They smiled and they meant it

The Killers (Photo by Magic Liwanag)

The way I see it, concerts are a commitment. The second the artists come up on stage to a rousing greeting from their fans, they are expected to keep their end of the bargain. There is no half-assing around it. They must keep the momentum going so the show doesn’t turn into, say, some homecoming queen’s lazy auditorium recital.

Thankfully, The Killers knows the drill and they are more than happy to indulge the audience, treating their show not unlike any other by giving fans a near-epic performance worthy of bigger stadiums. It didn’t matter if the show started about an hour and a half late; if the set is bare and marked only with a roll-down backdrop with the band’s logo; or if the most they could do by way of costume change is shedding a jacket – they meant to let the viewers have fun and they, in turn, needed no prompting to respond.

Forget glammed-up audience members that seemed to have made a wrong turn on their way to a glitzy Paris Hilton-worthy party. The Killers’ first-ever concert in Manila attracted the kind of crowd that didn’t mind standing (the standing Patron section is a given; still, most people at the Smart Araneta Coliseum remained on their feet throughout the concert) and expressing their enjoyment with hands punching the air. They gave as much as they took, and the band let their appreciation be felt (drummer Ronnie Vanucci Jr. really seemed to be enjoying himself, pounding on the skins like there was no more tomorrow).

Once onstage, The Killers did not play coy. They immediately launched into “Mr. Brightside” as their opening salvo and things just took off from there. Vocalist Brandon Flowers looks at his bandmates with a smile. I could have sworn it looked like the kind that goes with awe, almost like saying, “Can you believe this crowd?” Three songs or so in, he says, “Mabuhay, Manila!”

He then declares, “Suh wah-cuss (Sa wakas), The Killers are here! Thank you for not giving up on us…” The band was originally scheduled to hit Asia back in 2010 but had to cancel the leg “due to unforeseen circumstances,” as reported.

Meanwhile, past the halfway mark, Flowers introduced his bandmates and noted that they always bring a piece of Manila with them wherever they go. Here, he introduced session guitarist Theodore “Ted” Sablay, whose father Flowers says hails from Pampanga. Cheers erupted for the half-Filipino musician in the spotlight.

Filling their set with a mix of material in their discography, and peppering it with the older gems like “Somebody Told Me,” “All These Things That I’ve Done,” as well as two personal favorites “Smile Like You Mean It” and “Change Your Mind,” The Killers ensured the night was worth the money spent and effort exerted by those who turned up to the show.

Never mind that, to this day, some of the things they sing hardly make any sense (“I’ve got soul but I’m not a soldier” or “Are we human or are we dancer?” come to mind). Oh please, you don’t have to explain, we get it. The hour or so spent in the company of The Killers made it very clear that things need not be spelled out to be understood – they just have to be felt and enjoyed.

On the way home, I was smiling and I truly meant it. I’d like to think the rest of the crowd felt the same way, too.

“The Killers Live In Manila,” part of the group’s “Battle Born World Tour,” was produced by Ovation Productions and Music Management International.

They smiled and they meant it

Source: Mb.com.ph (September 28, 2013 at 03:56PM)

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