When I got the tickets, I was really excited about this gig. Then I heard The Killers' second album, and the excitement faded a bit. It is OK, and the songs definitely start to grow on you after a few listens - but I guess everybody was expecting an instantly fantastic album (especially after hearing When You Were Young), rather than one that requires effort to start to like. So, I went to the gig very excited about hearing the older songs, but much less excited about the new stuff.
As it turned out, it was indeed a gig of two halves. But rather than a difference between the old and new songs, it was really the difference between the beginning and the end of the show. The band walked on to an elaborate stage set, and were sounding incredible right from the off. When You Were Young (quite possibly the best song they have made yet), Somebody Told Me, and Smile Like You Mean It appeared early on, and even the songs from the new album were sounding amazing.Then, the set seemed to lose its way slightly. A few too many new songs, and some slowed down and slightly lacklustre versions of some of the older ones, and the set was seeming to flag somewhat, about 2/3 of the way through. Obviously, this sometimes happens, and I definitely got the feeling that the band had blown many of their best cards right at the beginning, except for the few that they were obviously saving for the end.
When the end came, there was a magnificent version of Mr Brightside, which had pretty much all of the crowd singing. The encore included what was apparently the debut performance of their new christmas single, which sounded very promising indeed. The band finished up with All These Things That I've Done, which as ever was fantastic.
Definitely a mixed bag - outstanding at the beginning, outstanding at the end, but lacking something in the middle - and for a 75 minute set from one of the biggest draws in music right now, you may have hoped for something better.
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