Ohana Festival. Dana Point, CA. 9/29/2023
Its been more than forty five minutes since the last band walked off the stage. The set up was quick, and dark, and the bathroom lines were long. 8:54pm and the house lights and music cuts out immediately. Without even a second to cheer, Luck be a Lady, by Frank Sinatra rings crisp and loudly through every speaker on campus. The intro track was a simple diversion to get everybody moving, because once the start of Mr. Brightside hit, it was over. They played with such intensity, precision, definition, and articulation that it felt as if everybody thought they were alone in the shower screaming into their loofa. The typically older Ohana Festival demographic was screaming as if they had been transported back almost exactly 20 years ago and were hearing The Killers, again, for the first time.
Brandon Flowers is an absolute powerhouse. He reeks of confidence as he shouts “WE ARE THE LARGEST PURVEYORS OF ROCK AND ROLL!” and continues his set. Joined by the festival founder and rock and roll Hall-of-famer, Eddie Vedder, and Van Halen’s very own Sammy Hagar, The Killers really just might be who they say they are. The alpha and the omega of rock and roll music today. And Brandon Flowers is mormon… or whatever that means.
To cap it quickly, I was expecting the set to be a nostalgic blast from the past, not much deeper than a throwback playlist. And what I got in return was a glorious week and a half of thinking and revisiting The Killers catalogue.
Well done.
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