The Killers: Live from the Royal Albert Hall
The Killers: Live from the Royal Albert Hall
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By inthenews. |  |
Tuesday, 17, Nov 2009 12:23
Island/Def Jam, out now.
What's it all about?
The summer 2009 UK tour of Las Vegas outfit the Killers sold out within two hours, with 150,000 tickets snapped up by eager fans. They headlined at festivals such as V and put up a spectacular show at the Royal Albert Hall, which is where most of this live DVD was filmed. Extra features include a behind-the-scenes documentary, as well as the band's first live album with tracks from all three their studio albums to date.
Who's it by
It's hard to believe the Killers have only been around for five years (even though they were formed in 2002). They burst into the public consciousness in 2004 with Hot Fuss and they are even painted in the corridors of the Royal Albert Hall alongside music greats such as The Beatles and Luciano Pavarotti.
As an example...
"Every single penny that we spent and losing our jobs was worth it... totally worth it... A job, you can find another one, maybe tomorrow, in a week, a month, this doesn't happen again... once in a lifetime." - Killers fan (or 'victim' as they call themselves) who travelled from Mexico to catch the Royal Albert Hall performance.
What the others say
"One of the most enjoyable concert films we've ever seen ... the ultimate one-two punch of rock awesomeness." - IGN
"LFRAH is quite possibly the best live album and video since Elvis and his Aloha From Hawaii some 36 years ago." - Eric Stromsvold, Starpulse
So is it any good?
The Killers are at their finest live - and this DVD is the next best thing to being there yourself. They rock, strut, sweat, slam the drums in spectacular fashion and sweep up the crowds while grinding out one pumping hit after the other.
Brandon Flowers takes on his sex-on-legs persona - exhibitionist show pony one minute and broodingly melancholic the next - in this epic. They work their magic to light up the Royal Albert Hall with spectacular lights, a preamble about the history of Mr Brightside and Flowers' command of the stage. But skip through the awkward audience interaction bit at the end of A Dustland Fairytale. It's cringeworthy, even though it maybe shows exactly how far these Nevada guys have come.
As for the extras, the festival sections have nothing on the Royal Albert Hall, though the violin action on the V rendition of Smile Like You Mean It makes for something pretty special.
Behind-the-scenes footage adds a nice touch for those who can't help but wonder how such a tight show comes together, but the main thing is definitely the performance itself. It's electric, raw, authentic and a confirmation that the Killers deserve to be named alongside the Stones and other rock legends.
9/10
Karen Webber