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The Killers will celebrate the 20th anniversary of their debut LP, Hot Fuss, by playing the album straight through at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace in their hometown of Las Vegas. Eight nights are booked between August 14 through August 30. Tickets go on sale January 27.
All four members of the band — singer Brandon Flowers, guitarist Dave Keuning, bassist Mark Stoermer, and drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr — will participate in the shows. This is a rarity since Stoermer stopped touring with the group in 2016 due to hearing issues and burnout from the road, and Keuning stepped away between 2017 and 2020 to spend more time with his family. “Nobody is going to sympathize with me,” Keuning told Rolling Stone in 2021, “but physically and mentally, I could not go to the airport and devote myself to two more years of being gone. I could not do it. I was going crazy.”
Keuning returned to the group later that year, but he’s been MIA for several recent tours. Rhythm guitarist Ted Sablay steps up and plays lead when he’s not there. Keuning and Stoermer remained official members of the group throughout their breaks from the road, though Keuning didn’t play on 2020’s Imploding The Mirage, and Stormer didn’t participate in the sessions for 2021’s Pressure Machine.
The Hot Fuss anniversary gigs in Las Vegas are a great chance for the band to reunite onstage and revisit the songs that launched them. Hot Fuss tunes like “Mr. Brightside,” “Somebody Told Me,” “All Things Things That I’ve Done,” “Smile Like You Mean It,” “Andy, You’re a Star,” and “Jenny Was a Friend of Mine” have been consistent parts of their stage show for the last two decades. It’s hard to imagine they’ll ever be able to play a concert without playing at least “Mr. Brightside,” one of the most beloved rock songs of the 21st century.
The back half of Hot Fuss, however, is packed with rarities that the group has largely ignored in recent years. They haven’t played “On Top” since 2016, “Believe Me Natalie” since 2018,” and “Everything Will Be Alright” since 2005. These shows will also mark the first time they’ve ever gone back and played an album in its entirety.
A month ago, the group released the compilation album Rebel Diamonds, featuring the new song “Spirit.” They’re promoting it with a European tour in the summer and appearances at Boston Calling and the Governors Ball Music Festival.
A new album was in the works last year, but they scrapped it because Flowers no longer felt like making synth-pop records reminiscent of their early work. “Halfway through recording, I realized, ‘I can’t do this,’” Flowers told The Times. “This is the crisis I’m in. The Killers are my identity, and our songs fill the seats, but I’m more fulfilled making music like [the stark, stripped-down] Pressure Machine. I found a side of myself writing it that was strong. This was the guy I’d been looking for! I’m as proud of Hot Fuss as you can be for something you did when you were 20, but I’m not 20. So I’m thinking about the next phase of my life.”
The Killers Hot Fuss 20th Anniversary tour dates:
Aug 14 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
Aug 16 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
Aug 17 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
Aug 21 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
Aug 23 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
Aug 24 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
Aug 28 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace
Aug 30 – Las Vegas, NV @ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace