Event Info:
The Killers & Johnny Marr, October 8th, Little Ceasars Arena, Detroit, MI
The Killers are a rock band from Las Vegas, Nevada who first achieved widespread fame in 2004 with the release of their debut album Hot Fuss. Their 2022 North American tour followed the release of 2020’s Imploding The Mirage. The Killers also brought along Johnny Marr as the opening act. Marr is best known as the guitarist and principal songwriter for The Smiths, a groundbreaking band in the alternative rock genre based in Manchester, England. He is also known for his work with Electronic, Modest Mouse, The Cribs, and Talking Heads. On October 8th, both visited Little Ceasars Arena in Detroit, a massive new venue that features state-of-the-art sound systems, expansive seating, and bountiful amenities.
Marr opened the show with a slew of his hits, ranging from Smiths’ material to his newer solo works. Famous for his layering of guitars in the studio, Marr was able to bring this wall of sound to a live setting, letting out ringing lead lines while his dependable band filled out the room with the signature Smiths sound. He replicated the erie slide lead on “How Soon Is Now?” and was able to pull out a passing Morrissey impression on “There Is a Light That Never Goes Out”. Marr even showed his aggressive side, demanding the crowd to “burn down the disco” and “hang the DJ’ in the Smiths’ deep cut “Panic!”. While he may have been the opening act, Marr played like a headliner, dominating the stage from start to finish. After a brief intermission, it was time for the Killers to take the stage.
The stage crew transformed the set for the Killers, revealing multicolored light bars, pyrotechnics, and shimmering lasers that created a visual work of art that to some surely rivaled the music. While they were promoting an album, the band was ready to revive their classic hits to keep the crowd energized. Lead singer Brandon Flowers jumped across the stage, interacting with nearly every fan at the front of the stage, even stopping the performance at one point to put an end to a fight that had broken out in the audience. The four-piece band had been expanded to create an arena sound, employing an extra keyboard player, guitarist, and a three-piece set of backing singers. Dave Keuning displayed his own signature guitar sound, which is noticeably inspired by that of Marr which had been innovated nearly two decades prior. The crows sang along to hits such as “Somebody Told Me” and “When You Were Young”. One of the highlights of the Killers’ performance was towards the back end of their set when The band paid homage to Motown in the form of a stripped-down rendition of “My Girl”, a tune recorded by the Temptations just miles away from the arena. This was followed by an extended version of “All These Things That I’ve Done”, where a thunderous chant of the classic line “I’ve got soul but I’m not a soldier” carried through the crowd for nearly a full minute. As the band left the stage, an encore was a given. Much to the delight of the older portion of the audience (as well as myself), Marr was invited back on stage to perform the Smiths classic “This Charming Man” with the rest of the band. Watching Marr master the truly charming guitar line was awe-inspiring. Marr has long been one of my greatest inspirations and seeing the joy he felt being able to play a song he wrote nearly forty years ago to a full house instantly brought a smile to my face. The grand finale of the show was, of course, an Ann Arbor favorite, “Mr. Brightside”. This was celebrated by a burst of confetti and a shower of sparks that backlit the band. As I headed for the exit, A roar of applause rang out, and with sore legs and ringing ears, the night had come to a close.
