Watch: The Killers bring a fairytale to Dave
What is hard to believe is that The Killers are not only still on the road in support of last year’s Day & Age, but recently added another round of U.S. dates for later this summer. Will someone have mercy?
What isn’t hard to believe is that The Killers still have no problem making us cringe - as was the case when the Brandon Flowers and Co. stopped by the Late Show with David Letterman last night to offer a rendition of “A Dustland Fairytale”.
Backed by a full-fledged orchestra, Mr. Feathersworth and his compadres once again found a way to make things way too dramatic. I wouldn’t go as far to call their performance a mockery, but at the very least, they are starting to give the Arcade Fire a run of its money as most egotistical band alive.
Thanks Dave!
The Killers 2009 Tour Dates:
05/29 - Amsterdam, NL @ Heineken Music Hall
05/30 - Landgraaf, NL @ Pinkpop Festival
05/31 - Hamburg, DE @ Colorline Arena
06/05 - Nurburg, DE @ Rock am Ring
06/06 - Nurnberg, DE @ Rock im Park
06/07 - Ljubljana, SI @ Hippodrome Stozice
06/08 - Verona, IT @ Verona Arena
06/23 - Arendal, NO @ Hove Festival
06/26 - London, UK @ Hyde Park
06/28 - Athens, GR @ Rockwave Festival
07/01 - Bucharest, RO @ B’estfest
07/03 - Werchter, BE @ Rock Werchter
07/08 - Hultsfred, SE @ Hultsfred Festival
07/11 - Kinross, IE @ T in the Park
07/12 - Naas, IE @ Oxegen
07/14 - Rome, IT @ RomaRock
07/16 - Carhaix, FR @ Festival Les Vieilles Charrues
07/18 - Lisbon, PT @ Super Bock Super Rock
07/19 - Benicassim, ES @ Benicassim Festival
08/07-09 - Chicago, IL @ Lollapalooza
08/08 - Elizabeth, IN @ Horseshoe Casino
08/22 - Hylands Park, UK @ V Festival
08/23 - Weston Park, UK @ V Festival
09/05 - Montreal, QC @ Qual Jacques Cartier
09/06 - Toronto, ON @ Molson Amphitheatre
09/09 - Denver, CO @ Red Rocks Amphitheatre
09/12 - Mountain View, CA @ Shoreline Amphitheatre
09/22 - Sacramento, CA @ ARCO Arena
09/24 - Portland, OR @ Memorial Coliseum
09/25 - Boise, ID @ Qwest Arena
09/26 - Salt Lake City, UT @ The E. Center of West Valley
09/28 - Phoenix, AZ @ Dodge Theater
I apologize for my previous comment. Sorry if I offended anyone.
Ooo, a discussion! Allow me to join in. Now, I’m fairly excited about The Killers and nonsensical gigs at tonight shows here and late nights there which just doesn’t do many of the band’s any justice in any case.
But when you say, Alex:
“Dramatic doesn’t work for this type of song. Sorry.”
then you’ve phrased yourself into a sticky situation. With “this type of song” it sounds like you’re over-generalizing by a long shot. Especially, if you allow me to express my opinion, when it is pretty obvious that “A Dustland Fairytale” is a very emotional and dramatic song from the very beginning on Day & Age (Haven’t The Killers tended to be a little dramatic throughout their entire career?). So unless you’ve got a very twisted view on what the word “dramatic” means to music, this must mean that you’re not very fond of the song at all. Am I right?
Not funny “?” Actually quite distasteful.
How the fuck is Arcade Fire egotistical?>>>
Really? I find them to be one of the greatest acts post-2000, but I’ll still contend that they’re highly egotistical.
Vegas is a pile… So is the music that comes out of there… I’d rather see Danny Gans corpse lying on stage than see these little boys playing, or not playing for that matter.
Ron Burgundy: Boy, that escalated quickly… I mean, that really got out of hand fast.
Champ Kind: It jumped up a notch.
Ron Burgundy: It did, didn’t it?
Brick Tamland: Yeah, I stabbed a man in the heart.
Ron Burgundy: I saw that. Brick killed a guy. Did you throw a trident?
Brick Tamland: Yeah, there were horses, and a man on fire, and I killed a guy with a trident.
Ron Burgundy: Brick, I’ve been meaning to talk to you about that. You should find yourself a safehouse or a relative close by. Lay low for a while, because you’re probably wanted for murder.
LOUD NOISES!!!! LOUD NOISES!!!!!
Why are we all yelling?
I remember Hot Fuss. That was nice. What happened?
Have to agree with Alex, anyways. Music should not be sacrificed for image.
How the fuck is Arcade Fire egotistical?
Michael Roffman, as editor-in-chief of this publication I don’t find your sarcastic little comments appropriate. It leads me to believe that this is a slimy little wanna-be rag that needs to bash artistic and energetic bands for readership. Well, know this. I used to be a reader, not now. I will read The Enquirer instead. I’m sure I will find it’s reporting a bit more un-biased and without all the spelling errors.
Agree to disagree?? WTF???? That is really all you got? And Michael…..I think you misread Ronnie’s mind………He is proud that he has fans that are so passionate about his band and believe so much in The Killers…. Don’t worry about it Mike, but lets not let that happen again!
Michael. I personally know Ronnie Vannucci Jr, and I showed him this post. He thought it was quite comical and wanted me to relay to everyone that he does not think his fans are rabid. Except for that girl at Glastonbury last year that tore his shirt off.
shotgun eyes, you sound so passionate about this. Do you want to hook up??
Wow. If they put half the energy they did into this performance at the finale for Lolla I will be more than happy. I thought that was fantastic
Thanks D. I am certainly not a rabid idiot. I have always been a huge music lover. I was a teen in the 90’s and grew up on grunge. Truth is after the grunge era, i completely lost faith in the music scene. Nothing excited me anymore. Until my sister took me to a Killers concert. They restored my love of music, finally a band that I could be excited about. I take it personally when they don’t get the credit they so rightfully deserve.
Wow okay Michael so I just said thanks for not saying that and you say the exact same thing almost verbatim? wtf man. We’re not rabid idiots, we’re just sick of this band getting trashed for things that actually deserve praise. It’s a twisted world.
Yeah, your right. I can read Brandon’s mind and right now he’s thinking, “Alex Young is a huge D-bag who can’t back up his shit”!!>>>
Really? I can read drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr.’s mind and HE’s thinking, “When did my fans become rabid idiots?”
Fine with me. I was afraid you were going to say something like “damn you guys are a bunch of fanatic idiots” so thanks for the mature response.
Yeah, your right. I can read Brandon’s mind and right now he’s thinking, “Alex Young is a huge D-bag who can’t back up his shit”!!
I can’t read Hunter Thompson’s mind, but you guys can read Brandon’s? That makes a whole lot of sense.
Anyhow, points taken. And I’ll say, we’ll just have to agree to disagree.
Ok, here goes.
I find it completely amusing that Sam’s Town was one of your favorite albums of ‘06, and that album was huge, muscially and artictically speaking. The Killers put their heart and soul into that bombastic masterpiece. Yet, you find a performance on Letterman too dramatic?
The Killers are from Vegas. They are proud of their hometown and bring a small part of the “gold and glitz” to the rest of the world. They are one of the hardest working bands around, and Brandon Flowers has been as credited as one of, if not THE, best front men at this time. That guy gives you the show for the ticket and album you purchased. How endearing in this Day and Age when economically this world is suffering.
This being said, I wonder why you chose to write the article as you did. Either you are riding on the coattails of other publications who make a mockery of The Killers’ unique artistic talent and drive, or you just want a rise out of the devoted Killers fans who were blown away by the outstanding and noteworthy performance on the Late Show.
Either way, I stick with my first statement. If you loved Sam’s Town, it’s got to be one of those two reasons to blatantly shun their performance and current sold out tour. And neither one is a credit to you.
…”I took the shuttle on a shock-wave ride,
where the people on the pen pull the trigger for accolade”…
Ah Brandon, you are a genius.
OK Alex. Now your getting off topic on me here. Brandon read a quote by Hunter S. Thompson, “America is raising a generation of dancers” which inspired him to write Human. We all know this. What everyone does not know is that this song was written years ago, before Hot Fuss was released and before the band developed “one of the biggest egos in all of music”. If they had included this song on Hot Fuss, I think you would be singing a different tune. Also, I don’t really see how what Hunter S. Thompson would think about this band now is relevant to the argument at hand and furthermore who even cares. The guy was a chemical factory.
The performance on Letterman was dramatic, yes, but it was for the fans, the fans who overwhelmingly voted this the next single. Yes, The Killers, the band with “the biggest ego in all of music” obviously set their giant egos aside and gave their fans total control. Seems a little out of character for how you would describe them. No? Speaking as one of the many fans who voted for this single the performance on Letterman was exactly what I wanted to see.
OMG, why is being dramatic a problem. The Killers thrive on it and their fans love it and thats what makes them who they are. All bands must have an element of ego else they would never write or perfom anything. As for comparing them to Arcade Fire, what a compliment, at T in the Park 2007, every man and his dog, every other band there, turned up to watch them!
“They are rock stars, doing the rock star thing in a world, or at least a blogosphere, that no longer respects the rock star way of life.”
But don’t you get it? That is exactly what is so great about them. They know full and well about blogs trashing their “grand gestures.” But they do it anyway. Even though I am sure that the record label people bang their head against the wall when the Killers put saxophones and 7-minute-long brooding songs on their new album instead of another “Mr. Brightside.” They are probably the only band today brave enough to basically say “fuck the blogs” and to go all out and reach for the sky and do whatever the fuck they want. Almost all the other alternative bands play into your mood swings and backlashes and backlashes to backlashes… and what becomes of them? They’re wisps of what a band used to mean, they’re afraid of branching out to the masses and being labeled the terrible “mainstream,” and now there are no other bands from the 2000’s capable of headlining a festival like Coachella and generating mass singalongs except for the Killers. And there are almost no other rock bands with even a chance of breaking through the pop and hip hop of the Billboard 200. Guess what, as much as Animal Collective are the blogosphere’s darlings, they will never win a Grammy, have a hit single, or be recognizable to 1% of a random street sampling of people anywhere other than Los Angeles and New York by the way things are going for them now. And they don’t want to achieve that success, or at least they’ve gotten into their heads that they don’t want to because you blogs and music critics have brainwashed them to get the hell away from that. And that is, I think, a bit pathetic. It’s your job, why not make the most of it? And that’s exactly what Brandon Flowers intends on doing- make the most out of his job. And goddamnit if that isn’t inspiring in the face of so much animosity from critics. He is the ultimate rebel, as unlikely as that may seem.
What sets the Killers apart? The fact that they don’t play into the hands of music critics, who change their mind by the day and know that nasty reviews bring more attention/hits/$$. They play into the hands of their fans, and yes they do have huge ambitions- I mean HUGE. HUMONGOUS. They want to be the next fucking Beatles! And you know what? If you look at that from a cynical stance, it will make you want to throw up. And therein lies the bias against this band. It all depends on how you look at them.
Now please try this just this once. Just go with me here. The Killers know that they make music critics sick by announcing their ambitions. Brandon Flowers knows this. But one thing you need to know first: Brandon Flowers is not Noel Gallagher. He might strive to act like him at times, but it doesn’t work. Brandon is shy, insecure, has had stage fright most of his singing career and only now is getting better- he can’t usually look into interviewers’ eyes… surprised? But it’s true, watch any interview for proof. He’s not an asshole, he just says honest things he really shouldn’t say in interviews and they get blown out of proportion.
But that is not the point. The point is that there is something VERY refreshing about a band that carves its own path and goes completely against the grain. It is not easy to go against all of this criticism. It is not easy to rise from a scathing 2 1/2 star review in Rolling Stone for your sophomore album. But they fucking keep fighting and striving and going for the gold. I swear it’s so much more fun to root for them instead of moaning about their cockiness. They’re not cocky, they just know what they need to get to the top. They’ve done their research. I know your response already- ‘oh, they’re cold-hearted calculating fame whores who are not doing it fro the love of the music.” I’ll paraphrase Brandon here- there is no one that hasn’t dreamed about performing to a huge crowd or making it big, and if someone claims otherwise then they are lying. He has also said that it is impossible for someone who has performed in front of 20,000 people, like himself, not to be at least a little cocky. It was none other than John Lennon who declared his band was bigger than Jesus. Now if Brandon said THAT, I think the presses would explode. But the point is- you can keep hating on the Killers in your posts, because that is much more safe with all of your readers and you will save face, etc. etc. But at least personally, secretly, at least try to look from an admiring standpoint. This band and lead singer have got so much chutzpah and cojones and what-have-you. Say all you will, people keep trashing them, but they are rising so high. It’s a beautiful thing and it’s so fun to be on the ride with them instead of trying to shoot them down. Just TRY to have an open mind and see it from that perspective, that’s all I ask.
phew.
I’m open to having a thoughtful debate, but when someone uses derogatory language, I lose immediate interest in even reading what you write.
That being said, I am neither biased, nor a hatter of The Killers. Sam’s Town was one of my favorite albums of 2006. There is no vendetta, no conspiracy.
The fact is, however, The Killers continue to conduct themselves in a manner that is both puzzling and irritating. If you can’t admit that the band has developed one of the biggest egos in all of music, then you in fact are biased. If you can’t admit that the band overdoes (the orchestra), imitates (Springsteen), and re-works (that stupid Bright Eyes remix) so much that they have marginalized what really is important - the music itself, then you in fact are biased.
Are The Killers talented? Yes. Are they using this talent to the best of their ability? No. They are rock stars, doing the rock star thing in a world, or at least a blogosphere, that no longer respects the rock star way of life.
And if anything, their appearance of Letterman further illustrates this point.
Alex Young = idiot.
Your biased article is a joke.
The Killers are so above it.
Way too dramatic?? How???? It’s a very dramatic song, read the lyrics dumbass. I think the Killers did a amazing job last night. And, cringe???? They gave me mothafuckin goosebumps.
” This is coming from the same band who took a quote from an author who would be completely horrified by both them and what they represent, and made it the basis of their hit single.”
Oh and you are a fuckin mind reader too???
Shotguneyes,
This is coming from the same band who took a quote from an author who would be completely horrified by both them and what they represent, and made it the basis of their hit single.
That song is “Human” and that author is Hunter S. Thompson.
The Killers’ intentions are questionable at best.
I completely disagree with you Alex. Dramatic does work. This song is about Brandon’s parents and their relationship of 48 years. From the first time they met in 1961 to his mom recently being diagnosed with a brain tumor. “oh Cinderella don’t you go to sleep”……….. This song is very personal to Brandon and makes me cry every time I hear it, so yes, dramatics are necessary. Pull your head out of your ass!
Dramatic doesn’t work for this type of song. Sorry.
Why can’t music be dramatic? That’s the point isn’t it? To move you and have you feel those larger than life emotions. Anyway, this performance was fantastic. The Killers earn major points in my book.
haha to that last comment from Alex. i would argue that one of the best musical things to happen on Dave’s show was when the Foo Fighters performed “Everlong” (his favorite song) after he beat cancer.
Yes, I’m sure it was.
Fuck you!! The Killers rocked it! Best thing that ever happened to Letterman.
*too*
Way “too” dramatic. Check your spelling Ax
Otherwise I completely agree.
i wouldn’t say they’re getting full of themselves yet, but they are dangerously close.
Oh STFU. That was an epic performance. Some people are so fucking cynical these days. Can’t you just sit back and enjoy a passionate, all-out performance without getting pretentious and bitchy? They’re playing their hearts out and you say they’re “too dramatic.” You know what, go watch your favorite lame indie singer whisper meekly into a microphone, I’ll take this any day. Say all you will about your opinion of their music, but I wish more bands actually worked as hard as the Killers do.
May 17th, 2009 at 12:36 pm
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