Review: The Killers @ Co-op Live, Manchester
The Las Vegas band powerfully play a vast setlist of hits in support of their Rebel Diamonds compilation album
The Killers have always been a prolific touring band. Since lockdown eased following the Covid-19 pandemic, the Nevada natives have had only a matter of months away from global stages with their Imploding the Mirage tour kicking off in August 2021 and finishing a mere six months ago in December 2023. Now, promoting their latest greatest hits album Rebel Diamonds, they’re back gracing UK arenas – supported by Scottish rock band, Travis – and display a live presence of charm and authenticity that makes them one of the best touring bands of this generation.
Rebel Diamonds as an album and, consequently, the setlist of this tour, features songs that stretch back to the band’s debut Hot Fuss, released 20 years ago. With The Killers continuing to frequent worldwide radio stations and music festivals, it can be difficult to escape their songs – if you should strangely ever want to. Yet the consistently evident love for the craft of frontman Brandon Flowers exudes a quality and commitment that causes audiences to feel as though they’re just hearing his established anthems – when played live – for the very first time.
Commencing with the band’s most signature hit, the third Manchester crowd of the tour are instantly on their feet upon hearing the intro to Mr. Brightside which establishes a performative pace that is upkept for the entire set. Interestingly, it appears that The Killers aren’t sticking to any script when it comes to a definitive setlist on this tour which provides an unpredictability and excitement that is only evidenced by legends such as Bruce Springsteen. Having been an active fan of the band since 2009, it is rewarding to see that The Killers have reached a level in their career where rules and structure need no longer apply – their ability and residence are enough.
Though there are many stand-out moments of the set, Quiet Town – the second track from the 2021 concept album Pressure Machine – is particularly poignant, with non-fictional lyrics telling a tragic story of a young couple from Utah being hit by a train. Accentuating such melancholia is guitarist Dave Keuning’s harmonica playing that repeatedly succeeds at evoking heartbreaking emotion throughout. Though this song itself is hard-hitting enough as a single track, it is thanks to crowd-pleasers such as Somebody Told Me, Human, and All These Things That I’ve Done, that cause for such moments to be even more sensitive and striking.
Better still, it is the type of crowd that The Killers constantly draw in that demonstrates the band’s versatility and diversity, as well as their sustained relevance and appeal. With members of the crowd varying in ages of childhood all the way up to older demographics, it is reassuring to be in the presence of a band who are not typecast or associated to one specific sort of listener. It also helps that the band – and most prominently Flowers – continue to create music that is timeless, ageless, and meaningful, whereby any hint of gimmick is simply nowhere to be found.
With their four dates in Manchester now complete, The Killers are set to commence three nights in Glasgow, six nights in London, and one night in Madrid before embarking on the second leg of the Rebel Diamonds Tour in North America from August 3rd 2024.
Setlist (Friday 21st June 2024):
Mr Brightside
Spaceman
Shot at the Night
Run For Cover
Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
Quiet Town
Somebody Told Me
Human
boy
True Faith (New Order cover)
Here With Me
Battle Born
A Dustland Fairytale
Ten Storey Love Song (Stone Roses cover)
Runaways
Read My Mind
Smile Like You Mean It
My Own Soul’s Warning
When You Were Young
Lightning Fields (Encore)
All These Things That I’ve Done (Encore)
Listen to Quiet Town by The Killers here: