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The Killers owe Chevy Chase big time.

The Vegas group (whose music is heavily influenced by Europeans) took the stage Friday night at the Air Canada Centre under the glow of enough twinkling lights to make a Griswold Christmas look dim.

A strut in his step, front man Brandon Flowers commanded the attention of the near sold-out crowd, kick-starting the show with Spaceman and Losing Touch from the new album Day & Age. “Sexy dancing is encouraged,” prodded the much-improved frontman, whose days of using a synthesizer as a crutch seem like ages ago. Flowers exuded confidence (but not cockiness) and delivered lyrics like “Come on girls and boys, everyone make some noise,” with a genuine appreciation for the obvious effect.

He also made himself scarce when necessary, sharing the spotlight with his band, which weaved new and old material effortlessly. They rarely missed a beat, though new tune Dustland Fairytale and the stripped down performance of Sam’s Town left a little to be desired.

The arena theatrics of the headliners were a stark contrast to openers M83. Preferring substance over style, the group (led by singer/guitarist Anthony Gonzalez) put on an electronic jam for 45 minutes that likely made several thousand new fans, given the growing applause they received after each song. Their mostly instrumental performance earned a standing ovation from Killers drummer Ronnie Vannucci later in the night, but likely disappointed some of the paying crowd who hoped for something a little catchier.

At least they got their money’s worth from the Killers; with a stage show that included gold pyro, bursts of confetti, and even bubbles falling from the rafters, not even the cold weather outside could diminish the positive vibe on this Friday night of music.

It was, in fact, a real vacation.

The Killers Setlist, January 23, 2009 @ Air Canada Centre, Toronto:
Spaceman
Losing Touch
Somebody Told Me
Smile Like You Mean It
This is Your Life
Joy Ride
I Can’t Stay
Bling (Confessions Of A King)
Bones
Dustland Fairytale
Neon Tiger
Human
Sam’s Town
Read My Mind
Mr. Brightside
All These Things That I’ve Done

Encore
For Reasons Unknown
Shadowplay
Jenny Was A Friend of Mine
When You Were Young

Posted on Monday, January 26th, 2009 at 11:42 am by Dan Carruthers and is filed under Concerts & Events.

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