‘Wild ride’: What to expect from The Killers’ return Down Under

Ahead of their sellout opening show in Brisbane on Tuesday, The Killers frontman Brandon Flowers reveals how Australia changed the rock band and why he’d love to headline another AFL Grand Final.

The Killers are doing what they do best during their Australian return – putting on a show.

The enduring American rock band open the Australian leg of their Imploding The Mirage Tour with a sellout show at the Brisbane Entertainment Centre on Tuesday, the first of nine confetti-littered arena and outdoor shows across the country.

Originally announced in 2020 before falling victim to Covid postponements, the tour is a deliberate celebration.

“We were all having this new way of life thrust upon us and for us that meant not being able to do what we love to do,” frontman Brandon Flowers said.

“It’s incredible getting back out in front of people. There’s a real hunger for it …. So we really benefited from that because people really enjoy the shows and in turn we really enjoy the shows.

The Killers – Ronnie Vannucci Jr and Brandon Flowers – open their Australian tour with a sellout show in Brisbane. Photo: Rob Loud/ Supplied

“Pressure Machine (2021) was a very optimistic album, and a hopeful album so I think there’s something beautiful about that, that people are picking up on.”

The tour is The Killers’ first trip to Australia since 2018 and their showstopping AFL Grand Final performance in 2017, during which Richmond captain Nick Riewoldt gatecrashed the stage in what has become an iconic Grand Final moment.

“It’s been a wild ride but we really enjoy coming here and the fans have been great to us here. A lot of the music that helped shape us came from here,” said Flowers, who was inspired by INXS and Midnight Oil.

“We’d heard about some of the (Grand Final) performances before and we knew that you aren’t really allowed any bells and whistles and you’re playing out there in the middle of this giant field. I’m happy with how it turned out and proud of us. Hopefully everyone was happy with that performance. It was something we really enjoyed. I would definitely do it again.”

Jack Riewoldt of the Tigers sings on stage with Brandon Flowers and The Killers after the 2017 AFL Grand Final at Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 30, 2017 in Melbourne, Australia. Photo: Scott Barbour/AFL Media/Getty Images

The Killers have released seven albums – with an EP on the way in 2023 – and received seven Grammy nominations since 2001, making them one of the most enduring rock bands of the last two decades.

On the key to their longevity, Flowers said: “Paying attention to what works, it sounds obvious, but you find along the way things that work and some people may discard it later and try something different.

“We were lucky enough to stumble upon certain things that work live …. and we just had a different approach to a lot of bands coming out at the same time that we did. We were coming from Las Vegas … we were given a certain amount of permission to have showmanship, being from Vegas, and we took advantage of that. Now it’s just become part of our DNA.”

The Killers will perform a second show in Brisbane on Wednesday before moving to the Barossa Valley, Perth, Geelong, Melbourne, Hunter Valley and Sydney.

Originally published as ‘Wild ride’: What to expect from The Killers’ return Down Under