A Killers concert

Site: Killers concert, LA, 7 p.m. 4-16
General comments: GOD! The Killers are awesome. The show, from beginning the end, seemed like a take on old-skool Las Vegas lounge acts, from the black-diamond-on-red patterned carpet on the stage to the "Elvis comeback show" light sign in the back. The band even came on stage to "Viva Las Vegas," which eerily slowed down as they approached their positions. In a weird way, the staging and lights at first reminded me of the Squirrel Nut Zippers' "Hell" video!
It was funny: Kyle'd said he didn't want to go because it would be a boring show because (and I paraphrase here) the lead singer doesn't DO anything, he just stands there. But on stage (as opposed to performing in a video or on "SNL") it's completely different.
In another nod to Vegas lounge shows, he came out on stage in a tightly tailored suit (complete with bow tie and corsage), picked up the corded mic from the stand and proceeded to walk from one end of the stage to the other, giving physical "shoutouts" to the audience. As the only member not tethered by instruments to a single spot, he wandered around the stage and the drum riser quite freely, except when he had to come up front for the keyboard bits, and he did those with humor: He'd stand at the keyboard, hold the mic jauntily in his left hand and play with his right hand with a "ain't no big thang" attitude.
But aerobics do not a great show make. No, he wasn't busting out pop-star dance moves (more like Beckified bizness), but between what he DID do and the lighting configurations, it was an awesomely high-energy show.
Best parts
1) "Somebody Told Me," of course. People went absolutely grape-nuts. Lights blazed. Girls screamed. Frat boys hopped in their seats alongside middle-aged couples out for a date night. Leading to ...
2) The diversity of the crowd. Older parents with their kids, college-aged kids (Forever 21 trendoids and post-1990s pre-grungers alike), me ... speaks to the unifying power of music!
3) The very last song of the evening, "All These Things That I've Done." Felt like what I'd imagine an old-tyme revival in the South feels like. Between the clapping, the lights, the music and the vibe, EVERYTHING came together. We FLOATED out of there.
Worst parts
1) The usher was kind of a dick to the girl who was accidentally sitting in my seat. And it's not like she was giving him attitude, either, she was just confused. She looked like she felt like crying and I felt guilty. It's not her fault she couldn't tell which plaque goes with which seat.
2) The food from the McDonald's down the street. Before driving home, I went through the drive-thru to grab food: Cheeseburger, fries, soda, M&M McFlurry. Seems hard the eff up, especially if food service is what you do for your business. I could screw it up, McDonald's shouldn't. But: The fries were about 30 minutes past fresh (ew!) and weren't salted (double ew!). The McFlurry was less a McFlurry, more a cup of yogurt with a tablespoon of mini M&Ms on top. Even the cheeseburgers weren't what I consider good. Maybe this is part of McDonald's ploy to get customers to lose weight. Serve crap NO ONE would want to eat, and bye-bye super-size problem!
Surreal parts
1) The tall thin blonde wearing a shirt that quoted Sir Mix-A-Lot: "LA face with an Oakland booty."
2) The conversation: "I like Erasure, but I also like Oasis." "She's TOTALLY against one-night stands." "Stick with us. You never know who you'll end up with." And this dialogue: "I didn't want to break up. But since we did, I'm the one who's been going crazy, going out with all these guys ..." "Well, one or three, it's better than none."
Games to play
1) Stand your ground. When everyone stands up to dance at their seats, fight to keep your spot and not get pushed over by the little person beside you who's dancing all over the place.
2) Sniff out the pot smoker. When the unmistakable scent wafts over the crowd, you and your fellow concert-goers can have fun looking around with your nose wrinkled to find the breaker of multiple laws.