{"id":546,"date":"2013-05-08T20:00:06","date_gmt":"2013-05-08T20:00:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/216.71.127.204\/wordpress\/?p=546"},"modified":"2015-10-08T18:28:32","modified_gmt":"2015-10-08T18:28:32","slug":"the-killers-bayou-music-center-houston-tx","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/2013\/05\/08\/the-killers-bayou-music-center-houston-tx\/","title":{"rendered":"The Killers – Bayou Music Center – Houston, TX"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\n\n\n\n
Written by Robert Johnson (@RobertSatellite on Twitter) <\/span><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
May 08, 2013 at 08:00 PM<\/td>\n<\/tr>\n
\"PhotoAlthough The Killers formed back in 2001, the band\u2019s music wasn\u2019t available for public consumption until late 2003.<\/p>\n

On June 7, 2004, the band released its debut album, Hot Fuss, to immense commercial acclaim and success, selling more than seven million copies worldwide. Ever since, the band has remained one of the most popular acts in the industry.<\/p>\n

Follow-up albums have also been incredibly successful. Sam\u2019s Town has sold more than five million albums worldwide, Day & Age has sold more than three million, and latest release Battle Born has sold more than one million copies. The bottom line? The Killers are one of the biggest acts in music today.<\/p>\n

When The Killers arrived in Houston, TX\u00a0 for a show at Bayou Music Center, they were ready. Sold out for weeks, fan lined up outside the venue long before the doors were open. Inside, The Killers were waiting and preparing for a night that would ultimately leave fans mesmerized, enchanted, and fulfilled.<\/p>\n

Around 9:15PM, the magic began.<\/p>\n

The band entered the stage to house lights. With no notable background or stage effects, the band kicked things off with “Mr. Brightside.” Once the song ended, the house lighting went dark. Replaced by a large video screen, elaborate stage lighting, and lasers, The Killers continued the evening with an extravagant set-up perfectly fashioned to accompany the music.<\/p>\n

From the start, The Killers nailed it. In performances of songs like \u201cSpaceman,\u201d \u201cThe Way It Was,\u201d and \u201cSmile Like You Mean It,\u201d The Killers established an ambience that would carry throughout the entire evening. Guitarist Dave Keuning\u2019s delay-rich guitar riffs permeated the venue with phenomenal precision and tone. Drummer Ronnie Vannucci, perched atop an elevated platform, kicked and snapped his kit with charisma and accuracy. Most of all, singer Brandon Flowers commanded the stage as his own home, flawlessly belting out rich and vibrant vocals as fans in attendance sang along.<\/p>\n

Midway through the set, bassist Mark Stoermer took center stage where he alone performed a long, distorted, and intense bass progression. At the end of the introduction, the band kicked into a rousing edition of \u201cSomebody Told Me,\u201d and Stoermer’s performance continued to radiate. Flowing up-and-down the fret board with ease, Stoermer stood out where many of his contemporaries have failed to shine.<\/p>\n

In “For Reasons Unknown,” Flowers had the crowd dancing. Later, he traded vocals with the fans in “From Here On Out.” Before playing “A Dustland Fairytale,” Flowers reminisced about the Las Vegas desert and his family. Indeed, Flowers had an uncanny ability to connect with his audience.<\/p>\n

In the final song of the main set, Keuning played the familiar guitar riff of “All These Things That I’ve Done” as the crowd spontaneously broke out singing the words “I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier.” By the time the song kicked in with the full complement of the band, the crowd was erupting with energy and enthusiasm, singing every word along with Flowers.<\/p>\n

After a brief exit, the band returned and Flowers exclaimed, “I think we’ve got a few more in us!” Before starting “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine,” the music again cut out to allow Stoermer to lead with the song’s distinct bass line.<\/p>\n

From beginning to end, “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” brilliantly captured the musicianship of each of the band members. For this onlooker, “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” was the standout performance of the evening.<\/p>\n

Just prior to “When You Were Young,” Flowers asked the crowd, “would you like an introduction for this song?” After receiving the obligatory “YES,” Flowers discussed the band’s return to the studio after smash success debut album, Hot Fuss. Having received widespread acceptance, the band pondered its future. How could they keep the momentum going? According to Flowers, once they wrote “When You Were Young,” they knew everything would be ok. With the emotional introduction behind him, the band soared through the song with a romantic and introspective vibe that perfectly captured the essence of the evening.<\/p>\n

With songs that cross genres and captivate audiences of all kinds, The Killers have few peers in the music industry. What’s more amazing is how quickly they have grown and developed a fanbase that could challenge some of the world’s biggest bands. Thankfully, The Killers are so much more than a “studio act” when they perform live. Simply put, they’re up there with the best. If you haven’t seen The Killers perform in person, cancel your plans, move it to the top of your agenda, and make it happen!<\/p>\n

Setlist:
\nMr. Brightside
\nSpaceman
\nThe Way It Was
\nSmile Like You Mean It
\n[Spaceman Snippet]
\nBling (Confession of a King)
\nMiss Atomic Bomb
\nHuman
\nSomebody Told Me
\nFlesh and Bone
\nFor Reasons Unknown
\nFrom Here On Out
\nA Dustland Fairytale
\nHouston (Means I\u2019m One Day Closer to You) (Cover)
\nRead My Mind
\nRunaways
\nAll These Things That I\u2019ve Done<\/p>\n

Encore:
\nJenny Was a Friend of Mine
\nWhen You Were Young
\nBattle Born<\/p>\n

Contact Robert at <\/u>robert@starsandsatellites.com<\/span><\/u><\/a><\/td>\n<\/tr>\n<\/tbody>\n<\/table>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Written by Robert Johnson (@RobertSatellite on Twitter) May 08, 2013 at 08:00 PM Although The Killers formed back in 2001, the band\u2019s music wasn\u2019t available for public consumption until late 2003. On June 7, 2004, the band released its debut album, Hot Fuss, to immense commercial acclaim and success, selling more than seven million copies… <\/p>\n

Read More<\/i><\/a><\/div>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-546","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-concert-reviews"],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"","_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=546"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":547,"href":"https:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/546\/revisions\/547"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=546"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=546"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/houstonmusicreview.com\/wordpress\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=546"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}