The Killers @ Lowlands Festival, 10 PM Friday 17th August
The synth set, with attached deer antlers and christmas lightsAs is usual at Lowlands, the main headliners each day start their set at 10 PM, after the much anticipated build-up at the largest stage, Alpha. Just before their performance, a buzz spreads through the crowd, numbering some 35,000 people on average, situated inside the 25,000 capacity tent or on the surrounding hills. On this occasion, I was lucky enough (read: patient enough) to be inside the inner circle, for which I had queued for about an hour, but what followed was well worth the wait/suffocation endured in the line. Out of nowhere, at bang on 10 o'clock, a video began to play on the massive screens which sit at either side of the stage. At first, all you could make out was some kind of horn, but the picture slowly zoomed out to reveal a leg, and a sache, one proclaiming "MISS", and then the full album cover for Sam's Town. Following this the band ran on stage in a typical fanfare, although not many front men these days wear shiny gold jackets/shirts and a massive wild-west esque belt buckle. Yes, Brandon Flowers took to the stage first, followed by a characteristically unmoving Mark Stoermer, who set up at his space and hardly moved from it throughout the set. Next came the afroed Dave Keuning also dressed in a shiny silver shirt, and then finally Ronnie Vanucci, whose trademark handlebar mustache was noticeably absent.
During their hour slot they managed to work the audience perfectly- there were two peaks and one trough- starting off with a few old and new faves, and mixing the middle set with a few slower songs to give the crowd a break from the moshing (yes- moshing to The Killers! Dutch people...). In a weird way, the end was the best bit- after a sped-up rendition of Indie Rock And Roll they left the stage, returning only moments later for a cover of Joy Division's Shadowplay and All These Things That I've Done for their encore. Brandon, ever the showman, moved around the stage for the whole hour, moving from his huge piano to microphone and even playing bass on Read My Mind. The setup was also impressive: the back wall was adorned with Sam's Town in giant red letters, and anything stationary was covered in flowers (apart from the unmoving Stoermer). The piano and synths sets had huge sets of antlers on either side, something which Brandon adopted after their Christmas single, A Great Big Sled- which, by the way, is one of my favourite Christmas singles EVER. All in all, a rounded performance by a band who are at the top of their game- but where next for The Killers? Hot Fuss was a disco infused album, on which Brandon was into Dior salmon-pink jackets and pretty-boy makeup; next came Sam's Town, on which they all grew facial hair (barring Keuning) and adopted a Wild West look, similar to Bruce Springsteen's Born To Run era. That's a pretty big jump to make, and a daring one at that. But what next? Punk? Rap? Hip Hop? Who knows?
Brandon, at the start of the set, complete with shiny silver jacketThe Killers- Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine
The Killers- Bling (Confessions Of A King)
The Killers- Read My Mind
The Killers- Shadowplay (Joy Division Cover)
The Killers' albums can be bought here
The complete setup
Bassist Mark Stoermer
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