Review: The Killers Live at Emirates Stadium

The Legendary indie rock band return to the UK with a set packed with their greatest hits and new songs to wow a London crowd.

The Killers are a world-renowned live act who have been going for over 20 years and have played in some of the biggest stadiums and festivals around the world. It wasn't always like this however as the band couldn't get a record deal in America. The band decided to come to the UK and got signed up which kicked off their world domination. After explaining this story, lead singer Brandon Flowers said "God bless the UK", thanking us for giving the band the opportunity they needed to become the band we've come to know. My sister and I have been waiting a long time for this show (you know why) so we could not wait to see this band in action.

To start off tonight's proceedings, we had another world-class act taken to the stage. Nobody could have predicted the rise that geordie rock star Sam Fender has had. When he was booked on this tour in 2019. He had only just realised his first album which had got him a lot of praise but now he's possibly one of the biggest artists in the UK and has been tipped to headline festivals and is playing to 40,000 people at Finsbury Park next month. It's safe to say that this is the best support

you could possibly ask for.

Sam blasted through some of the biggest hits from his last two albums and EPs which came before. He opened with 'Will We Talk' which instantly got the people on the ground dancing along which carried on with 'Getting Started', displaying some of sam finest songs from his career so far. Sam even brought out some deeper cuts such as 'Howdon Aldi Death Queue ', a punk-inspired song about Sam's experience of queuing in an Aldi in lockdown. I think the reason why sam is so loved is just how down-to-earth he is. He looks out to the massive crowd that had gathered to see his set and declares "I'm still shitting myself like", stunned to see the crowd that has come out to see him play. I have been following Sam since the release of 'That Sound' in 2018 and to see him play at such a massive gig made me quite proud to see him doing an exceptional job. The singer and his band decided to finish off the show with the mega-hit 'Seventeen Going Under' which the crowd sang and danced along to once more. This is definitely the perfect warm-up before The Killers and a good warm-up for Sam who would go on later in the month to play an incredible set at Glastonbury and his headline show in Finsbury Park in July. It certainly won't be long before we see Sam selling out stadiums such as the Emirates for a show of his own but for now, he played a fantastic set to set the mood for the rest of the night.

As the lights are dimmed, you can hear the start of 'My Own Soul's Warning' as the band walk on stage. As the song's slow build-up continues, lead singer Brandon Flowers walks on stage with all the confidence in the world and the song kicks into gear with confetti being released over the crowd. the song acted as a perfect opener and demonstrates how the new music from their two lockdown albums has fitted into the setlist like a snug glove.

Flowers then played 'Enterlude' which acts as a welcome to the London crowd with him singing "We hope you enjoy your stay/ Its good to have you with us/ Even if it's just for the day" in which then the gig goes back into full speed as 'When You Where Young' is played directly after just like on the album 'Sam's Town'. As soon as you could hear the guitar, The crowd were already off their feet jumping up and down and signing along in unison. I can remember shivers going down the back of my spine throwing me back to when I first heard the song on the radio when I was a kid getting ready for school. It was an awesome moment for sure.

The hits just kept on coming from there. 'Smile Like You Mean It', 'Shot At The Night', 'Spaceman' and 'Somebody Told Me' all would follow suit which would please any Killers fan that attended that evening. Also, it has to be said that the song from their lockdown albums ('Imploding The Mirage' and 'Pressure Machine') fitted into the setlist very nicely and earnt their place there. I wasn't a big fan of 'Imploding The Mirage' and I hadn't listened to 'Pressure Machine' but my mood had certainly changed on Imploding. With some amazing visuals, songs such as 'My God' and 'Caution' don't feel out of place at all and rightfully earn their spot on the setlist. I will certainly give these songs another listen.

In terms of show-stopping moments, where do I even start?. A fan was invited to play with the band on the drums in which drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr jumped on guitar duty while Flowers got on bass. The confidence of the fan, named Josh was amazing and did all his own drum fills and played the song to perfection, earning the respect of the band. 'A Dustland Fairytale' got all the lighters out and lit up the Emirates in a beautiful moment. Also while starting their encore, the band opened it with 'The Man' and you could see a load of greek statues form behind the band on the screen which had a remarkable 3D effect which really blew me away. All of this made for a world-class concert.

The final song of the night was of course 'Mr Brightside' which is quite possibly one of the biggest songs of the 2000s. You hear it all the time on the radio and in any indie club night you go to and that's sort of the reason why I'm not a massive fan of the song anymore. It's very overplayed and for me, it has ruined what made the song so good in the first place. So when it came to this part of the show, I wasn't sure what I was going to think. However, The band switch it up and played the first half at a more slowed-down beat and electronically charged and incorporated the remixed version of the song by Jacques Lu Cont. Midway through the band sped things up and played the original rendition of the song to the delight of the fans however I like that the band did something a little different and made this worn-out classic worth sticking around for.

The Killers are quite possibly one of the best arena bands you could see live and their London show just proved it once again. Their mix of new and old tracks was perfect and with all the pyro, visuals and the charismatic Brandon Flowers leading the band, it all adds up to an incredible show that any glamorous indie rock & roll fan will be happy with.