[Review] The Killers @ Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne 13/12/2022
It wasn’t quite the summers night we were expecting but the fans turned out in force united by their love of music. The wait had been long, four very long years in fact, but the time had arrived, and The Killers were playing in Melbourne for the first of two capacity shows at Rod Laver Arena on their Imploding The Mirage tour. Hot off the back of their open-air show at Mt Duneed Estate Geelong which wrapped up to rave reviews, I was keen to see what all the fuss was about. Plenty had turned out early to nab a prime position, myself included, and I was thankful I did, as the crowd started packing in swiftly behind me.
Opening the coveted support slot was Alex Cameron who was looking the goods in his three-piece suit and definitely gave off the Brian Ferry vibes. Strutting through a 45 minute set he kept the fans entertained with lots of cheeky banter, endlessly reminding us of this sax player and business partner Roy Molloy and his backing vocalist/keyboard player Jess Parsons. He was shown plenty of appreciation from the ever-expanding crowd as he belted out songs such as Miami Memory and Sarah Jo. A terrific addition that had RLA singing along was a cheeky cover of Island’s In The Stream which was very well received. Having co-wrote quite a few tracks with The Killers he was quite comfortable on stage and had plenty of fans up front singing along to his songs.
Feeling well warmed up it was time to move on to the main event, the one we were all waiting for, Las Vegas rockers The Killers! The anticipation was building and the energy quite frenetic as the lights dropped to squeals of delight and the band filled the stage. Bursting out bringing the stage to life was vocalist Brandon Flowers was straight to it with My Own Soul’s Warning followed closely by Interlude. The stage was awash with lights, projections on the giant screens and confetti cannons turning Rod Laver into quite the spectacle as we were coated in the colourful offerings as they descended in slow motion. When You Were Young got the floor bouncing and showed just how tight The Killers are as a live band, Brandon making use of every corner of the stage as he delivered the mega hit with gusto. There was no time for chat between songs, packing in as much as they could in their allotted time, Jenny Was A Friend of Mine, Smile Like You Mean It and Shot At The Night flying out in rapid fire.
Human was coupled with intriguing videos on the big screen, covered with tiny boxes filled with dancing figures it was quite captivating. Spaceman really hit the mark with Brandon easily making the transition from keyboard to launching off risers in a heartbeat. Engaging with the crowd on every level, and ripping out that stunning smile on autopilot, Somebody Told Me turned up the heat with red lights, smoke machines and lasers cutting a wicked picture across the stage, the energy was palpable in the arena as the floor moved as one collective group. Runaways gave us all a chance to catch our breath before we all welcomed a sing-a-long of “we can’t wait ‘til tomorrow” on repeat as Brandon told us to “think about it” it felt like a special moment and one I was glad to be a part of.
Another huge hit was Caution off the 2020 Imploding The Mirage album, this came complete with the whole rear of the stage igniting in sparklers projected out via baby smoke cannons, this was not just a feast for your eyes it was a whole banquet and we could not get a seat at the table quick enough. All These Things That I’ve Done had all our voices primed and ready for ‘I’ve got soul, but I’m not a soldier’ which echoed back across Rod Laver as the masses didn’t miss an opportunity to be involved in this amazing spectacle as green and gold confetti exploded over us. With a speedy exit from the stage, it was time to start the chants and clapping to draw them back out, and it didn’t take long as they returned with The Man. With the arena on their feet, it was a glorious encore as the confetti cannons shot out million-dollar bills with Brandon’s picture showing he really is ‘The Man’ and of course I pocketed a few for prosperity’s sake. Bling (Confession of a King) from Sam’s Town was next up then the one we had all been waiting for Mr Brightside. Starting with a slower remix of the song I was left wanting but not for long as they jumped into the OG radio version and boy oh boy did Rod Laver erupt. Hands in the air, punters bouncing in unison, it was the perfect end to a spectacular live show and I now see why The Killers are one of the worlds biggest bands.
If you are yet to catch The Killers DO NOT miss this opportunity there are just a few shows left on the tour, so get out and see some live music and I guarantee the memory will make you Smile Like You Mean It for years to come!
Wed 14 Dec, 2022 Rod Laver Arena, Melbourne – Lic. All Ages
Sat 17 Dec, 2022 Hope Estate, Hunter Valley – Lic. All Ages
Mon 19 Dec, 2022 Qudos Bank Arena, Sydney – Lic. All Ages
and newly announced intimate show
Mon 19 Dec, 2022 Liberty Hall, Sydney – 18+
Tickets available: https://www.frontiertouring.com/thekillers
Jacob Collier @ Forum Theatre, Melbourne 4/12/2022
The packed Forum venue was already breezy with excitement and anticipation for the return of one of the most accomplished, one of a kind rising star acts of this century, Jacob Collier, who finally returned to Australian soil for his 82nd show of the Djesse world tour. And even after so many shows, oh boy did he deliver.
If there’s two words I can use to describe the quintessential Jacob Collier extravaganza, they would be ethereal and idiosyncratic. This was not an ordinary show in the slightest, but more-so a journey and collective insight to the mind of Jacob. From Collier enthusiastically running barefoot onto the stage jumping around and hyping the crowd, to swiftly sitting at his grand piano accompanying slower but funkier/soulful tunes lead by his band whose talents know no bounds.
Never before have I seen such a brilliant display of musical versatility brought out on stage. Jacob never ceased the flaunt of his multi-instrumentalism and extensive improvisation, as he’d tirelessly jump between multiple instruments in one song, like faster than a broke uni student catching money in a cash machine.
And whilst on the topic of things, I’ve never seen the kind of audience interaction/participation at a live gig than what was at a Collier gig and it is quite boldly unmatched. For Jacob managed to turn the entirety of a packed, sold out Forum into a harmonic and angelic choir for around 10 minutes straight, with such precise conducting of an ethereal, orchestral beauty that I never thought I would be amongst in my lifetime. The combination of this, non stop banter, and the occasional chat with the audience really made this whole experience personal and brought a togetherness among us
Now don’t get it twisted, our boogie boots were strapped on once Collier picked up the electric bass, and lead his incredibly talented band for back to back tracks Time Alone With You and All I Need. With his hit song Hideaway being amongst the set. Let me tell you that there was not on idle pair of legs amongst the crowd, as everyone moved like Bootsy himself.
We all thought it was over, and were waiting for the house lights to come on, as it had been set up with Jacob introducing his band and crew and smashing it one last time before triumphantly leaving the stage, but the audience were hungry for more. What started off as the quintessential “ONE MORE SONG” chant eventually became the iconic “Boom Boom Clap” rhythm of We Will Rock You, enticing the young Londoner to grace us with one last encore…..and oh boy did he do such a thing as he stormed the stage to the roar of hundreds of fans, right before delivering an incredible solo rendition of Somebody To Love by Queen. He even once again transformed the audience into a choir for the operatic sections of the iconic track, permanently leaving an incredible mark on us.
Thank you Jacob for a fantastic performance, well worthy of 2 sold out shows in Melbourne alone.
[Gallery] Alex Cameron @ The Triffid, Brisbane 25/11/2022
Alex Cameron
Sean Nicholas Savage
Hanson @ Forum Theatre, Melbourne 16/11/2022
It was a cold and rainy Wednesday night and The Forum Theatre was already three quarters full thirty minutes before the opening act took to the stage. There had to be something special that drew the masses out of their warm homes in the middle of the week and Hanson was it.
The opening act was John Calvin Abney. A solo singer songwriter from Tulsa, Oklahoma. He played a combination of country and folk music with a bit of the blues in it.
The venue was surprisingly full at this point and most of the crowd were supportive and involved throughout his set. The first thing that stood out to me was John’s fantastic harmonica skills. I’ve never heard solos executed so well on a harmonica. As a solo performer he sounded very full as his acoustic guitar laid down the rhythms and his harmonica took the place of the lead melodies.
His slower songs had a nice story telling element to them and invoked images of floating down the Mississippi on a lazy Sunday afternoon.
Hanson took to the stage shortly after 9pm. The Forum Theatre was packed at this point. You could feel the anticipation of the crowd and knew that these were hardcore fans of the band. They opened the show with Waiting for this from their 2010 album Shout it out. The crowd exploded with screams and dancing soon as they took to the stage and this level of enthusiasm continued throughout the set.
They followed this up with Don’t Let Me Down from their new album, Red Green Blue. The new material has a slightly stronger rock edge to it and you can hear how the brothers have matured as musicians and songwriters.
I had wrongly expected most of the crowd to have come just to hear the hits like MMMBop and I Will Come To You.
Boy was I wrong. The crowd knew the words and sang along to almost every single song from Hanson’s huge 25 song set (even including a Bass solo and Drum solo), spanning their 27 year career.
Often times being even louder than the band. Despite that the sound on the night was fantastic. The sound engineer ensured the mix from the band was incredibly balanced and every musician was clearly heard.
From the beginning of their career Hanson were unfairly lumped in with the boy bands of that era and many people have a preconceived notion of who and what they are as artist. However, what I witnessed on the night was not a formulaic pop band but a band of highly skilled musicians who understand how to write and perform to serve a song.
This is a new Hanson that has left their boyish image behind and is honestly a bad ass rock band.