The Killers are in the midst of one of their biggest tours yet. Having already conquered the UK and Europe, the four piece have just embarked on a lengthy tour state side – we were lucky enough to see them bring their iconic sound to Vancouver for a spectacular opening night.
The boys have been supported by a wealth of both prolific and exciting names on their recent run of dates, so it was like Christmas came early when Manchester legend Johnny Marr was announced as their latest support – Johnny famously joined The Killers on the Stage during their phenomenal Glastonbury 2019 headline performance, so the pairing of the two felt very much written in the stars. This year’s been a big one for Johnny – not only has he released his fourth solo album, Fever Dreams Pts.1-4 and headlined 6 Music Festival, but he’s toured the UK with Blondie and still found the time to make guest appearances with the likes of Pearl Jam, Primal Scream and Crowded House onstage.
Launching into the synth ridden ‘Armatopia’, Johnny instantly owned the stage and despite a frustrating battle with tech issues, that was prevalent throughout his set. Expectedly, Smiths songs such as ‘Panic’ and ‘This Charming Man’ received the biggest reactions, but Johnny’s talents don’t end there and his solo material sounded nothing short of spectacular. An explosion of creativity and talent oozes from every stage that Johnny and his band play on and with blistering riffs galore, new solo tracks including ‘Night and Day’ and ‘Spirit, Power & Soul’ captivated the audience. The guitar hero’s criminally short set came to a rapturous end with Smiths classic ‘How Soon Is Now’. Paying homage to the early days of his career, the exhilarating track showcased Johnny’s versatility as an artist and certainly left the crowd wanting more.
With hits aplenty to choose from, the Killers have always been skilled when it comes to writing a setlist and classics ‘Jenny Was a Friend of Mine’, ‘Smile Like You Mean It’ and ‘When You Were Young’ all made an appearance within the first five songs – having been on the scene for over twenty years, The Killers are a band who unquestionably know how to please their crowd.
Brandon Flowers is one of the most charming front men to date and it was impossible to take your eyes off him as he strutted across the stage, showcasing his best moves. Crowd participation isn’t for everyone and it’s fair to go as far as saying that it doesn’t always go to plan, but Brandon had the crowd in the palm of his hand as the band flew through their lively setlist, barely pausing for breath.
With their tracks seamlessly transitioning into each other – most notably when ’Runaways’ erupted into ’Read My Mind’ – The Killers cemented their reputation as one of the most polished live bands out there and this was enhanced by their slick, large scale production. From confetti fans to lasers, their stage set up stunned throughout – particularly the animations displayed during ‘Human’ and ‘Boy’.
Though continually expressing copious amounts of gratitude, Brandon’s crowd interactions were short and sweet – something that changed when he took the time to explain his love affair with The Smiths, before inviting Johnny Marr back onstage. Performing two Smiths classics – ‘Stop Me If You Think That You’ve Heard This One Before’ and ‘There is a Light That Never Goes Out’ – it was clear to see the mutual respect between everyone onstage and both Johnny and Brandon looked to be having the time of their lives.
Finishing their main set with the anthemic ‘All These Things That I Have Done’, the band returned to a euphoric reaction from the crowd as they launched into ‘Spaceman’. The last two tracks of the set were ‘For Reasons Unknown’ – during which they were joined by an enthusiastic fan on drums – and ‘Mr Brightside’, with its stirring chorus that everybody is familiar with.
You can catch The Killers and Johnny Marr on tour across the states until October.
Images by Laura Dean
