The Killers: Live From the Royal Albert Hall (2009)

I wasn’t particularly taken with Day & Age, as presented on disc. Here, however, there’s a sincere shimmering vibrancy to the songs. Trust me, I went back to make sure my mind wasn’t playing tricks on me. It wasn’t. There’s something dampened and sterile to their mixes on the album itself. Oh, and the one song that was too strong to be held back by the production there? It bleeds out of the screen, here. Further, none of these gentlemen are particularly ostentatious on stage, and none of the theatrics are overtly showy, meaning it really is all about the strength and veritas of the songs themselves.

That isn’t to say that you should put this on and clean the house, or go on an adventure across every other tab you have open. No, there’s plenty of worthwhile visuals and behaviors on display. Ronnie joyously works his ass off and it melts my heart to see Brandon doing something as touching and humble as wiping the sweat off of Dave’s face for him. /swoon

While the vast majority of Day & Age is performed, the singles from Hot Fuss and some of the real…killers from Sam’s Town also appear, to my sheer delight. The back-stage special demonstrates the camaraderie that exists amongst the entirety of their production crew. It’s similar to how Conan O'Brien interacts with his, if the snarky-ness was turned down about five notches. There’s a handful of additional performances from other venues, as well, and I’d say they’re worth checking out. The half-acoustic rendition of Smile Like You Mean It, at the very least.

Hey, Billie Joe, take fucking notes. THIS is how you do 'hey-ho's. In one instance, briefly, and with narrative significance. I expect to see an immediate improvement.

This is available on bluray, but it doesn’t come with the CD of most of the tracks that accompanies the DVD. If you’re a fan of the band, there's no real debate. If you were disappointed with Day & Age, give this a shot and see if you’re similarly won over.

Approx. 2 hours, not counting the extras.

(More) Performances of Note: A Dustland Fairytale; Sam's Town

4½ Long-Since Abandoned Geo Metros out of 5