The Killers: The Rebel Diamonds Tour 26/06/2024

Rating: ★★★★★

OVO Hydro Rating: ★★★★★

Where I stayed: Clyde Hostel (I didn’t know about its infamy but I had a private room and an alright time)

SETLIST:

My Own Soul’s Warning
Enterlude
Human
The Way It Was
Somebody Told Me
Smile Like You Mean It
For Reasons Unknown (with a fan on drums)
Dying Breed
Bones
The Whole Of The Moon (The Waterboys cover)
Caution
Runaways
Read My Mind
Your Side Of Town
Andy, You’re A Star
Spirit
All These Things That I’ve Done
Mr. Brightside (Encore)
When We Were Young (Encore)
Exitlude (Encore)

I regretted not buying a ticket to see The Killers at their Falkirk show a couple of years ago, as everything I read about it sounded incredible. I was surprised they were performing at Falkirk Stadium, instead of somewhere in Glasgow or Edinburgh, as you would expect from a band this big. I had already bought a ticket for Green Day at Bellahouston Park on the 25th, so going to see TK when they were doing a three night run at The Hydro in Glasgow during the same week was a no-brainer. I ended up going to the middle show, on Wednesday. It seemed like the least special of the three dates but that feeling soon diminished when Travis (who were opening) and TK pretended it was a lively Saturday night inside the venue. Only seats on the top levels were available when I booked the extra time off work, so I picked one which looked isolated. The seats in this section curve around in a thin line, so nobody is directly in front or behind you. I would recommend sitting in Section 335 if this also sounds like total bliss to you, and you don’t suffer from vertigo. This tour follows the release of their latest greatest hits album, ‘Rebel Diamonds’, which came out at the end of last year and is named after lyrics from my favourite song of theirs, ‘Read My Mind’. It features three new songs – ‘Boy’, ‘Your Side Of Town’ and ‘Spirit’, which had never made it on to previous albums. Their first greatest hits album was ‘Direct Hits’ (2013), made less than a decade after their debut album ‘Hot Fuss’ (2004), showing how quickly the band gained popularity. I arrived fifteen minutes before the doors opened, since the queue took a long time to go down when I saw Bring Me The Horizon in January and I didn’t want to repeat that experience. The staff were on top of things this time, even though the security checks were quite thorough. I was asked to open the smaller section of my bag, which they normally don’t bother checking. It almost felt like a shame to go in, as we were enjoying some rare sunshine, but I knew this was going to be a night I wouldn’t forget.

I grabbed myself an extortionate £3 bottle of water and headed to my seat, which took a while because of how scarily high up it was. I needed to climb an extra flight of stairs to reach the very top, instead of an escalator. I felt dizzy when I peered through the gaps in the steps but that only added to my excitement. My day leading up to the event was very relaxing but now I was filled with adrenaline. Although the atmosphere on the floor is unbeatable, I was confident it wouldn’t matter where I was sitting because it would be such a great show. Travis came on at 7:45pm to the theme tune of ‘Cheers’ and delighted the crowd with old and new favourites. They opened with ‘Sing’, one of their most beloved songs, and closed with ‘Why Does It Always Rain On Me?’, getting everybody to jump up and down and “do the pogo”. The arena was already full of people, which is unusual for that early in the evening. Fran Healy (lead singer) was genuinely thrilled to be there, in his home city, and stated TK are one of the best rock bands in the world. He went on to reminisce about meeting Brandon Flowers (frontman of TK) in Las Vegas, where the band originated, before he was a household name. BF wanted to cover their song ‘Side’ at the time, leading FH to dedicate the song to him on this occasion. He joked the carpet on the stage was cut out from Caesars Palace in Las Vegas and I would believe it, looking at the showy design. They convinced the crowd to warm up our voices to their new song, ‘Alive’, without many of us hearing it before, which was an interesting choice. I’ve been enjoying their new music from ‘L.A. Times’ and am looking forward to the album’s full release in a couple of weeks. My favourite song of theirs was the upbeat ‘Gaslight’, since I had it on repeat when it was released back in March. Paul didn’t believe me it was a Travis song at first, as it sounded far too cheerful. Personally, I adore their more sombre songs and got goosebumps several times because of FH’s impressive vocals. They also sound really tight-knit as a band. We were asked to hold up our phones during the sentimental ‘Closer’ and I always enjoy seeing a huge arena lit up like stars. FH’s family members were shown on the big screens for a moment, wearing comical red wigs to match his bold new hairstyle, which was funny and heartwarming. They did their usual party trick during ‘Flowers In The Window’, where Dougie Payne (bass) reaches over and plays FH’s guitar for him, which is unique to them, but could get old if you go to a lot of their shows. Overall, their set was brilliant and I had an amazing time seeing them again after they headlined my local music festival Belladrum last year.

I could sense fans becoming impatient for TK, as it started to approach 9pm and we were still watching the crew members set things up on stage. A large curtain was dramatically lowered after Travis exited the stage, adding some mystery to what the design would be like. A few minutes past the hour, the distinctive opening notes of ‘My Own Soul’s Warning’ and BF’s flawless vocals filled the arena. The aesthetics were mesmerising once they lifted the curtain. Confetti exploded after the first song, sending everyone into an excited frenzy. I didn’t realise they switch the songs up every night, as I peeked at only one of the setlists from this tour before arriving, to get an idea of what to expect. I wish they performed all of the songs from ‘Rebel Diamonds’, as ‘Spaceman’, my second favourite song of theirs, was sorely missed. But mixing up the setlist encourages people to attend multiple dates and prevents the performances from becoming predictable, which is a good thing. I think ‘My Own Soul’s Warning’ is the perfect opening song, as it builds up over time and definitely gets the blood pumping. They opened with ‘Mr. Brightside’, their biggest hit, on one of the Manchester nights! Being taken by surprise would have been a lot of fun but I am glad they kept it for the encore this time, as it gave me plenty of time to prepare for it. BF announced they were here to make our night as perfect as possible, since they are “in the service industry”, being “The Killers”. The crowd came even more alive for ‘Human’, since it is highly recognisable after taking over the radio for years. A fan was invited on stage to play the drums during ‘For Reasons Unknown’, after fighting his way to the barrier both nights and being very persistent with his hand-written sign. He certainly captured the band’s attention, as BF recognised him from the previous night and eventually gave in, clearly unsure what to expect. He was a great drummer and it was nice seeing the crowd cheering the stranger on. I have come across a lot of positive posts about him online, since he has achieved his dream. BF led into a sensational cover of ‘The Whole Of The Moon’ by The Waterboys, claiming it’s the one song he wishes he’d written. He said he gets asked that question a lot by journalists and never has a clear answer, as his mind usually goes blank. Everyone listened intently whenever BF addressed the crowd and he stopped mid-way through ‘Spirit’ to check on an incident in the crowd, before restarting when given the green light. I saw ‘Pressure Machine’ from their most recent album was added to the setlist but not performed. Although this is a common occurrence and they might have just decided against it, I can’t help but wonder whether they ran out of time because of the interruption. ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’ is another instantly recognisable song and it kept people humming as the night came to a close.

They launched into the iconic ‘Mr. Brightside’, a song people have been obsessing over for twenty years now, as the first song of the encore. It was well worth the wait, as it got everybody dancing wildly again. Every other member of the band was lovingly introduced – Dave Keuning (lead guitar), Mark Stoermer (bass), Ronnie Vannucci Jr. (drums) and each of the soulful backing singers, during the last song. The lesser-known songs didn’t receive as big a reaction as the hits and I identified a couple of lulls throughout the set. BF’s voice is spectacular and I loved listening to him sing, even though I wasn’t completely familiar with all of the songs. The band sounded amazing and I could tell they all work well together. I got the feeling nobody wanted to leave once they wheeled out the piano with “Thanks a lot” written on it and neatly wrapped up the set with ‘Exitlude’. I would definitely go to more Travis and TK shows in the future, as both bands understand how to put on a fantastic show and captivate their audience. Travis is promoting a huge show at The Hydro in December, after the release of their upcoming album. I’m already pushing my luck asking for so many days off work and I don’t like travelling in the winter but I bet the atmosphere will be out of this world. I don’t know when TK will return to the UK, or if they are working on new music at the moment. I read the never-before-heard singles from ‘Rebel Diamonds’ were planned to be part of a separate album, which got scrapped. That’s very sad, if hope of a new album has been abandoned. I can only hope this tour has inspired them to create another album some day. They have one of the biggest fanbases out there and BF seems to really enjoy performing on stage and engaging with fans. Not getting to hear ‘Spaceman’ gives me more of an excuse to see them again at a later date, so I will be in the queue for tickets during their next pre-sale. I would love to be closer to the stage next time, as the effects are bound to look even more dazzling up close. I have watched a lot of YouTube videos since coming home and I continued to listen to them on the walk back to the hotel, so it is obvious I haven’t had enough of their music yet.

GALLERY