The Killers on the Budweiser stage

Photo credit: Todd Weaver

The Killers gave a master class in showmanship when they Tour of the Rebel Diamonds on the Budweiser stage on Tuesday, the first of two consecutive sold-out nights in Toronto. The band expertly brought a whole lot of their Las Vegas spirit to the shores of Lake Ontario. Every element of their stage show was designed to dazzle and woo.

The current tour celebrates the 20th.^th anniversary of the Killers' breakthrough debut album, Hot Fuss. The retrospective nature of the evening imbued the evening with a sense of joy and gratitude without losing the expected momentum. The set included a few new songs but drew heavily on the band's rich back catalogue. Frontman Brandon Flowers promised early on that if the crowd had come to experience some rock and roll, they were in the right place. And he wasn't wrong.

Flowers brought pure energy and charisma to the stage right from the start with the band's latest single, Bright Lights. Flowers is the star of the show, and it shows in the attire of those on stage. Everyone else on stage – band members and backing singers – wore black, effectively fading into the background most of the time. Meanwhile, center stage, clad in a smart burgundy suit, Flowers oozed style and confidence. The singer has vocal ability and a youthful charisma that is hard to resist, stealing Elvis and Sinatra and imitating televangelists who reach out to their audiences with hands and voices promising escape, if not salvation.

The journey is made even more intense by a huge LED screen that offers landscapes and dream worlds, statues and cubes. Eyes were kept busy with colorful signs and confetti cannon explosions. But most importantly, the songs themselves sounded great. Musically and vocally, the Killers are still amazing.

The band's nearly two-hour set was packed with hits. From FM radio classics like Somebody Told Me and The Man to softer songs like Read My Mind and Human, the crowd was in great joy. The Killers mixed up the setlist from night to night, keeping fans on their toes. Ironically, it was a cover song that took the energy in the Revival tent from elation to rapture – Erasure's A Little Respect was the perfect song to get the place rocking towards the end of a night that was already pretty perfect for Killers fans. The band decided to end the night with the song that started it all, Mr. Brightside – a nice nod to their 20 years of embodying the spirit of rock and roll.

Connect with The Killers: Website || Twitter/X || Facebook || Instagram

Be sure to check out Live Nation Ontario to see all the other great acts they are bringing to Toronto this year.