By: David Schultz

Much like Oasis' Noel Gallagher, fun seems to occur whenever someone places a microphone in front of Brandon Flowers. As the ultra-charismatic front man of The Killers, Flowers easily draws the lion's share of the attention whenever the Las Vegas rockers play. When his band The Killers aren't around, Flowers can be counted out on for a brilliantly inflammatory sound byte. Keeping the chit-chat to a minimum Flowers and The Killers breezed through New York City for a two night stay at the Theater at Madison Square Garden. With a woody decor evocative of Sam's Town, their sophomore release, the Killers ultra-slick show emphasized the evolution of the band both artistically and musically.

In their earlier performances, Brandon Flowers used to wander the stage in a grandiose, near-detached manner. While it made for intriguing visuals, it didn't quite help him connect with the audience. At the Theater, a more animated Flowers kept jumping on the oversized monitors, but it seemed more theatrical preening than an attempt to get closer to the audience. When he wasn't stalking the stage, Flowers played some keys and even picked up a bass for an encore run through "For Reasons Unknown." Though not attracting as much attention as Flowers, guitarist Dave Keuning, bassist Mark Stoermer and drummer Ronnie Vannucci, Jr. provided ample evidence that this a group effort, making it possible for their verbose singer to put his theatrics on such a grand stage.

Taking the best of '80s British synth-rock, The Killers' debut album, Hot Fuss, garnered tons of well-deserved notice and acclaim. In the two years since its release, the Hot Fuss material has blossomed into electrifying arena rock fodder. The songs on Sam's Town don't have the same glossy veneer as the Hot Fuss material; that's not a qualitative difference as much it is quantitative. Rather than follow up Pulp Fiction with Pulp Fiction II, Quentin Tarantino went down a different path, creating the more sedate, thoughtful Jackie Brown. The Killers have followed the same muse in creating Sam's Town, retaining enough of the sound that set them apart from their peers without rehashing their past creative triumph. The difference between the two projects became very clear during their stay in Manhattan. Essentially bracketing the show, between Sam's Town's "Enterlude" and "Exitlude," The Killers bounced back and forth between their two albums, including electrifying versions of "Somebody Told Me," "All These Things That I've Done" and their jealous, angst-ridden classic "Mr.Brightside." More a testament to the strength of Hot Fuss than to any failings of Sam's Town, The Killers should have presented their newer release without immediate comparison to their prior work.

Labels: The Killers