Neon-tipped torches illuminated Brandon Flowers’ conduit to pop utopia on Tuesday night at the National, but the radiance began to flicker as the even
Neon-tipped torches illuminated Brandon Flowers’ conduit to pop utopia on Tuesday night at the National, but the radiance began to flicker as the evening drifted to a close.
The night kicked off with Mexico City natives Rey Pila layering the theater with a ferocious new wave garage rock sound that came off as an eccentric but successful amalgamation of The Strokes led by an Adderall-riddled Robert Smith.
It makes sense, given that their latest album, “The Future Sugar”, was produced by Strokes frontman Julian Casablancas on his Cult Records label. The compressed, distorted vocal tracks had Casablancas’ fingerprints all over them, but Rey Pila managed to lyrically annunciate with a clarity that was lost deep in the mix of their producer’s recent venture with The Voidz.
Rey Pila lead vocalist Diego Solórzano tried his damnedest to established the stage presence of a headlining act. He disappeared into the front rows of the crowd halfway through the band’s second song and spent more time pressing the flesh of the barrier crowd then most marquee performers.
The opener’s effervescence sustained the entirety their seven-song set and could have easily outshined a talent less polished than that of Flowers. The Mexican rockers certainly raised the stakes, but Flowers came prepared to go all-in.
Flowers sieged control of the crowd from the outset of his performance with the first single of his latest solo effort, “The Desired Effect.” The sound of “Dreams Come True” filled every crevice of the venue like a Broadway big number. It set a strong precedent and brought the full force of the singer’s eight-piece backing band, which featured two guitarists, a bassist, keyboardist, trumpeter, saxophonist, a drummer, and two powerful female backing vocalists.
Adorning a gold lame jacket that he may or may not have won in an Elvis memorabilia auction, Flowers mimicked The King’s mannerisms in the concert’s early movements, right down to the flamboyant finger-gun arm jerks. It was an unexpected manifestation, but at the same time felt like it had its place in the Vegas-born vocalist’s stage show. He’d toss the jacket aside for the encore, but for now the crowd basked in all its glittery glory.
The tempo of the evening did not slow down a beat for the first hour. Flowers caught his breath to share the story behind the Flamingo track “Magdalena,” which was inspired by the annual pilgrimage to the eponymous Mexican city. He also petitioned the crowd for a voice vote to elect a cover song for the evening. The audience arguably missed an incredible opportunity to hear the large band cover Robert Palmer’s hit, “Simply Irresistible;” choosing instead for the group to not play a cover at all, but instead Flowers’ own “Untangled Love.”
While Flowers is working diligently to craft a musical personality all his own outside of his day-job band, The Killers; the crowd might have left disappointed if they weren’t treated to a few classics from the likes of “Hot Fuss”, Sam’s Town”, or “Day and Age”. Fortunately, the showman knew his audience well and sprinkled in fresh arrangements of “Jenny Was A Friend of Mine” and “Read My Mind” into the setlist otherwise crowded by his newest material.
The main set climaxed with its penultimate song: a bombastic note-for-note rendition of The Killers’ 2008 dance hit, “Human.” However, like so many “Jilted Lovers” that Flowers croons about on the new record, the singer seemed eager to light a cigarette and call it a night after the coital effort.
The set ended with an odd, off-tempo interpretation of perhaps The Killers’ most recognizable tune, “Mr. Brightside.” The almost spoken-word styling of this “Jaqcues Lu Cont Remix” forced an awkward footing across the venue as the crowd danced and sang at a pace several beats slower than band.
For a show that felt like it began like an American muscle car as it jumped off the line of a quarter-mile track and then shifted into fifth as the main set closed, the encore saw Flowers taking his foot off the gas completely and coasting across the finish line. It featured the three mostly down-tempo tracks on the new LP and ended with arguably the least familiar of the trio.
That’s not to say that the songs weren’t performed faithfully or didn’t deserve a spot on the setlist, but the consecutive grouping of these songs left the crowd exiting The National at the end of what felt like an entirely separate, less vibrant performance. Flowers is the consummate showman, but perhaps his set composition needs a bit of fine-tuning. Or maybe, just maybe, the magic was is the jacket all along.
[UPDATE: During the composition of this show review, Brandon Flowers’ website indicated that the remainder of his North American tour has been cancelled. The tour was slated to stop at Norfolk’s The Norva on Saturday, August 15th. Tickets are being refunded, as there is no word as to whether the dates will be re-scheduled. The band has not yet released an official statement concerning the reasoning behind the cancellation.]
