A perfect live dvd/cd: The Killers Live from the Royal Albert Hall


I watched this dvd for the first time in ages on Saturday night.  It's one of my favourite music dvd's and a must have for any Killers fan.  The accompanying cd of live tracks is also a bonus (wish all bands would do this!)  Anyway, here is a review I wrote for this dvd, around the time of it's release in November 2009 - 

The Killers Live From The Royal Albert Hall is a fantastic live dvd and cd compiled from the Las Vegas band's two night stand at London's Royal Albert Hall on the 5th and 6th July 2009.  The dvd is largely based around their Day & Age album but also features a generous amount of material from their previous albums; Hot Fuss, Sam's Town and the rarities album Sawdust. 

I was lucky enough to be at this concert, so watching this dvd brought back memories from a truly spectacular night.  The band are on top form and Brandon Flowers appears to be in his element, delivering a charismatic performance, with great stage presence and impressive vocals throughout.  Some of the performance highlights for me include This Is Your Life, Joy Ride, Read My Mind and A Dustland Fairytale (during which Flowers strides into the crowd to join in with a fan sing-a-long).  Other highlights include a spine tingling acoustic rendition of Sam's Town, the anthem like All These Things That I've Done and the stunning I Can't Stay, in which Flowers' strong vocals are particularly evident.  Although the dvd centres mostly around the Day & Age album, the setlist provides a varied mixture of tracks from previous albums, including fan favourites Mr Brightside and Somebody Told Me.  My one and only gripe (if you can call it that) with the setlist is that I wish they had of played Neon Tiger as it is my favourite track from the Day & Age album, and it sounds brilliant played live.

On a side note, I love how the dvd is filmed and directed.  The camera following the band as they leave and return to the stage for the encore, complete with backstage shots gives the dvd a real documentary style feel, and makes the viewer feel like they are part of the action.

Dvd extras include performances from various festivals and a behind-the-scenes documentary with interviews from crew and fans.  Whilst the documentary makes for a fascinating watch, it would have been nice to have included an interview with the band themselves.

Overall, Live From The Royal Albert Hall is a thoroughly enjoyable watch from start to finish and is a must have for any fan.  The setlist is fantastic, the band show strong chemistry and musicianship and Flowers is a truly charismatic, talented frontman.  This is the first live dvd/cd from The Killers, hopefully we won't have to wait too long for the next one.

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