Review: The Killers prove they can still slay fans with energetic modern rock

“If you came looking for rock 'n’ roll, you came to the right place.”

That’s what The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers announced to the nearly sold out Schottenstein Center Tuesday night.

The Killers have seemed to exist in a time-exempt capsule. They equally feel like a nostalgia grab for the 2000s, but they also feel like a Brit rock/New Wave band from the ‘80s.

They’re your present-day rock star’s favorite band. They have two of the biggest crowd-pleasers in “Mr. Brightside” and “Somebody Told Me” yet somehow feel criminally underrated.

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All of the above was evident by the fanbase that showed up at their concert Tuesday night at the Schottenstein Center. Fans ranged from kids going to their first concert to twentysomethings to veteran rock 'n’ rollers.

While they have never managed to dull the noise mainstream-wise of their debut album “Hot Fuzz” — which turns 20 next year — their 2011 album, “Wonderful, Wonderful,” was their first No 1. album on the U.S. Billboard 200. Their latest album, “Pressure Machine,” was released in 2021.

While The Killers have undergone multiple iterations of its lineup, the band has finally reformed with three of its original members for their upcoming eighth album. Although they always have different touring lineups. The Killers, in recent years, have been largely a training ground for the basement rockers who were inspired by them back during their mainstream debut in 2003.

While their "Imploding the Mirage" tour is named after their 2020 album of the same name, the show was a full retrospective of everything from their beginning to now.

Flowers even honored the rock 'n’ roll legends that came before him like Elvis Presley, donning a black blazer, white tank top, black slacks & black leather shoes.

In one moment, you could see that he feels the music in his body. In other moments, you could hear it from his soul when he belted Freddie Mercury-like notes.

Flowers’ voice can go lower than the bass player yet reach soaring heights like belting into the Grand Canyon in songs like “Shot at the Night” and “Be Still,” the latter being the highlight of Flowers’ live vocal performance.

There were times in songs where it was clear that Flowers’ energy had been spent and he was tired. During their performance of “Somebody Told Me,” while a crowd pleaser, Flowers let the audience do most of the singing. It is understandable though; he sings many lyrics in close succession.

Flowers even remarked on his voice about halfway into the hour-and-a-half set. “When we came out here tonight, I was a little worried about my voice,” Flowers said. “It’s a frightening thing, I just wanna do good for you.”

However, the crowd’s energy fueled Flowers.

“When we got on stage,” he said. “It just came right back to me.”

The entire concert Flowers smiled at the crowd like being reunited with old friends.

He even remarked that they were now “big time” by playing the Schottenstein Center. It seems that even The Killers forget how much of an icon they are.

While Flowers is the face and voice of The Killers, the band’s original drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr.’s talents must be commended. His drum solos during songs like “Spaceman” and “A Dustland Fairytale” are enamoring to witness and the crowd couldn’t get enough.

Electric guitarist Ted Sablay, who also served as one of the openers, absolutely killed (pun intended) his guitar solos in songs like “Caution.”

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There was plenty of call-and-response with the audience throughout the entire concert, but near the end of the show during “All These Things That I’ve Done,” the entire crowd sang one of the most iconic lines in modern rock 'n’ roll for several minutes before Flowers even sang it.

“I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier.”

What does it mean? No one knows, but Flowers definitely has soul in the way he projects his voice. Flowers even remarked that nobody projects his voice like he does. But he commends his band, particularly Vannucci, for giving him the drive to belt.

The show began and ended with explosions of confetti, pyrotechnics, laser light shows and rock 'n’ roll. The Killers didn’t leave it all on the stage, they left it all in the crowd. Flowers stepped over the barrier between the crowd and the stage many times. Vannucci even threw his drumsticks into the crowd at the end of the show.

It’s safe to say that The Killers will remain in their rock 'n’ roll status, but will they be a band we wished we paid closer attention to once they are no longer here?

Luckily for now, we get to look on the bright side and be thankful that we don’t have to.

This article originally appeared on The Columbus Dispatch: Concert review: The Killers give energetic show at Schottenstein Center