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Brandon Flowers has no desire to play where the mortals are. He makes big statements, writes big songs and evokes big comparisons to big-time legends (Springsteen, U2, etc). But until now, there's never been a reason to believe that he could make it without the Killers.
On Thursday, it not only seemed more than possible; it seemed inevitable. If you've heard his new solo album, The Desired Effect, you know it's a stadium grab if there ever was one. Sam's Town was the attempt at Born to Run. This is his shot at Born in the USA. It's a record filled with big, bountiful songs that want to make you dance hard, sing loud, sink in and set out. And at the Roseland, it worked exactly like it was supposed to, playing off an audience that was born ready.
Brandon's arena time has obviously trained him well, yielding more than we probably deserve for a club show, but hey, you've got to build yourself back up when you let a good thing go. This crowd wasn't your standard batch of hit-thumpers, either. They thought the world of anything with a pulse, new or otherwise. "I Can Change" was their Friday night come alive. "Lonely Town" was their shot of B12. The new stuff works, even when the lyrics take a turn for the worst.
If there's any knock to be made to such a polished and charming set, it's that his Achilles' heel is still distracting. No matter how hard Flowers tries to connect to the everyman, his words still read as a boy playing the Boss. Maybe one day, he'll realize he's Mr. Limo instead of Mr. Fourth of July. But for now, it seems that he would rather keep moonlighting on the Great American Statement, instead of funneling his own imagery into some big-ass melodies.
Since The Desired Effect tour is packed with so many infectious examples, it's usually a total delight. And if Flowers keeps it up, this solo thing might be his meal ticket for a long time to come.
All photos by Torey Mundkowsky.
WWeek 2015