The Killers have a little secret that they don't often share, but on Friday night they spilled it.
In a very rare showing, the group played "Leave The Bourbon On The Shelf" at an intimate surprise club gig in Athens, GA. The song is the first part of the Killers' "Hot Fuss" murder trilogy that also includes "Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine" and "Midnight Show." Musically, this unknown song is quite different than the other two with more emphasis on the electric guitar.
The three songs and "Bourbon" in particular have always been the topic of much speculation among Killers fans, and the group rarely comments on it, let alone performs all three songs in a row.
But Friday night was a special night.
Not only were the Vegas four excited to perform at Athens' famous 40 Watt Club (home of REM and The B-52's), the group also celebrated their last official North American show of their year-long "Sam's Town" tour that has taken them around the world.
I have seen the Killers perform in much bigger venues in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and even Berlin over the last two years, but when I heard they would play the 40 Watt Club in Athens, GA, I was eager to get tickets and go see them play
One of the things that struck me last night was what an accomplished showman Brandon Flowers has become. The insecure keyboard player had terrible stage fright when I first met him back in 2005. But he has now morphed into a full-fledged and confident frontman with his own unique and infectious bravado.
The 500+ Athens crowd was a blend of a few tattooed rock 'n roll fans from Atlanta, teenage girls, lots of boozing University of Georgia frat dudes and the occasional gay. The set list featured both older and newers songs, including "Bones," "Read My Mind," "When You Were Young," "Smile Like You Mean It" and the crowd favorite "Mr Brightside." The group also performed their Joy Division cover "Shadowplay."
Undisputed highlight of the show for me was a wrenching, acoustic rendition of their brand-new song "Tranquilize" that first hit British radio on Friday. See a video of it here. That song works extremely well as a live track with just Dave on guitar and Brandon performing the vocals with eyes closed purely focusing on the lyrics.
It was pure rock 'n roll splendor.
