Live Review: The Killers, Alex Cameron, Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders

30 April 2018 | 12:11 pm | Melissa Borg

"One of the bands that kickstarted [rock'n'roll] again happen to be from Australia and they're called The Vines."

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Tonight's show was one for the life chronicles - as it's not often you get to see an Australian band acknowledged and invited to play with one of the world's most recognisable bands.

But before we got to making and breaking headlines, Jack Ladder & The Dreamlanders had the tough gig of warming up a stadium show crowd. Ladder's soothing baritone was nice to listen to, but the short set overall didn't really fit the vibe of the evening.

Interestingly, that wasn't the last we saw of Jack Ladder, with most band members hopping back onstage to help out Alex Cameron. Oozing arrogance, which I believe (hope) is part of his act, Cameron didn't quite grab the audience's attention; however business partner and saxophonist Roy Molloy had a few fans in the crowd, with calls for Molloy emanating out of this reviewer's side of the pit.

But both acts were truthfully forgotten once The Killers' Brandon Flowers stepped out to Wonderful Wonderful looking glamorous in his white suit. Launching into The Man and backing it up with huge track Somebody Told Me, Flowers had already won us over and shown his chops as a true showman.

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The Killers balanced their set between new and old tracks to sate our hunger and show off the span of their career to date; playing danceable track Spaceman, anthemic The Way It Was, recent banger Run For Cover, and now-classic Smile Like You Mean It. The crowd instantly recognised For Reasons Unknown and took over with claps - Flowers looked genuinely stoked.

Newer tracks Rut and Tyson Vs Douglas didn't receive the same fanfare, but the band carried these less popular tracks with grace like true showmen, rewarding our attention with a magical version of A Dustland Fairytale and monumental track Read My Mind.

Ominous chords rung out across the stadium for a good two minutes, during which no one dared to say a word (this is how you know you've earnt a crowd's respect), before fading into a massive "I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier" singalong for All These Things That I've Done.

Flowers re-appeared in a glittery suit to encore with The Calling. He then invited The Vines' Craig Nicholls on stage saying "One of the bands that kickstarted [rock'n'roll] again happen to be from Australia and they're called The Vines," playing Get Free and then classic When You Were Young together - a truly unforgettable moment. Then, not forgetting the track that started their career, The Killers closed their phenomenal set with Mr Brightside.

Drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr returned to see us off and throw his drumsticks out to the crowd as a token of appreciation before a 'Drive Safely' sign was lowered over the stage as an ode to their hometown, Las Vegas.