The Killers DID IT at RBC Bluesfest Sunday night

“I don’t want anyone here tonight to walk away and say they got away with it, I want you all to go home and say those son of a bitches DID it” Brandon Flowers

Day 4 already, hard to believe that four days and nights of RBC Bluesfest 2019 have already passed. Sunday started out around 6pm for us as we made it to the venue in time to catch the much anticipated UK sensation James.

Prior to this week I didn’t know much about the band but after numerous recommendations I decided to go check them out and it was worth every second. There was just something about their sound and their groove that was infectious, front man Tim Booth reminded me of those balloons you see at car dealerships that blow in the wind and their arms flap all over the place. Only when Tim did it it worked.

I still don’t know a lot about their music or their history but I enjoyed what I saw on Sunday night and can’t wait to get to know their music a bit better over the coming months. This is a band that I will definitely want to see again, and one that should be at the top of any music fan’s list.

After watching James it was off to Bluesville for a our traditional slice of Bluesfest Pizza and to catch some of Justin Saladino’s set in the big tent. Justin was a lot of fun to watch and his bluesy rock sounds were a large draw for blues fans as the venue was quickly starting to fill up during his set.

Next up it was off to the Videotron Stage for an artist whose story intrigued me more than his music.  Self taught 19 year old Canadian born singer, writer, and producer BAD CHILD is looking to come to terms with his childhood his upbringing. After losing his mother at a young age and dealing with heartbreak, he sought refuge from the world in music. Since then he’s been breaking new ground with his genre bending and distinguished sound palette.

The story drew me in but the music made me stay and listen. I don’t think it’s fair to let a genre define Bad Child, he’s more of an emotion. The beat was solid and the vocals and performance were enticing. I only caught part of Bad Child’s set but I saw enough to make me want to see him again.

Next up was the anticipated performance of the Psychedelic Furs. We made our way to the City Stage where a growing crowd had started to gather for the main attraction of the night, The Killers. After having just watched artists like James and Bad Child the Furs came off a bit dull. The music was as I remember it but something about the performance felt stiff, mind you that would be expected when you go up against Tim Booth and his elastic like movements.

If you were looking for their hits you got them but that was about it. Vocally Richard Butler seemingly lacked strength and the entire performance came off a bit flat. Mars Williams was the biggest highlight for me, but I’m biassed as a saxophonist myself, watching him juggle two saxophones at one time was impressive to say the least. But it wasn’t enough for me to keep my interest in the show so we moved on to Bluesville once again.

On the Bluesville Stage opposite the Furs was a group of incredibly talented fiddle players and step dancers called the Carleton Country Crew. I couldn’t even count how many of them there were but it was enough to fill the stage from one end to the other. Just this short display and the crowd that had gathered to watch it showed why they have entire festivals dedicated to Fiddle and Step Dance.

We’ve all seen Riverdance or Feet of Flames or one of those massively popular productions. I can’t pat my head and rub my belly at the same time yet these people can play fiddle (something I can’t do either) and move their feet extremely fast…actually I’m pretty certain in the shape that I’m in if I were to even attempt a minute of what they were able to do in their entire performance I’d likely drop dead of a heart attack if I didn’t fall flat on my face first. What these performers can do is true talent. Let’s be serious for a moment the fiddle is not an easy instrument to learn, mainly because it sounds absolutely awful until you get the hang of it. Now mix in step dancing while you’re playing the fiddle….I rest my case. Do yourself a favour, go check out a step dance and fiddle competition this summer…you’ll thank me later. Hats off to the men and women (of all ages) in the Carleton County Crew for an incredible performance.

It was time to head back to the City Stage for the feature attraction of the evening, a show I have been anticipating for 15 years. The Killers.

It was 2004, I had recently purchased, Hot Fuss, the debut album from a new indie band out of Las Vegas who called themselves the Killers. It was love at first listen. Theirs was a new sound that was unlike anything else at the time. In October of that year the Killers paid a visit to the Capital Music Hall in their Ottawa debut. About 450 fans, myself included, filled the venue that night and what we witnessed was, to this day, one of the greatest live performances I had ever seen.

The Killers have been back to Ottawa since 2004 but for whatever reason every time they were in town I couldn’t make it to the show until Sunday night. Almost 15 years to the day that I first listened to Hot Fuss and just shy of 15 years since their Ottawa debut they were back and I was ready. As the lights dimmed and Sinatra’s “Luck Be A Lady” boomed over the speakers I already had goosebumps in anticipation and the show hadn’t even started yet…and then it did and Brandon emerged kicking things off with “Jenny Was A Friend of Mine” the surprise hit that was never a single off of their debut Hot Fuss.

For the next 90 minutes it was the Killers greatest hits, mixed with lots of confetti and a few surprises. One surprise was when Flowers invited a fan up onto the stage to play the drums for “For Reasons Unknown” (I’ve been told by those who have seen the Killers recently that this is a tradition during their set). Although not sure if it’s staged, or not, the fan got behind the drums and was immediately transformed into Ronnie Vannucci Jr.  He didn’t miss a beat, I think there were times when even Flowers himself was caught looking over his shoulder to make sure that it was actually the fan and not Vannucci Jr. playing the drums. Pretty impressive display and the crowd loved it too giving him a huge round of applause when he finished.

Most bands toss in the odd cover into their set list these days and the Killers are no exception. It seems, though, that Flowers picks his covers carefully depending on the show and seemingly picks songs that are relevant to his audience. On Sunday night at Bluesfest it was Bruce Cockburn’s “Lovers In A Dangerous Time”, solid Canadian hit for a performance in Canada’s capital if you ask me.

The regular set wrapped up with “All These Things That I’ve Done” and “When You Were Young”. After a short break the band returned and the encore turned into a giant sing along with Brandon leading the 30? thousand fans in attendance in singing “Human” before jumping full on into the song that started it all way back in 2003, “Mr. Brightside”.  I’ve used the term powder keg in reviews before when describing a crowd that was so wound up that they were ready to explode…well Sunday night at Bluesfest they exploded. I suspect that sensors that measure seismic tremors likely registered a small earthquake from the 30ish thousand Killers fans jumping up and down screaming the words to the song at the top of their lungs.

At the start of the show Brandon told the audience that he didn’t want anyone there that night to go home and say they got away with i; He said I want you all to go home and say those son of a bitches DID it and that’s exactly what we did.

Also headlining the night were Cape Breton Fiddle sensation Ashley MacIsaac who headlined the Bluesville Stage and Keys and Krates who headlined the Videotron stage. Both would’ve been amazing to see but I couldn’t find it in me to pull myself away from the Killers that night.

What a way to cap off the first week of RBC Bluesfest 2019!

It all starts again tomorrow night as Lennon Stella, The Trews, Buddy Guy and Kygo come to town. For full details and ticket information visit www.ottawabluesfest.ca, of course you can catch all of our coverage on our official RBC Bluesfest page by clicking here!

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