At the weekend, The Killers celebrated the tenth anniversary of their second album ‘Sam’s Town’ with a pair of special shows in their native Las Vegas. A deluxe version of the album will be released on October 7, including remastered versions of the original tracks alongside unheard demos. The Nevada group threw a hell of a bash to mark the occasion at none other than Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall. Check out Rob Loud’s stunning pictures from the unique evenings.
The event was held at Sam’s Town Hotel and Gambling Hall, a few miles away from the glitz and glamour from the citiy’s main strip.
The two-day extravaganza kicked off on Friday, where the band opened by playing the 2006 album in full to the lucky fans who crammed inside the intimate venue.
At the time of its release in 2006, NME said the follow-up to ‘Hot Fuss’ would likely see the group “take over the world”. In the 8/10 review, Krissi Murison said, “for all their smart new ways, The Killers are still as flashy, unintentionally funny, and flagrantly affected as ever – and this time we wouldn’t even pretend to have it any other way.”
During the performance of ‘Sam’s Town’ – the group performed several tracks for the first time in years. ‘My List’ got its first performance since 2009, as did ‘Why Do I Keep Counting?’, which hadn’t been played live by the group since 2007.
The group finished their ‘Sam’s Town’ performances with the album closer ‘Exitlude’. They then rejoined the stage for a second set including both big hits and B-Sides.
During Friday’s encore, the group performed ‘Hot Fuss’ B-Side ‘Under The Gun’ as well alongside ‘Spaceman’, ‘Somebody Told Me’, before rounding out the first encore with ‘All These Things That I’ve Done’.
Following the brief break, they returned for a final brace of songs, including ‘Jenny Was A Friend Of Mine’ before closing the first night on ‘Mr Brightside’.
The second night featured the same ‘Sam’s Town’ set, though the group mixed up their encore by dropping their famous cover of Joy Division’s ‘Shadowplay’ as well as two tracks from previous album ‘Battle Born’.
After the final song Flowers thanked the crowd and the casino. “Thank you to Sam’s Town for letting us do this. It’s just incredible. Thanks for everyone for coming from all over the place.” All proceeds from the show are to be distributed to various local homeless and addiction charities.
