July 5, The O2: the Rebel Diamonds tour rolls into London for a six-night residency with a varied setlist and special guest in Erasure’s Andy Bell Two decades in, The Killers still relish the glare of Sin City’s lights. In August, the Las Vegas-formed band are celebrating the 20th anniversary of 2004 debut ‘Hot Fuss’ with a residency in their hometown; for the past month, they’ve embarked on the ‘Rebel Diamonds’ tour throughout the UK and Ireland, a nod to the recently-issued Greatest Hits compilation. Tonight’s (July 5) show at The O2 in London is the second of six sold-out shows at the 20,000-capacity venue, the type of residency reserved for pop titans or heritage acts, categories which do not apply here or are deftly avoided.
Frontman Brandon Flowers is all too aware of the British audience’s commitment to The Killers since the very start. Prior to ‘Dying Breed’, he is genuinely emotional at the fact that these punters first took ownership of the band, and have been showing out ever since. The bluster of ‘Imploding The Mirage’’s studio version is gone, but instead hushed reverence takes over: “there’s nothing better than old friends,” he tells the crowd, “and you don’t make new old friends.
” Credit: Chris Phelps The tone of the evening remains consistent: a balance of big hits and deep cuts from their entire discography. ‘Smile Like You Mean It’, ‘Spaceman’ and ‘Somebody Told Me’ are performed with bombast and urgency, a.
