(a) setlist
- Dreams Come True
- Can’t Deny My Love
- Crossfire
- Magdalena
- Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts
- Jenny Was a Friend of Mine (The Killers cover)
- Lonely Town
- Diggin’ Up The Heart
- Read My Mind (The Killers cover)
- Untangled Love
- The Way It’s Always Been
- Human (The Killers cover)
- Mr. Brightside (The Killers cover) (Jacques Lu Cont remix)
Encore:
- Heart of Gold (Buster Poindexter cover)
- I Can Change
- Still Want You
- Only The Young
(b) highlights
- “Lonely Town” was the jaaaaaam
- “Diggin’ Up The Heart” is the epitome of a song I hated so much after hearing it on the album, but somehow accidentally ended up loving and stupid-dancing to live, so that was cool
- the most disco-y ball disco ball moment ever during “Only The Young”; super into it
- watching the show from the balcony and away from everyone in the crowd
- that one time that Brandon mentioned in between songs how he and Dave Keuning would put on makeup in someone’s car or whatever; 10/10 want to hear more stories like that
- the one time Brandon mentioned talking to Ronnie Vannucci on the phone and I started screaming in the silent venue
(c) lowlights
- why will you never play “Playing With Fire,” Brandon Flowers. why. why.
- “Between Me & You” was my favorite song on Brandon’s new album, so he was sure to skip that at this show, but play it at every other show around this time
- my name is Brandon Flowers and I will never play my best song ever live or even acknowledge its existence and it’s called “The Desired Effect”
- 90% of Brandon’s backing band doesn’t know how to play their instruments
- Terminal 5’s Terminal 5ness (not letting me bring in my camera, not offering bottled water, having crapy sound and security)
(d) overall thoughts
Like the last time I saw Brandon Flowers during his solo tour, I decided to remove myself from the pit and watch from the balcony, which I really, really liked. I was eager to catch BFlow on another go-around for his second solo album, The Desired Effect in hopes of hearing more deep cuts and a few of the songs I missed previously. That sort of happened and basically didn’t, but regardless, I had a great time.
Brandon brought out his usual star power and stage presence, which is interesting to watch when the rest of The Killers aren’t with him. I’m not the biggest fan of his back-up band and it’s mostly because I feel like they can’t keep up with him/the usual Killers’ fire, but – in a way – they make Brandon look better. He seemed very comfortable singing his new material and mixing it with his older songs and even the re-calibrated Killers’ songs. I sort of loved that Brandon introduced “Jenny” by having a quick audience poll over whether or not the narrator of the song was “guilty or innocent.” Like, how perfectly dorky and sweet and silly is that. Into it.
I feel like if anyone had wandered into the venue for the encore knowing nothing about Brandon or The Killers at all, even they couldn’t deny that those songs have power and strength and mean something to that crowd. I found myself strangely emotional during “Only The Young” (and not only because of the sweet ass disco ball action), almost realizing for the first time how poignant and beautiful that song is. It induced the feeling of watching a true late-night serenade in the moonlight, and that was such a unique experience. The crowd was so into the show, Brandon was engaging and only gave me secondhand embarrassment twice (a new low!), and it was impossible to not dance along with those hits
Bottom line: Whether singing about an idiot named Tony, a murder victim named Jenny, or climate change and debt, Brandon Flowers unabashedly cares and this solo performance reeked of fun, passion, and heart.
Kat Goes To Shows 