The Killers redux

The Killers

It was 2009. I was fresh out of college, on my first job and trying to keep up on my monthly salary when it was announced that The Killers will be performing in Manila.

I was excited and there was not a day in my life that I hoped I would get to see them perform live even if I would be seated in General Admission.

Luck was probably keeping my spirits high. My friend used to work in the events team that will promote the concert here. I begged her to keep me in and she was kind enough to say yes. But it never materialized; The Killers concert was cancelled.

Fast forward to 2013. Finally! My favorite band is now rocking Manila! When the news was not publicly out, I already knew that they would be coming. I was excited. I could see and hear them perform my favorites –
“Spaceman”, “Human”, “A Dustland Fairytale”, “Bones”, “Change Your Mind” and “When You Were Young” and some songs from their new album, Battle Born.

A couple of days before they set foot in Manila, there was a telephone call and it kept on ringing. I did not answer it because I was too busy working on the things that I needed to finish that day. My friend was the one who answered the phone while I was continuing my work. After the phone conversation, she said to me, “You should have answered the phone. That could have been the closest thing to The Killers!” I asked, “Why? Who was it?”, “Just the manager of The Killers, looking for one of our writers because he wants him to cover the concert here and who knows, a backstage pass maybe.” I was dumbstruck, my jaw dropped. I could have answered the phone and pretended I was the writer that he was looking for. Pun intended.

September 26, 2013. I marked the date in my journal with an overwhelming, all caps THE KILLERS! It was the night that The Killers made for me. I was with my boss that night and she was really a hard core fan. She knows everything about the band, their influences, and the kind of music that they play. I happen to be a simple fan who just happened to really love their songs.

When they came out and sang Mr. Brightside as the first song, the energy of the crowd was pretty overwhelming. Followed by Spaceman and all their hits! I was lost and frenzied. I did not care, I was jumping, screaming, shouting and singing.

They did a version of Tiffany’s. I Think We’re Alone Now. I thought they would sing their version of Bette Davis Eyes. Nevertheless, it was really a wonderful and mesmerizing performance. It was the best concert I have ever seen.

My energies were soaring and the entire crowd as well. To borrow a line from Stephen Chobosky from his book, The Perks of Being A Wallflower, “I feel infinite”.

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