The Killers - Part 1

The Killers. If anybody knows me, they know I do enjoy The Killers. Like, a lot. They’re probably my all-time favorite band, and there are many, many reasons why.

I’ve listened to almost every song that they’ve ever written. I’ve seen them live in concert every album release (except for Day And Age, and I missed that for regrettable reasons (oh well *shrug*)), for a total of four concerts. I’m a big fan of Brandon Flowers on many levels. He just seems like a good human being overall. I love that they don’t try to sound like anybody else. They are their own brand of unique. And I love that their songs seem to speak to me on so many levels. Plus, I know like, three songs on the guitar by heart, and one of them is “All These Things That I’ve Done”. It’s my go-to when performing in front of people while playing an instrument.

Many, many people were initially drawn to The Killers by their hits “Mr. Brightside” or “Somebody Told Me”, but the song that really got me into them was “Smile Like You Mean It”. I don’t know exactly why. “Somebody Told Me” is a super catchy Indie/rock/pop/glam anthem, and “Mr. Brightside” has a chorus that I absolutely adore, but “Smile Like You Mean It” was the hook that brought me in. It is just so subtle in its approach. From its encroaching beginning all the way to its wailing end, and every hard hitting and intentional drum beat in between, it’s just awesome. Plus, I’ve always loved to smile, so there’s that. :)

I remember listening to their first album, Hot Fuss in my car and trying to get my sister to like it as well (she was more into Weezer, whom I also love, but more on that in a later post). I remember going to see them for the first time at The Great Saltair just outside of Salt Lake City, UT. I was in the middle of college at Brigham Young University at the time, and my buddy/roommate and I went to the show. It was a total blast and cemented them as one of my favorite bands at the time. A mutual friend of ours who worked at a local copy center told us that Brandon Flowers’ niece had come into her shop earlier that day requesting help with a poster to take to the show to be able to show “Uncle Brandon”. I do remember seeing a little girl with a poster up in the “good seats”.

The second time seeing The Killers live, I went with my then Counterfeit Digits bandmates (minus our bassist) and one of our other friends for…get this…only $20. It was an absolute steal, and one of the absolute best concerts I’ve ever been to. Their album Sam’s Town had recently dropped and we made our way onto the main floor not far from the stage when they came up to bat. The opening performers were not that great, but that changed around when “Sam’s Town” started playing absolutely firing up the crowd. By the end of the song, everyone was singing along and it ended with a literal *bang* as confetti cannons showered the crowd in red and white pieces of paper. It felt like a literal circus! A couple of songs in, the electricity completely went out in the place and left everyone in almost pitch black darkness. The house people were trying for a bit to get it back on. They were able to get the sound system and instruments working but nothing else, so Brandon Flowers said that they’d just keep playing! They played “Smile Like You Mean It” with Flowers holding an industrial flashlight, shining it out on the crowd. So cool. About three-quarters of the way through the song, the lights came back on, and it was electric. I remember coming home and being totally exhausted that night. We all had a blast. 

The third time I saw them live was with my blushing bride-to-be. My fiancée and I were getting married two days later, and for her wedding gift to me, she got me The Killers tickets. She knows me so well. So we went! Along with my brother and his wife, AND my parents!!! We all had so much fun. It was a great way to celebrate, and there were literal fireworks during the show to boot haha. Fun fact: my dad listened to nothing but The Killers for like, two months straight after that! And of course, the wedding two days later was awesome too. :)

To Be Continued....