Solid

have 3 weeks left of school and I'm hoping for the summer I'll be a better post-er girl. (Not poster girl.) Ah, puns. Here's a catch-up piece I started and never finished....

A couple of weeks ago, Fred & I went to the Killers concert for his birthday. We looked up tix 2 days before the show, found seats online that looked good (only $40!) and went on a whim. Good parking, no lineup to get in, and the seats rocked. It was in the Bell Center (where the Canadiens play) and our seats were actually chairs placed in the hockey bench of the visiting team! Meaning we were in the front row, far enough back to not have a side-view but close enough to see everything, a foot above the general admission crowd on the floor. Perfect. And we put our beers in the same spot as the players put their water bottles. I don't normally go to concerts in huge venues - the sound and visability can often be poor. But this was certainly not the case here.

The show began with a bang - literally, and millions of gold & silver reflective confetti pieces were dropped on the audience. Extremely environmentally unfriendly but, in girl-speak, "SO PRETTY!!". I loved it guiltily. Lead singer Brandon Flowers was typically daper in his suit, jumping off monitors and pianos throughout the show. Band co-founder Dave Keuning couldn't be more opposite - rock's latest Slow Hand barely moved from his position the entire set & looked like he was transported from the '80s with his long frizzy hair and tight jeans. Bassist Mark Stoermer and drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. were quirky in their own right but definitely not show-stealers. The hired studio musician who played piano in the background was an unknown superstar. He also played guitar, sometimes even keeping the it strapped on while playing paino so that he could quickly switch between the two.

They played almost all of the songs on the new album, and the goodies from the old, including a medley with Can't Take my Eyes off of You (or part of Damien Rice's Blower's Daughter - it was the same line so not sure who was the influence there). And just as Fred said, "Hey, they haven't played Mr. Brightside yet..!" Keuning began playing the familiar opening guitar licks. Perfectly haunting and seductive. Two solid encores and what we initally thought was going to be a fromage exit chez Exitlude turned into a pumped up finish with a repeated snippet of When You were Young.

Great show - solid & entertaining. Definitely exceeded expectations. A perfect night.