(a) setlist

1. Enterlude
2. Change Your Mind
3. Spaceman
4. Smile Like You Mean It
5. Bones
6. Losing Touch
7. Bling (Confession of a King)
8. Shadowplay (Joy Division cover)
9. Human
10. Somebody Told Me
11. Glamorous Indie Rock ‘n’ Roll
12. For Reasons Unknown
13. A Dustland Fairytale
14. Can’t Help Falling In Love (Elvis Presley cover)
15. Read My Mind
16. Runaways
17. All These Things That I’ve Done
18. Mr. Brightside

Encore:

1. Shot at the Night
2. Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
3. When You Were Young

(b) highlights

• The Killers are perfection, thank you and goodnight.
• as someone who sees this band a lot…I really appreciate when they change things up; opening with “Enterlude” and “Change Your Mind” was definitely different and I loved it a lot
• even though they aren’t my favorite songs in any way and I could name probably 20 Killers songs I’d want to hear before them, it was nice to hear “Bones” and “Losing Touch” for the first time in legit 8 years
• for some reason, Brandon seemed really emotionally into “A Dustland Fairytale” and “Runaways” at this show, and that’s always a cool thing to see
• Ronnie Vannucci continually dominates existence and all other dudes should pretty much just quit trying
• the Elvis cover is probably the only repeated Killers cover that I genuinely really like and feel excited when it starts
• the very confused yet earnest speeches before both “Losing Touch” and “Glamorous Indie Rock ‘n’ Roll” (“This is called Losing Touch. You can find it on the YouTube”; “I went to Dave’s apartment and we read on the computer…”)
• “Shot at the Night” just might be in my top 10 favorite Killers songs; maybe even higher
• being all the barricade with everyone I was with; sharing the experience with the people around you can really enhance the emotional setting and I won’t ever forget the feeling of being alongside my friends
• Ronnie Vannucci threw me his drumstick just before the encore; air-drumming your heart out really pays off, people ❤
• “Tell all your friends.” – Ronnie Vannucci Junior, savior, genius, poet

(c) lowlights

• Mark August Stoermer, every show is incomplete without you, I hope you realize that
• do we really need “Shadowplay” still in this set after literally 9 years? no, we do not need “Shadowplay” still in this set after 9 years
• why was only one song from “Battle Born” played? that album was good enough for me, BFlow. it was more than good enough for me.
• one day, this band will resurrect “Believe Me Natalie” and I will be there to see it, I swear to all that is holy this will happen

(d) overall thoughts

Oh, Atlantic City. For some reason, almost on accident, I’ve seen The Killers in Atlantic City three times in the last four years. And strangely, every time has been particularly great. Even though casino shows are usually a drag – whether because of the crowd or something else – this show at the Borgata was fantastic. It could just be that the last time I saw The Killers was at the very very rainy and very very massive Governor’s Ball Festival, but this Borgata show felt exceptionally intimate. You could see Brandon’s pores, you could see Dave’s gray guitar picks tucked into his mic, you could hear Ronnie laugh.

The set was an unusual one in that it was so heavy on both Hot Fuss and Sam’s Town songs, but I sort of loved that. Battle Born felt a little neglected, but it also felt like the band was having fun. There was a freshness to it all, which is a great irony considering nearly every song performed was released between four and 12 years ago. No one can say that The Killers don’t treat every performance like it’s their first time playing all those tracks. There’s passion, energy, excitement, and it never feels like they’re going through the motions.

The wonder of all these shows, the reason we all keep coming back, and the reason why I’ll never stop going is all the same. Because it’s home. Brandon’s showmanship, silly speeches, and equally silly jackets. Dave’s understated presence and flawless talent (seriously, have you ever heard that dude miss a note?). Ronnie’s playful energy and awe-inspiring performance. The songs. The lights. The feeling. That shit is home.

Bottom line: The Killers are my children, my heart, my precious angels, and the ones that welcome me home with every single live performance. How could I not love them for that?