Fan plays drums during The Killers show at Primavera Sound
Without changing their theatrical and pompous style too much, The Killers closed Primavera Sound São Paulo Saturday on their sixth visit to Brazil. Back at the Autódromo de Interlagos, where they played to 100,000 fans at Lollapalooza 2018, the American band performed in front of half that audience: 50,000 people, according to the event’s production team.
As in “Lolla,” in “For Reasons Unknown,” the band repeated the part of the show in which they call on a fan to play drums. The drummer at the time, a fan from São Paulo who had a sign near the fence, actually did well. It started shyly and then picked up the pace.
He then took a selfie with the group and spoke to the singer. “He tried to return the drumsticks. That was the first time,” an incredulous Brandon Flowers explained with a laugh.
The setlist changed from show to show: This time they opened with “Mr. Brightside,” which was played at the end of previous tours. The song is still her biggest hit almost 20 years after its release and is about young relationships that ended in betrayal.
Youth is still an important part of the Las Vegas band’s songbook. When he sings about his then 17yearold son in “Boy” (from 2022), the singer remembers the times when he was that age himself.
But everyone is getting older, including Flowers: today the singer is 42 years old. The involuntary robotic movements on stage have already earned him the dangerous nickname “dancing indie rock uncle”.
In “The Way It Was,” for example, he shakily imitates a driver in the opening verse, just before shouting “Hi, São Paulo” and saying that this would be the Killers’ last show of 2023. The Ham His charm resurfaces in other moments, such as when he takes off his jacket before telling “Somebody told me” about unrequited flirtations.
The biggest addition to the repertoire could be “Spirit,” which will be played live for the first time in a show in front of 4,000 fans in São Paulo on Thursday (30). The song is part of the second biggest hits collection of the band’s career. After “Direct Hits” from 2013, “Rebel Diamonds” will be released next Friday (8).
“Spirit” was written with existential lyrics, based on the question “Where does our spirit go?” and the story of a young man in search of a life with more faith. Anyone who thought the band would show this new thing live was disappointed.
As with the Palmeiras Stadium show last year, the group performed reinforced by three good singers on backing vocals and without two members of the original cast. The band’s remaining fulltime members are Flowers and drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr.
Guitarist Dave Keuning was away from Killers for a while and returned to play on a few shows and on the latest album. Mark Stoermer decided to stay away from the group for a while.
They will be missed, of course, but anyone who attends a Killers show will definitely want to see the performance of Flowers, one of the best rock band leaders of his generation.