Chicago is not a stranger to Brandon Flowers. Last time the Killers‘ front man was in town with his band in 2009, he headlined the city’s three-day music festival: Lollapalooza – a festival that draws well over 200,000 people. At that festival, he danced around the stage in an audacious feathered jacket with thousands of people reciting back every single word to his songs that span a three-disc catalog (four, if including the B-sides album). Pyrotechnics and a state-of-the-art light show enhanced his performance. And though he was the center of attention, people were just as familiar and excited to see his band mates: Dave, Ronnie and Mark. 
This time around, things were a little bit different.
Brandon Flowers was in Chicago, but instead of performing for thousands upon thousands of people, he was performing for less than 900 at a small club called Park West. Instead of fire, confetti and light up palm trees, he settled on a modest set where the only decoration was a flamingo on the bass drum’s head. The lights were modest red, blue and orange tones. His outfit was toned down to a plaid shirt with suspenders. The songs were unfamiliar – the words almost foreign to the usually well-learned tongues of the fans. Then perhaps, the biggest adjustment: no where in sight were Dave, Ronnie and Mark. This was Brandon Flowers solo.
After waiting 45 minutes without an opener, his touring band (featuring some members of The Red Romance/Ex-Ambulance LTD, The Neighbors, and other musicians) took to their spots and began playing the slow tempo-ed “On the Floor.” Flowers slowly gantered out on the dark stage, singing the Johnny Cash-esque song. For early critics of the Killers that said he sounded too British, his southwestern accent is really apparent in these more open-sounding solo songs. He has a bit of a warble, or an almost alt-country tinge to the usual expectation of the glitzed up pop rock songs of his regular band, which is what many may have been expecting. From the already released single, “Crossfire,” it didn’t seem like his solo material would be too far a departure from the Killers. “Crossfire” is catchy, laden with guitar hooks and danceable. Actually, it’s very danceable, as the audience showed when Flowers followed “On the Floor” with it. It was fun to see a wave of confidence wash over him when it came time for this song. He flashed a half-smile as the audience began singing along and chuckled as fans cheered at some of the more forward-lines: “Watching your dress”and “lay your body down next to mine.” He finally took his hands out of the pockets of his suspendered-pants and started moving around the stage more. For a front man of one of the biggest rock bands in the world, the guy is surprisingly shy and confidence-lacking at times (hence why he is doing a “warm-up” tour), but this is just one of the more endearing features of Flowers.
He didn’t talk too much in between songs. At the beginning, he mumbled a “We’re performing new songs tonight. You won’t really be familiar with these. Well, I guess, some of you are familiar.” And he did wish a “Happy Birthday” to a girl with a sign. This just made the two times that he actually talked to the crowd all the more poignant. The first came right before “Magdalena.” He explained how he learned of a pilgrimage that takes place in Mexico every October. People go to ask for forgiveness for sins or blessings for their loved ones. They walk 60 miles along this sacred road to the town of Magdalena. Flowers spoke to one man about his journey and composed a song about his story. This is one of his best lyrical masterpieces. From the opening, “Please don’t tell me I can’t make it. It ain’t gonna do me any good,” to the more pleading lines, “Tell him that I made the journey. Tell him that my heart is true. I’d like his blessing of forgiveness before the angel’s send a crew,” to a beautiful line of slipping up and sinning again, “And if I should fall to temptation / when I return to the evil throes / from Nogales to Magdalena / as a two-timed beggar, I will go,” it is just a well-crafted story. “Oh-oh-ohs” also make it a fun singalong. As one of his best songs to date, it’s a pity that the religious elements will keep it from being a standout radio pick.
Magdalena with intro:
Since “Crossfire” was so early in the set and the solo songs were mostly unfamiliar. Flowers and co. threw in a few surprise treats. The first was a stripped down cover of Kim Carnes’ “Bette Davis Eyes.” This fit his style well and most importantly, it introduced his younger fans to a great, classic song that they might not otherwise had known about. After the moody rocker “Jilted Lovers & Broken Hearts,” the Springsteenian “Something I Said,” and the rock alt-country doozy “Hard Enough,” (who’s album version features indie darling Jenny Lewis), Flowers gave fans another treat. A long intro with a steady drum beat and guitars tricked the audience thinking that this was another new song, but then Flowers sang, “Console me in my darkest hour.” It takes a strong song to go through a massive stylistic overhaul like what Flowers did here, but “Losing Touch,” off the Killers’ Day & Age was a sweet addition to the set. The brassy flairs and bombastic instrumentation was stripped to fit the style of the of the show, and while many will argue that the original recording is, of course, superior, this version was awesome in its own right. The ending was especially great with the backing vocalists going back and forth with Flowers like it was a conversation, “I’m losing touch!” he’d sing and they’d respond, “But you made your way back home!”
The recently released on iTunes “Swallow It” and “Playing with Fire” ended out the set. The plucky start to “Swallow It” and a quality of cheesiness to the lyrics make this one of his weaker songs in comparison to the rest, but it does grow into better piece as more layers are added. As for “Playing with Fire,” there really could not have been a better pick to end the set. Just as there is always one Killers song on each album that starts small before growing into a giant full out chorus that epically repeats at the most rocking part of the song, Flowers has that for his solo album. In spirit, it’s the “All These Things That I’ve Done” to the solo album (emphasis on spirit, this isn’t a comparison of musical sound type). Flowers really got into this one and climbed on an amp before hopping down at the end thanking the crowd and high-fiving a few hands with the front row on his way off stage.
After “Playing with Fire,” some started to leave. This was the 5th of these warm-up shows, and thus far, Flowers hadn’t been doing an encore. However, at some point during the set, Brandon told his second story (the first being that of Magdalena) and this story foreshadowed the evening’s final surprise. It was story of how the band had traveled from California to get to Chicago. It was a two-day drive, and during the trip, they camped. “We camped, told stories, and made experimental s’mores,” said Flowers. “But we also practiced and played around with some acoustic tunes, which may be to your benefit later.” At the time, it was a weird thing to say during the set, and must just chuckled at the phrase of “experimental s’mores,” quickly forgetting the bit about “to your benefit later.” Well, Flowers didn’t forget and he quickly re-appeared for an encore, accompanied by one other musician on acoustic guitar. He then debuted an acoustic version of the popular Killers’ song “When You Were Young.” It was like ending with a big campfire singalong – like he was transporting the audience back to his trip through the mountains from California to Chicago, gathering everyone around to sing and make “experimental s’mores.”
“When You Were Young” acoustic encore:
Really the only complaint that one could have is that this show was too brief, especially at the ticket price, but with two Killers’ songs and a cover, Flowers did his best to make it as full and great an experience as possible. Really, could anyone ask for a more intimate experience at a show? Here’s hoping that he takes some confidence from these warm-up shows and does a more complete tour once the debut solo album, Flamingo, drops Sept 14.
Set List:
On the Floor
Crossfire
Magdalena
Bette Davis Eyes (Kim Carnes cover)
Jilted Loves and Broken Hearts
Something I Said
Hard Enough
Losing Touch
Swallow It
Playing with Fire
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When You Were Young (acoustic)
