A KILLING AT RED ROCKS

Second show of the week as I wind down the summer concert season. Attending with me were my daughter (15 y.o.) and son (12 y.o.), the first enjoying the show, the second having to be forced to attend, probably preferring to stay home and play video games. I suspect he'll appreciate the occasion at a later time in life. I drove home from work, picked them up and we drove west to the foothills where Red Rocks amphitheater is located.

One of the best concert venues available . Seating is located between a pair of cliff walled rock formation jutting up into the sky, a natural amphitheater. The seating faces east overlooking the lights of Denver. Half way through the show the orange moon rose above the eastern skyline.

First up was Broken Wreckords, someone I had never heard of before. An ok warm up to the main act, the sun setting and the sky turning to darkness. But everyone here was waiting in anticipation for the main show. This was a good opportunity to start getting stoked up, the tequila slowly taking effect.

Sean Kennedy writes:

The Killers are synth-pop chameleons. Though possessing their own sound in lead singer Brandon Flowers’ powerful voice, they wear their influences proudly as devotees of the Cars, Morrissey, Bowie, the Beatles, Pet Shop Boys, U2 and Queen. Bowie, in fact, was quoted after seeing them live as “…having just witnessed the history of rock and roll in one show.” A compliment — however, embedded in it may have been a jab at the Killers’ mastery of incorporating influences into their sound.

Flowers took a few minutes to catch his breath, exclaiming, “We’ve been spending time at sea level, I’m feeling it up here!” He proceeded to climb a large rock next to the stage to serenade us with “Bling (Confession of a King).” It was easy to forget about how long it took the band to come onstage during “Somebody Told Me” and “Change Your Mind.” Flowers hit his stride, seemingly adjusting to the altitude on “Mr. Brightside.”

He moved like a boxer, sparring between the microphone stand and the keyboards. During “Help Me Out,” with the crowd chanting the lyrics, “I’ve got soul but I’m not a soldier,” confetti cannons exploded from the stage, glitter showering over the heads of the first 20 rows. At 10:45 they came back for an encore with “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine.”

Hot off the Lollapalooza tour, the Killers were at the top of their game at Red Rocks, a venue that grants magic for some and rips away the veil to reveal the mediocrity of others. Watching the orange half-moon rise above the stage halfway through the show, it was clear the Killers were among the former.

Read the full review here, along with some great photos from the show:

http://blogs.denverpost.com/reverb/2009/09/11/live-review-the-killers-red-rocks-amphitheatre/

The Killers put on a great performance, being disappointed only when the music came to an end after their encore. They are definitely one of my favorite bands of the day!