Make haste, The Killers need no introduction as they opened their 90 minute set with the 03’ breakthrough, ‘Mr. Brightside’ jumping to recent times with “Spaceman”.  With an inauguration like this, crowd of thousands dwell in nostalgia jumping timelines along with their liberating performance. Showmanship is nothing foreign to this band from front liner, Brandon Flowers to drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. All dapper, all panache, Flowers introduces the band with the classic greet to the country as well as proclaiming “Kami Mat Rempit!” to get the crowd going followed by contrasting Malaysia’s national motto “Maju Dan Makmur” to Vegas’ iconic slogan “What happens in Vegas stays in vegas”. Definitely a crowd pleaser with his charms ideally making Flowers one of the most iconic leads in the era.

Picking back up the pace, Flowers went acoustic by making a short on “Human” prior to hitting covers from 80’s rock legends, ‘Shadowplay’from Joy Division and Tommy James & The Shondells ‘I Think Were Alone Now’.  The time machine experience jumping from era to era gave the concert the spice it needed. Coming back to the present with ‘Reasons Unknown’ crowds sang their online slots hearts content, impressing Flowers even at the love they have for the band. Undisputed crowd interaction was evident (really, Ronnie even threw drumsticks to the floor). Flowers shook the earth underneath as the empathetic chorus of ‘I”ve Got Soul But Im Not A Soldier’. Crowds of thousands belted at the top of their lungs to sing along to the hit just to shatter their glass with the band leaving the stage after (But wait!) to come back with a three-piece encore to blow the crowds minds starting with ‘Hot Fuss’s Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine’ to the song that the cool kids played on guitar hero ‘When You Were Young’ to close the night.

            Other than the lack of accentuation of guitarist Dave Keuning’s solos the gig definitely made a mark on the music scene in Malaysia making their gig one of the more notable ones in the year thus far. With live sounds that don’t stray far from the records it’s undeniable that The Killers are one of the best indie rock bands of the decade with tracks old or new, there’s no areas of grey in their established sound. (Zafran Aqil/Photos : FSA)