Killers put on energetc, loud show despite technical difficulty

THE KILLERS, MARIACHI EL BRONX AND NERVOUS WRECKWORDS, E Center, Sept. 26

A 17-minute delay for "technical difficulty" didn't kill the enthusiasm for The Killers or their fans Saturday night at the E Center.

The band had just finished their opening number, "Joy Ride," when a crew member came on stage, whispered something in lead singer Brandon Flowers' ear, and Flowers stopped the band just as they were beginning song No. 2 and told everyone they had to leave the stage for a few minutes.

Another stagehand told the crowd there was a "technical difficulty" that needed to be fixed. After a roadie climbed to a hanging truss and appeared to work on a spotlight, the show resumed.

The Killers started up the show as if they were taking the stage for the first time, putting on an extravagant light display as they took the stage for "Human."

"Did you miss us?" Flowers asked the crowd to roaring approval.

After the false start, there were no more interruptions as the quartet from Las Vegas finished an energetic, and loud, 90-plus minute set.

Consistently throughout the night, the crowd pogoed with a hand raised in the air for songs such as "Bones," "For Reasons Unknown" and "Change My Mind."

Flowers, who lived for several years in Nephi as a child, was in fine vocal form all night as he moved and stomped his foot around the stage. He didn't have to do much, however, to get the crowd pumped and singing along for songs like "Somebody Told Me" and "Mr. Brightside."

The other stumble of the evening, in addition to the show being stopped, was the sound mix, especially on Flowers' vocals, which at times sounded muddy and made Flowers unintelligible because his mic was turned up so high.

But it was only a small negative on what overall was an energetic show for fans.

The Killers tackled a couple of covers Saturday night, including an excellent rendition of Joy Division's "Shadowplay." But Elvis' "Can't Help Falling In Love," of which the Vegas boys only played a portion, was average.

The stage was an extravagant set up of lights, confetti blowers, large video screens and palm trees. The Killers, at times, were assisted by up to three additional musicians, including a percussionist and saxophone player.

Other crowd favorites included "Smile Like You Mean It," "Read My Mind" and "All These Things That I've Done."

Opening band Mariachi El Bronx, from Los Angeles, deserve high props for trying something different than the same ol' three-chord bands of today, or even something different from themselves.Mariachi El Bronx is a side project for The Bronx, a hardcore punk group.

Mixing traditional Mexican mariachi music with gringo singing, those in the audience who were opened minded enough to give six people dressed in mariachi suits a chance were treated to a really good set that included the songs "Holy" and "Sleepwalking."