Brandon Flowers announces summer 2015 tour

The Killers' frontman Brandon Flowers will release his second solo album on May 19 titled The Desired Effect and he will hit the road in North America support of it this summer.

Flowers will play The Ritz in Raleigh on Friday, August 14. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, April 24, via Ticketmaster for $25. The Live Nation and Citi pre-sales begin at 10 a.m. on Wednesday, April 22.

Check out Flowers performing the first single, "Can't Deny My Love," from his new album on the Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon last month below.

Best of 2013: Kevin's Favorites

It's hard to believe that 2013 is almost over, but the year was full of good music. The year found me listening to more pop and specifically synthpop music than ever before.

CHVRCHES' debut album The Bones of What You Believe is a moody synth pop dream that gets better with every listen and is still blowing my mind which is why it topped my albums list (by the way, they'll be at the Cat's Cradle in April). Superchunk knocked another album out of the park with I Hate Music, and Arcade Fire continue to impress as they evolved into more groove-based territory on Reflektor.

The Killers rock packed Red Hat Amphitheater

Las Vegas rockers The Killers rolled into Raleigh Monday night for a packed show at Red Hat Amphitheater, their first Triangle show in almost nine years (they played the Cat's Cradle in September 2004).

The band wasted no time getting to the hits as they opened with their biggest U.S. hit "Mr. Brightside" and the momentum continued to build as they rolled right into "Spaceman." Frontman Brandon Flowers acted as the ringleader of the band, pacing the stage and showing off his unique Vegas-influenced flair.

The Killers announces summer tour, coming to Raleigh

Vegas rockers The Killers are heading on the road this summer in support of their latest album Battle Born and they'll be making a stop in the Triangle for the only the second time, and the first time in almost nine years.

The band will play the Red Hat Amphitheater in Raleigh on Monday, August 12. Tickets will go on sale at 10 a.m. on Friday, May 17, via the Duke Energy Center box office and Ticketmaster for $35 to $59.50.

Check out the music video for "Miss Atomic Bomb" from the album Battle Born below.

The Killers bring life and M83 to Myrtle Beach

So what happens when you tell yourself that you will never go to the House of Blues in Myrtle Beach ever again? You acquiesce because The Killers are coming to town.

Plagued with various dysfunctional characteristics – most notably a grievous sound issue and a penchant for destroying photographic opportunities - I was uncertain how things would play out in this venue. But despite everything my faith was, at least for the night, restored.

Starting things off for the night was the French group, M83. Having supported Kings of Leon on their UK tour last year, M83 is making a support run for The Killers during the current US leg of their world tour. Fronted by Anthony Gonzalez, they burst through an interesting and atmospheric display of sound, including tracks from their fifth and most current release, 2008’s Saturdays = Youth. Having known nothing of this band before the show, I was quite intrigued by their style and intensity, and plan on wading through their catalogue to see what else they have to offer.

The switch from opener to headliner was smooth and swift, a fact not lost on me considering past experiences I have had at this venue. In very short order, The Killers were on stage and in direct command of everyone. Like an intense handshake, they greeted the crowd with "Human," the first single from their recent release, Day & Age. The next few hours were blistered with unbridled pomp as they coursed through 16 song set that rarely seemed to let up. Delivering the majority of their new album, they punched in and out with tracks from their previous releases — though “Shadowplay” was the only track to appear from Sawdust, apart from the more melodic and somber version of “Sam’s Town;” a nice soft touch in the midst of a bombastic storm. Seemingly exhausted, they disappeared from stage for what was probably the shortest pre-encore hiatus I have ever witnessed, and soon came back to let the sold-out crowd have another round, giving it all for four more songs.

After everything was over, I was not surprised at how awake, yet exhausted I had become. The Killers had taken a venue that I have come to loathe and made all of its faults irrelevant for one night. They gave just as an intense performance in that small place as they would if it held 30,000 people. The sound issues did not exist for them. They grabbed the audience and did not let go until they were done. I, for one, am ready for the next go round, whenever it may be.


The Killers set list:
Human
Losing Touch
Somebody Told Me
For Reasons Unknown
Smile Like You Mean It
This is Your Life
Joyride
I Can’t Stay
Bling (Confession of a King)
Shadowplay
Neon Tiger
Spaceman
Sam’s Town (Sawdust version)
Read My Mind
Mr. Brightside
All These Things That I Have Done
-----
Bones
The World We Live In
Jenny Was a Friend of Mine
When You Were Young

Stream The Killers' new album 'Day & Age' now

You can stream The Killers new album Day & Age now via the band's MySpace page (just click the album cover on the left side of the player). The album is quite a departure from the first two. It sounds like the band were listening to a lot of mid 80s Peter Gabriel while during the recording process.

Day & Age will be released Monday, November 24 via Island Records.

The Killers will play the House of Blues in North Myrtle Beach, SC on January 29, though it appears tickets are already sold out.