The Killers at Bowery Ballroom, New York From Spin

 

Stills Chill, Killers Kill In NYC Show

 By: Peter Gaston

The Stills with the Killers
Bowery Ballroom, NYC

1/29/04

Perhaps more of a product of their native Las Vegas then they’d care to admit, opening act the Killers managed to rouse the assemblage with a bit more glitz than their north-of-the-border counterparts. Combining the undeniable charisma of Hot Hot Heat’s Steve Bays with the naughty raunchiness of Greg Dulli, Killers frontman Brandon Flowers swaggered between mic and synths with a tempered innocence that teetered on the verge of imminent corruption, as if he was mere moments from channeling his rock star prowess to plunge eagerly into the crowd, smooching scores of willing onlookers along the way.

Backed by fiercely danceable grooves from stoic bassist Mark Stoermer and wildly emotive drummer Ronnie Vannucci, Flowers often needed a mere shimmy and a shake to sell the frenetic “Somebody Told Me” and the surging “Jenny.” It was his not-so-long-distance dedication of “On Top” to Spin’s own Ultragrrrl, however, that scored the charming singer instant NYC scenester brownie points, and probably more than a few jealous blog entries from adoring Web journal mavens. While the Killers remain a bit color-by-numbers with the hipster blazers and haircuts, they’ve got a forthcoming debut album mixed by Alan Moulder (U2, Depeche Mode, Smashing Pumpkins) and an upcoming national tour opening for stellastarr* to sharpen their crayons.

Full review at SPIN