-rock tempos, bombastic guitar riffs and lyrics about redemption.

 

Incompetent sound guys are welcome, but not photographers.

 

Hence, no pictures of Wednesday's strobe and confetti extravaganza at Rexall Place.

 

Cellphones, however, were allowed, so there's bound to be a few clips of When You Were Young, Read My Mind or Smile Like You Mean It on YouTube.com.

 

I'm not sure why the Las Vegas rockers shunned photographers -- and most newspaper interviews.

 

It wasn't as if frontman Brandon Flowers gained 300 pounds or sounded like a man suffering from bronchitis.

 

(The Killers were forced to cancel three shows last week due to the singer's sickness.)

 

His voice, which ranged from deep and devilish to a quivering Roy Orbison, was the least of their worries.

 

The sound mix in Rexall was horrendous -- the equivalent of listening to songs through a muffler -- thereby burying most of the group's wonderful little nuances. (Such as the horns on Bones.)

 

Even Dave Keuning's serrated, Johnny Marr-style guitars on Jenny Was A Friend of Mine and Uncle Jonny -- seemed duller than usual, coated with layers of garbled noise.

 

While those two songs are reminscent of The Smiths, The Killers so desperately want to be U2 and Depeche Mode, going as far as using the same producers on their latest album, Sam's Town.

 

Their disc is a solid, four-star affair, but Flowers still has a lot of work to do if he wants to be compared to U2's Bono or Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan.

 

As is stands, Flowers doesn't possess much charisma.

 

He went through all the motions, but he didn't try to build a connection with the crowd.

 

At least not during the first 45 minutes of the show, which saw the foursome rip through most of their biggest songs -- which were often interspersed with awkward pauses as the stage lights dimmed and the Killers readied themselves for their next number.

 

Due to deadlines, I had to leave after their eighth song -- Read My Mind -- but it didn't feel like the Killers had much left in the tank to slay the crowd.

 

(Except, perhaps, for Mr. Brightside, All These Things That I've Done and some more glittery confetti.)

 

Victoria's Hot Hot Heat were competent, but not compelling, openers.

 

Frontman Steve Bays tried his best while performing some of the group's older dance-rock numbers -- Bandages and Talk To Me, Dance With Me -- but he was stuck behind his keyboards for much of the group's 40-minute set.

 

His bandmates didn't offer much help, nor did Hot Hot Heat's latest batch of songs, from their next record, Happiness Ltd., due in September.

 

Ever since 2005's Elevator, Bays is trying to prove himself as a singer, ditching his trademark herky-jerky, half-talking vocal stylings.

 

It's a bad move.

 

His yelps and intricate wordplay are what sets Bays and Hot Hot Heat apart.

 

All they really need is a keyboard player to give their frontman room to roam.

 

Source

 

 

 

Now here's a negative review of the same show

 

Killers rip through Town with flashy but empty set

Frontman Flowers lacked charisma, and band missing the juice to slay this crowd

Sandra Sperounes, The Edmonton Journal

 

Published: Thursday, May 24, 2007

EDMONTON - Welcome to Sam's Town - population 12,000.

 

 

While those two songs are reminscent of The Smiths, The Killers so desperately want to be U2 and Depeche Mode, going as far as using the same producers on their latest album, Sam's Town.

 

Their disc is a solid, four-star affair, but Flowers still has a lot of work to do if he wants to be compared to U2's Bono or Depeche Mode's Dave Gahan.

 

As is stands, Flowers doesn't possess much charisma.

 

Due to deadlines, I had to leave after their eighth song -- Read My Mind -- but it didn't feel like the Killers had much left in the tank to slay the crowd.

 

(Except, perhaps, for Mr. Brightside, All These Things That I've Done and some more glittery confetti.)

 

i know i'm biased but i don't think this review is very fair if the reviewer left half way through the show, also i don't think it's the case that the band "desperately want to be U2 and Depeche Mode" at all, they are obviously influenced by these bands and their music reflects this but i'm not sure they "desperately" want to be them?!

 

i wonder why no photographers though?

Edited May 29, 200718 yr by Azro

i know i'm biased but i don't think this review is very fair if the reviewer left half way through the show, also i don't think it's the case that the band "desperately want to be U2 and Depeche Mode" at all, they are obviously influenced by these bands and their music reflects this but i'm not sure they "desperately" want to be them?!

 

i wonder why no photographers though?

 

That was weird, to be honest, but they must have their reasosn... and it's completely unfair to say they desperately want to be U2 or Depeche Mode. Just because they said they are influenced by them, now every journalist love to say they are trying to be like them.

That was weird, to be honest, but they must have their reasosn... and it's completely unfair to say they desperately want to be U2 or Depeche Mode. Just because they said they are influenced by them, now every journalist love to say they are trying to be like them.

 

yeah exactly, and when they were recording sam's town, brandon mentioned in an interview that he'd been listening to a lot of bruce springsteen, then all the reviews of the album come out saying the killers are trying too hard to sound like him on sam's town... fickle people :lol:

yeah exactly, and when they were recording sam's town, brandon mentioned in an interview that he'd been listening to a lot of bruce springsteen, then all the reviews of the album come out saying the killers are trying too hard to sound like him on sam's town... fickle people :lol:

 

People can be so fake and arrogant, especially in the music business. And the "sam's town is a carbon copy of Bruce Springsteen material" comment got so old already, I bet they wouldn't have been compared to Springsteen if Brandon never mentioned him, those critics are as thick as they come, I pity them.

true some just jeump on the band wagon regardless if they believe it or not