WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:02.459 I want you to picture the Las Vegas music scene. 00:00:02.700 --> 00:00:06.160 right in the early 2000s. Oh, that is a very 00:00:06.160 --> 00:00:08.460 specific time and place. It really is. It's this 00:00:08.460 --> 00:00:11.640 landscape completely defined by extremes. You've 00:00:11.640 --> 00:00:14.759 got the highly polished, multi -million dollar 00:00:14.759 --> 00:00:17.679 spectacles right on the strip. And then you have 00:00:17.679 --> 00:00:19.600 the local underground scene. And if you are playing 00:00:19.600 --> 00:00:22.480 in a local band during the specific window, you 00:00:22.480 --> 00:00:25.039 are almost certainly playing aggressive punk, 00:00:25.059 --> 00:00:28.620 or you're deep into the whole new metal explosion. 00:00:29.199 --> 00:00:31.719 Or rap rock. Exactly. Rap rock outfits everywhere. 00:00:31.980 --> 00:00:35.140 loud, it's angry, and it is overwhelmingly shaped 00:00:35.140 --> 00:00:37.759 by that desert heat and the neon glare. It was 00:00:37.759 --> 00:00:40.460 an aggressive environment. Completely. Now within 00:00:40.460 --> 00:00:42.679 that very specific environment, I want you to 00:00:42.679 --> 00:00:46.719 try and solve this bizarre paradox. How did four 00:00:46.719 --> 00:00:50.159 guys from that exact scene become the most unashamedly 00:00:50.159 --> 00:00:52.979 British sounding rock band of their era? It makes 00:00:52.979 --> 00:00:55.799 absolutely no sense on paper. None. We are talking 00:00:55.799 --> 00:00:58.219 about a band that eventually achieved a record 00:00:58.219 --> 00:01:00.859 breaking seven consecutive number one albums. 00:01:00.960 --> 00:01:04.400 In the United Kingdom. Yes, in the UK. And yet 00:01:04.400 --> 00:01:09.040 here we are. So today we are embarking on a comprehensive 00:01:09.040 --> 00:01:12.620 deep dive into the fascinating history, the incredible 00:01:12.620 --> 00:01:15.459 sonic evolution and the massive cultural footprint 00:01:15.459 --> 00:01:17.920 of the American rock band, The Killers. It really 00:01:17.920 --> 00:01:20.219 is a trajectory that defies all the standard 00:01:20.219 --> 00:01:22.680 logic of the music industry. Totally. Because 00:01:22.680 --> 00:01:24.640 when you look closely at their timeline, I mean 00:01:24.640 --> 00:01:27.319 from their inception in 2001 all the way up through 00:01:27.319 --> 00:01:29.879 the most recent activities in late 2025. Right, 00:01:30.019 --> 00:01:32.180 which we have an extensive Wikipedia repository 00:01:32.180 --> 00:01:34.680 to guide us through. Exactly. You aren't just 00:01:34.680 --> 00:01:36.819 looking at a discography here, you are looking 00:01:36.819 --> 00:01:40.140 at a massive document of cultural history. It's 00:01:40.140 --> 00:01:42.640 a masterclass in how a group of musicians can 00:01:42.640 --> 00:01:46.260 absorb a really specific set of influences, filter 00:01:46.260 --> 00:01:48.420 them through their own unique geographical lens, 00:01:48.939 --> 00:01:50.879 and then export something entirely new to the 00:01:50.879 --> 00:01:53.000 world. And that brings us directly to our mission 00:01:53.000 --> 00:01:55.879 for you today. We are going to sift through decades 00:01:55.879 --> 00:01:58.560 of rigorous touring, some pretty dramatic lineup 00:01:58.560 --> 00:02:01.140 shifts, complete sonic reinventions, and global 00:02:01.140 --> 00:02:03.959 megastardom. Yeah, all of it. Because we want 00:02:03.959 --> 00:02:06.959 to understand the anatomy of a 21st century rock 00:02:06.959 --> 00:02:09.580 juggernaut. How do you build it? How do you maintain 00:02:09.580 --> 00:02:11.979 it when the pieces start to wear down? And how 00:02:11.979 --> 00:02:13.860 do you keep it relevant for over two decades 00:02:13.860 --> 00:02:16.219 when the musical landscape around you is just 00:02:16.219 --> 00:02:18.590 constantly shifting? OK, let's unpack this. We're 00:02:18.590 --> 00:02:21.169 starting right at those neon origins, the genesis 00:02:21.169 --> 00:02:24.150 of the band between 2001 and 2003. And the origin 00:02:24.150 --> 00:02:27.229 story of frontman Brandon Flowers is, well, it's 00:02:27.229 --> 00:02:29.590 just fantastic. It starts with a failure, really. 00:02:29.689 --> 00:02:31.930 It does. It starts with a rejection. He gets 00:02:31.930 --> 00:02:34.150 fired from his first band, which was a synth 00:02:34.150 --> 00:02:36.389 pop trio called Blush Response. Getting kicked 00:02:36.389 --> 00:02:38.409 out of your first band is practically a rite 00:02:38.409 --> 00:02:41.349 of passage for any great musician. Right. But 00:02:41.349 --> 00:02:43.490 it's the immediate aftermath of that rejection 00:02:43.490 --> 00:02:45.930 that honestly changes the course of alternative 00:02:45.930 --> 00:02:48.949 rock. Flowers was deeply immersed in the world 00:02:48.949 --> 00:02:51.530 of keyboards, synthesizers, and that somewhat 00:02:51.530 --> 00:02:53.949 rigid programmed aesthetic of late 90s synth 00:02:53.949 --> 00:02:57.610 pop. Yeah. Losing that gig forced a vacuum in 00:02:57.610 --> 00:02:59.870 his creative life. He had this space that needed 00:02:59.870 --> 00:03:02.750 to be filled. And he fills that space by going 00:03:02.750 --> 00:03:05.129 to a concert. He heads over to the Hard Rock 00:03:05.129 --> 00:03:08.389 Hotel in Vegas to see Oasis. Ah, during the tour 00:03:08.389 --> 00:03:11.469 of Brotherly Love. Exactly. And this single concert 00:03:11.469 --> 00:03:14.349 acts as a total foundational epiphany for him. 00:03:14.590 --> 00:03:16.590 He's watching the Gallagher Brothers up there. 00:03:16.849 --> 00:03:19.650 And he realizes his calling isn't standing behind 00:03:19.650 --> 00:03:22.669 a keyboard in a synth pop trio. No, it's to be 00:03:22.669 --> 00:03:25.610 in a sweeping, guitar -driven rock band. What's 00:03:25.610 --> 00:03:28.569 fascinating here is how this singular Oasis concert 00:03:28.569 --> 00:03:31.189 acted as a catalyst. It's a massive pivot point. 00:03:31.270 --> 00:03:33.169 Oh, without a doubt, you had this young musician. 00:03:33.159 --> 00:03:36.780 steeped in electronic music, and he is suddenly 00:03:36.780 --> 00:03:39.560 confronted with the sheer undeniable swagger, 00:03:39.939 --> 00:03:43.259 the volume, and just the visceral power of British 00:03:43.259 --> 00:03:46.400 arena rock. The contrast is huge. It is. Synthpop 00:03:46.400 --> 00:03:49.219 is often about precision and control. Oasis was 00:03:49.219 --> 00:03:52.099 about chaos, attitude, and these massive sing 00:03:52.099 --> 00:03:55.219 -along anthems. That experience completely rewrote 00:03:55.219 --> 00:03:57.979 his musical DNA. He pivoted his ambition toward 00:03:57.979 --> 00:04:00.560 the monumental scale of arena rock. Right. And 00:04:00.560 --> 00:04:02.280 he immediately started searching for like -minded 00:04:02.280 --> 00:04:05.759 music. to execute this new hybrid vision. Which 00:04:05.759 --> 00:04:08.400 leads him straight to the classifieds. He comes 00:04:08.400 --> 00:04:11.719 across an ad posted in a Las Vegas weekly newspaper 00:04:11.719 --> 00:04:15.300 by Dave Keuning. The 25 year old guitarist. Yeah, 00:04:15.379 --> 00:04:18.000 who had moved to Vegas from Iowa a year prior. 00:04:18.500 --> 00:04:21.100 And the ad was seeking musicians who were... 00:04:20.939 --> 00:04:24.379 into and listen to this incredibly specific combination. 00:04:24.920 --> 00:04:28.939 Oasis, Smashing Pumpkins, David Bowie, and Radiohead. 00:04:29.220 --> 00:04:31.879 If you analyze that list of influences, it's 00:04:31.879 --> 00:04:34.480 the perfect bait for exactly the kind of headspace 00:04:34.480 --> 00:04:36.800 Flowers was in post -epiphany. Perfectly aligned. 00:04:36.920 --> 00:04:39.500 You have the British swagger of Oasis, the heavy 00:04:39.500 --> 00:04:41.560 emotional alt rock of the Smashing Pumpkins, 00:04:41.939 --> 00:04:44.720 the theatrical shape -shifting genius of Bowie, 00:04:44.740 --> 00:04:47.759 and then the experimental atmospheric depth of 00:04:47.759 --> 00:04:50.000 Radiohead. It's a blueprint for a band that wants 00:04:50.000 --> 00:04:52.339 to be both incredibly popular and critically 00:04:52.339 --> 00:04:54.500 ambitious. So they meet up in Keuning's apartment, 00:04:54.660 --> 00:04:56.740 they bond over these shared musical obsessions, 00:04:56.839 --> 00:04:58.879 and they immediately get to work. Day one. Day 00:04:58.879 --> 00:05:01.259 one. And the very first song they write together, 00:05:01.439 --> 00:05:03.319 their very first attempt at collaboration in 00:05:03.319 --> 00:05:05.839 that apartment, is Mr. Brightside. Which is just 00:05:05.839 --> 00:05:08.000 wild to think about. Let that sink in for a second. 00:05:08.459 --> 00:05:10.639 Think about the last time you collaborated with 00:05:10.639 --> 00:05:14.000 someone new on a project. Did you instantly create 00:05:14.000 --> 00:05:17.060 a defining masterpiece on day one? Probably not. 00:05:17.180 --> 00:05:19.319 The first time these two write together, they 00:05:19.319 --> 00:05:22.459 casually compose a song that will define an entire 00:05:22.459 --> 00:05:25.000 generation. And soon after, they realize they 00:05:25.000 --> 00:05:27.800 need a name. Yes. And here is a great aha moment 00:05:27.800 --> 00:05:30.699 for you. They stole it. They absolutely did. 00:05:31.100 --> 00:05:33.540 Brandon Flowers was watching a music video for 00:05:33.540 --> 00:05:36.500 the new order song, Crystal. And in that video, 00:05:36.779 --> 00:05:38.899 there's a fictional band performing the song, 00:05:39.319 --> 00:05:41.339 the name of that fake band written on the kick 00:05:41.339 --> 00:05:44.220 drum. The Killers. Beyond being a wonderful piece 00:05:44.220 --> 00:05:46.800 of trivia, borrowing that name shows exactly 00:05:46.800 --> 00:05:49.139 where their heads were at. How so? Well, New 00:05:49.139 --> 00:05:51.360 Order is essentially the historical bridge between 00:05:51.360 --> 00:05:54.459 raw post -punk rock and electronic synthesizer 00:05:54.459 --> 00:05:56.759 -driven dance music. Oh, that makes total sense. 00:05:56.860 --> 00:05:58.860 Right. So by taking their name from a New Order 00:05:58.860 --> 00:06:02.279 video, Flowers and CUNY are signaling their core 00:06:02.279 --> 00:06:05.379 intent. They want to marry the aggressive, live 00:06:05.379 --> 00:06:08.759 energy of a rock band with the infectious, undeniable 00:06:08.759 --> 00:06:11.500 sensibility of synth and dance music. They wanted 00:06:11.500 --> 00:06:14.180 to make rock music you could dance to. But a 00:06:14.180 --> 00:06:16.920 singer and a guitarist do not make an arena rock 00:06:16.920 --> 00:06:19.560 band. They needed a rhythm section. And assembling 00:06:19.560 --> 00:06:21.959 that roster was incredibly chaotic at first. 00:06:22.300 --> 00:06:25.019 Ah, it was a mess. They cycle through a few early 00:06:25.019 --> 00:06:27.600 players trying to find the right chemistry. They 00:06:27.600 --> 00:06:30.019 bring in a drummer named Matt Norcross. They 00:06:30.019 --> 00:06:31.660 record some early demos with him, right? Yeah, 00:06:31.819 --> 00:06:33.779 at a place called Kill the Messenger Studio in 00:06:33.779 --> 00:06:35.899 Henderson, Nevada. They're putting down tracks 00:06:35.899 --> 00:06:39.569 like Desperate, Under the Gun, And replaceable. 00:06:39.910 --> 00:06:42.009 And Del Neal was playing bass. Keening's roommate. 00:06:42.329 --> 00:06:45.329 Exactly. They even managed to play their first 00:06:45.329 --> 00:06:48.529 live show at an open mic night at Cafe Espresso 00:06:48.529 --> 00:06:52.410 Roma in January 2002. But the fit just isn't 00:06:52.410 --> 00:06:55.149 right. It's not. They eventually let Norcross 00:06:55.149 --> 00:06:57.730 go, briefly replace him with a drummer named 00:06:57.730 --> 00:07:00.470 Brian Havens. Who also doesn't last. Right. And 00:07:00.470 --> 00:07:02.730 then Del Neal leaves the project for personal 00:07:02.730 --> 00:07:05.589 reasons. It's the classic messy startup phase. 00:07:05.800 --> 00:07:07.899 Any listener who has tried to build a business 00:07:07.899 --> 00:07:10.379 or even just put together a reliable weekend 00:07:10.379 --> 00:07:13.379 sports team knows this pain. The struggle is 00:07:13.379 --> 00:07:17.180 real. It is. You have a vision, but you are dependent 00:07:17.180 --> 00:07:20.579 on finding other human beings who not only share 00:07:20.579 --> 00:07:23.420 that vision, but have the technical competence 00:07:23.420 --> 00:07:25.740 to execute it. And the personality to survive 00:07:25.740 --> 00:07:28.420 being in a room with you for hours on end. Exactly. 00:07:28.660 --> 00:07:32.600 But they finally strike gold in late 2002. They 00:07:32.600 --> 00:07:36.110 recruit Ronnie Vannucci Jr. on drums. Now, Vannucci 00:07:36.110 --> 00:07:38.870 was a known entity in the local scene. He was 00:07:38.870 --> 00:07:41.389 playing in some interestingly named bands. Amazing. 00:07:41.550 --> 00:07:44.490 Very early 2000s names like Daphne Major and 00:07:44.490 --> 00:07:46.889 Romance Fantasy. His first show with the band 00:07:46.889 --> 00:07:49.889 was in August 2002 at a club called The Junkyard. 00:07:50.189 --> 00:07:52.310 And playing bass that particular night was Mark 00:07:52.310 --> 00:07:54.889 Stormer. Yes, who was actually the lead guitarist 00:07:54.889 --> 00:07:57.209 for a progressive rock band called The Negative 00:07:57.209 --> 00:08:00.000 Ponies. They initially asked Stormer if he wanted 00:08:00.000 --> 00:08:02.339 to join as a second guitarist. But he mentioned 00:08:02.339 --> 00:08:05.120 he could play bass. Right, and by November 2002, 00:08:05.300 --> 00:08:07.639 he officially locked in as their bassist. That 00:08:07.639 --> 00:08:09.699 is the moment the alchemy finally works. The 00:08:09.699 --> 00:08:12.439 final piece of the puzzle. You had the raw songwriting 00:08:12.439 --> 00:08:15.180 core of Flowers and Cuning, but now it was anchored 00:08:15.180 --> 00:08:18.240 by the discipline of Vinucci, who was literally 00:08:18.240 --> 00:08:21.879 studying music at a collegiate level, and the 00:08:21.879 --> 00:08:25.259 incredibly solid melodic musicianship of Stormer. 00:08:25.470 --> 00:08:28.509 the foundation was finally poured. And the hustle 00:08:28.509 --> 00:08:31.110 during this period, it is legendary. Think about 00:08:31.110 --> 00:08:32.950 this. They are practicing in Venushi's Garage, 00:08:33.169 --> 00:08:35.730 which is standard band stuff, but they are also 00:08:35.730 --> 00:08:38.289 literally sneaking into the band room at the 00:08:38.289 --> 00:08:40.909 University of Nevada Las Vegas in the dead of 00:08:40.909 --> 00:08:43.470 night. Because Vinucci was studying classical 00:08:43.470 --> 00:08:45.970 percussion there, so he knew the layout. Exactly. 00:08:46.309 --> 00:08:48.830 So they break in to use the massive space and 00:08:48.830 --> 00:08:51.330 the high -end equipment to write the expansive 00:08:51.330 --> 00:08:53.429 songs that would eventually become their debut 00:08:53.429 --> 00:08:55.750 album. That takes serious dedication. And they're 00:08:55.750 --> 00:08:57.659 playing anywhere that will have them. They were 00:08:57.659 --> 00:09:00.299 frequently holding down Sunday nights at a transgender 00:09:00.299 --> 00:09:03.399 bar called Sasha's, which was later renamed Tramps. 00:09:03.860 --> 00:09:06.340 They are grinding it out in the absolute margins 00:09:06.340 --> 00:09:09.519 of Las Vegas, far away from the glitz of the 00:09:09.519 --> 00:09:12.679 casinos. That environment deeply influences their 00:09:12.679 --> 00:09:15.240 work ethic, but it also begins to shape their 00:09:15.240 --> 00:09:18.649 visual identity. A band isn't just a sound, it's 00:09:18.649 --> 00:09:20.710 an aesthetic package. And the aesthetic comes 00:09:20.710 --> 00:09:24.389 together in the most Vegas way possible. In 2002, 00:09:24.889 --> 00:09:26.590 Flowers is walking through a Virgin megastore 00:09:26.590 --> 00:09:30.610 in town and he sees the cover of the ELV1S, 30 00:09:30.610 --> 00:09:33.649 number one hit CD. The one with the classic marquee 00:09:33.649 --> 00:09:36.950 lettering. Yes, the glowing dotted marquee lettering. 00:09:37.210 --> 00:09:39.870 He is struck by the timelessness of that motif 00:09:39.870 --> 00:09:42.789 and that directly inspires the band's iconic 00:09:42.789 --> 00:09:44.830 logo. They hire Vannucci's roommate's girlfriend 00:09:44.830 --> 00:09:47.549 to design it. They do, bringing that dotted light 00:09:47.549 --> 00:09:50.070 concept to the words The Killers. And that same 00:09:50.070 --> 00:09:51.950 logo has been used on almost everything they've 00:09:51.950 --> 00:09:54.049 ever released since. It's brilliant branding. 00:09:54.350 --> 00:09:56.610 It grounds them visually in the mythology of 00:09:56.610 --> 00:09:59.669 their hometown. The neon, the vintage casino 00:09:59.669 --> 00:10:02.370 marquees, the inherent showmanship of Las Vegas, 00:10:02.450 --> 00:10:05.179 it's all baked into that logo. It provides a 00:10:05.179 --> 00:10:07.679 visual anchor to America, even as their musical 00:10:07.679 --> 00:10:09.519 sound is looking eagerly across the Atlantic 00:10:09.519 --> 00:10:11.700 Ocean. Which is such a great point, because they 00:10:11.700 --> 00:10:14.100 had the logo, they had the Vegas hustle, and 00:10:14.100 --> 00:10:17.179 they had undeniable songs. But ironically, the 00:10:17.179 --> 00:10:19.700 American music industry just wasn't biting. Not 00:10:19.700 --> 00:10:21.879 at all. To find their audience, they had to look 00:10:21.879 --> 00:10:24.730 elsewhere. Which brings us to the explosion of 00:10:24.730 --> 00:10:28.169 their debut album, Hot Fuss, covering 2003 to 00:10:28.169 --> 00:10:30.909 2005. This is where the story gets really interesting. 00:10:31.169 --> 00:10:33.429 Right, because despite recording solid demos 00:10:33.429 --> 00:10:35.429 in Berkeley, California with a producer named 00:10:35.429 --> 00:10:38.950 Jeff Saltzman, major U .S. labels consistently 00:10:38.950 --> 00:10:41.250 pass on them. They're playing showcases, taking 00:10:41.250 --> 00:10:44.559 meetings. And nothing happens. But then an A 00:10:44.559 --> 00:10:47.019 &R rep, essentially a talent scout for a record 00:10:47.019 --> 00:10:49.240 label from the United Kingdom named Alex Gilbert, 00:10:49.720 --> 00:10:52.000 gets his hands on their demo. He takes it back 00:10:52.000 --> 00:10:54.299 to the UK. And he plays it for his friend Ben 00:10:54.299 --> 00:10:57.039 Durling at a newly formed indie label called 00:10:57.039 --> 00:10:59.980 Lizard King Records. Lizard King hears it and 00:10:59.980 --> 00:11:02.340 immediately offers them a record deal based purely 00:11:02.340 --> 00:11:04.820 on a five -song demo. They don't even fly out 00:11:04.820 --> 00:11:06.940 to meet the band face -to -face. Which is an 00:11:06.940 --> 00:11:09.480 incredible leap of faith. It is a remarkable 00:11:09.480 --> 00:11:12.720 irony. You had this American band, born in Las 00:11:12.720 --> 00:11:15.740 Vegas, completely ignored by their domestic music 00:11:15.740 --> 00:11:18.919 industry machinery. Yet they're instantly recognized, 00:11:19.019 --> 00:11:21.519 understood, and adopted by the British. Why do 00:11:21.519 --> 00:11:24.279 you think that was? To understand why this happened, 00:11:24.600 --> 00:11:27.279 you have to look at the UK music ecosystem at 00:11:27.279 --> 00:11:30.980 that exact cultural moment. The UK was highly 00:11:30.980 --> 00:11:33.620 receptive to bands that merged sharp pop sensibilities 00:11:33.620 --> 00:11:36.659 with a rough indie rock edge. The post -punk 00:11:36.659 --> 00:11:38.919 revival. Exactly. The post -punk revival was 00:11:38.919 --> 00:11:41.460 in full swing. Local Vegas reviewers had already 00:11:41.460 --> 00:11:43.799 described the killer's sound as a mix between 00:11:43.799 --> 00:11:46.840 British pop styles and the lo -fi fuzz of modern 00:11:46.840 --> 00:11:49.059 indie rock. So it was a perfect match. For a 00:11:49.059 --> 00:11:51.200 British label, this American band sounded like 00:11:51.200 --> 00:11:53.519 the perfect tailor -made evolution of what British 00:11:53.519 --> 00:11:55.649 audiences were already craving. It triggered 00:11:55.649 --> 00:11:58.769 a perfect storm. In August 2003, the legendary 00:11:58.769 --> 00:12:01.809 tastemaker DJ Zane Lowe premieres Mr. Brightside 00:12:01.809 --> 00:12:04.610 on BBC Radio 1. A massive turning point. The 00:12:04.610 --> 00:12:07.250 band flies over to London, they do a frantic 00:12:07.250 --> 00:12:10.409 week of shows at iconic small venues, and the 00:12:10.409 --> 00:12:13.529 UK music press absolutely loses their minds. 00:12:14.059 --> 00:12:17.659 The influential magazine NME writes a glowing 00:12:17.659 --> 00:12:20.700 review stating that the killers steal so smartly 00:12:20.700 --> 00:12:23.419 and with such mind -boggling variety. And suddenly 00:12:23.419 --> 00:12:25.360 the dynamic flips back home. Oh, completely. 00:12:25.679 --> 00:12:27.980 Suddenly all those U .S. labels that rejected 00:12:27.980 --> 00:12:30.860 them just months prior are locked in a massive 00:12:30.860 --> 00:12:33.860 bidding war. The band ultimately signs a major 00:12:33.860 --> 00:12:36.899 deal with Island Def Jam. But crucially... When 00:12:36.899 --> 00:12:39.259 they secure that massive major label funding 00:12:39.259 --> 00:12:41.759 and go to finish recording their debut album 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:44.779 Hot Fuss, they make a very important, highly 00:12:44.779 --> 00:12:47.379 stubborn, creative decision. Yeah, they finished 00:12:47.379 --> 00:12:49.100 the recording sessions with Jeff Saltzman in 00:12:49.100 --> 00:12:51.580 November 2003, but they actually decided to keep 00:12:51.580 --> 00:12:53.940 many of the original early demos they had recorded. 00:12:54.139 --> 00:12:57.179 The label likely wanted pristine, polished, expensive 00:12:57.179 --> 00:12:59.480 -sounding re -recordings of everything. Standard 00:12:59.480 --> 00:13:02.049 protocol. Right. But the band felt those early 00:13:02.049 --> 00:13:04.509 demo recordings possessed a raw, spontaneous 00:13:04.509 --> 00:13:06.870 energy that they simply couldn't recapture in 00:13:06.870 --> 00:13:09.350 a sterile studio environment. That insistence 00:13:09.350 --> 00:13:12.330 on spontaneity is key to the album's enduring 00:13:12.330 --> 00:13:16.220 charm. It has this breathless, urgent quality 00:13:16.220 --> 00:13:19.679 that contrasts beautifully with the highly structured, 00:13:20.100 --> 00:13:22.379 pop -oriented songwriting. It sounds like a band 00:13:22.379 --> 00:13:24.440 playing for their lives. Because when they recorded 00:13:24.440 --> 00:13:27.779 those demos, they were. Exactly. Hot Fuss drops 00:13:27.779 --> 00:13:32.840 in June 2004, and it is a monumental, world -shifting 00:13:32.840 --> 00:13:36.200 success. A fun, memorable detail for you. If 00:13:36.200 --> 00:13:38.379 you bought the album in the UK or Australia, 00:13:38.840 --> 00:13:41.200 Track 8 was a song called Glamorous Indie Rock 00:13:41.200 --> 00:13:43.990 and Roll. A great track. American pressing, track 00:13:43.990 --> 00:13:46.870 eight was Change Your Mind. Regardless of the 00:13:46.870 --> 00:13:50.029 track list, the album achieves total global saturation. 00:13:50.129 --> 00:13:52.029 The numbers are staggering. Let me hit you with 00:13:52.029 --> 00:13:54.509 some data that illustrates just how massive this 00:13:54.509 --> 00:13:56.870 was. Yeah. The single Mr. Brightside achieved 00:13:56.870 --> 00:13:59.149 diamond certification in the US, meaning it was 00:13:59.149 --> 00:14:01.769 downloaded and sold over 3 .7 million times. 00:14:01.889 --> 00:14:04.350 Massive. But in the UK, it did something truly 00:14:04.350 --> 00:14:07.830 historically unprecedented. It spent 408 weeks 00:14:07.830 --> 00:14:10.590 on the UK singles chart. We really need to pause 00:14:10.590 --> 00:14:13.000 on that number. Please do. Eight weeks is nearly 00:14:13.000 --> 00:14:16.179 eight entire years on the charts. It is officially 00:14:16.179 --> 00:14:19.399 the longest charting single in UK chart history. 00:14:20.220 --> 00:14:22.539 It transcended being a popular song on the radio. 00:14:22.840 --> 00:14:25.600 It became a cultural permanent fixture. It became 00:14:25.600 --> 00:14:27.899 the song played at every wedding, every university 00:14:27.899 --> 00:14:31.480 graduation, every pub at closing time. It embedded 00:14:31.480 --> 00:14:34.279 itself into the national fabric of the UK. And 00:14:34.279 --> 00:14:36.220 it wasn't just Mr. Bright's side pulling that 00:14:36.220 --> 00:14:38.980 weight. The entire album was a gold mine of hits. 00:14:39.580 --> 00:14:41.720 Let's look at the cultural impact of the song. 00:14:42.080 --> 00:14:44.720 All these things that I've done. The choir. Yes. 00:14:44.940 --> 00:14:48.500 Specifically, that massive gospel choir -backed, 00:14:48.580 --> 00:14:51.019 anthemic bridge, I've got soul, but I'm not a 00:14:51.019 --> 00:14:54.639 soldier. That single lyric embedded itself so 00:14:54.639 --> 00:14:57.240 deeply into the music world that other massive 00:14:57.240 --> 00:14:59.500 stadium -filling artists started adopting it. 00:14:59.639 --> 00:15:02.159 It's a fascinating phenomenon to witness in real 00:15:02.159 --> 00:15:05.389 time. A relatively new band from Nevada creates 00:15:05.389 --> 00:15:07.929 a hook so infectious, so universally resonant, 00:15:08.250 --> 00:15:09.990 that the biggest, most established acts in the 00:15:09.990 --> 00:15:12.029 world feel compelled to borrow it and weave it 00:15:12.029 --> 00:15:14.070 into their own mythologies. The ultimate proof 00:15:14.070 --> 00:15:15.769 of that hook's power. Look at what happened at 00:15:15.769 --> 00:15:18.009 the massive Live 8 global charity concert in 00:15:18.009 --> 00:15:20.889 London in 2005. Robbie Williams. Robbie Williams, 00:15:21.230 --> 00:15:23.710 who was essentially British pop royalty at the 00:15:23.710 --> 00:15:25.830 time, literally incorporated, I've got soul, 00:15:25.870 --> 00:15:28.389 but I'm not a soldier, right into his own live 00:15:28.389 --> 00:15:30.870 set in front of millions of viewers. Incredible 00:15:30.870 --> 00:15:33.210 validation. And the respect from their peers 00:15:33.210 --> 00:15:36.450 didn't stop there. When Coldplay and U2 played 00:15:36.450 --> 00:15:39.429 separate, massive concerts in Las Vegas, knowing 00:15:39.429 --> 00:15:41.389 that members of The Killers were in the audience 00:15:41.389 --> 00:15:44.909 watching them, Coldplay wove that exact lyric 00:15:44.909 --> 00:15:48.350 into their song. God put a smile upon your face. 00:15:48.549 --> 00:15:51.070 And you too sang it during the climax of Beautiful 00:15:51.070 --> 00:15:53.730 Day. When Bono is singing your lyrics back to 00:15:53.730 --> 00:15:56.470 you in your hometown, you have definitively arrived. 00:15:56.690 --> 00:15:59.370 However, we have to acknowledge the reality of 00:15:59.370 --> 00:16:01.750 the music business. The dark side. With that 00:16:01.750 --> 00:16:04.389 massive rapid ascent to the very top of the industry 00:16:04.389 --> 00:16:08.029 comes intense psychological pressure and almost 00:16:08.029 --> 00:16:10.789 inevitably structural fractures behind the scenes. 00:16:11.750 --> 00:16:13.809 The machinery running beneath the art can be 00:16:13.809 --> 00:16:17.129 brutal. It's true. In 2006, the band fired their 00:16:17.129 --> 00:16:19.809 manager, Brayden Merrick. This resulted in a 00:16:19.809 --> 00:16:22.850 severely messy, highly publicized legal situation. 00:16:22.970 --> 00:16:25.830 Lawsuits flying everywhere. Merrick filed a lawsuit 00:16:25.830 --> 00:16:27.950 against the band and their new management team 00:16:27.950 --> 00:16:31.629 for breach of contract, seeking $16 million from 00:16:31.629 --> 00:16:35.279 each party. Ouch. The band countersued, claiming 00:16:35.279 --> 00:16:37.840 poor management had cost them millions in lost 00:16:37.840 --> 00:16:42.019 revenue and opportunities. Ultimately, this intense 00:16:42.019 --> 00:16:45.259 multi -million dollar legal battle cast a long 00:16:45.259 --> 00:16:47.940 shadow over their early success, though it was 00:16:47.940 --> 00:16:50.960 finally settled out of court in 2009. It's a 00:16:50.960 --> 00:16:53.419 sobering reminder that a band is not just four 00:16:53.419 --> 00:16:55.740 friends playing music. It is a multi -million 00:16:55.740 --> 00:16:58.200 dollar corporation. Completely. But remarkably, 00:16:58.360 --> 00:17:00.340 dealing with that level of corporate litigation 00:17:00.340 --> 00:17:03.360 didn't paralyze their creative output. In fact, 00:17:03.559 --> 00:17:05.839 it seemed to push them to take even bigger artistic 00:17:05.839 --> 00:17:08.240 risks. Instead of playing it safe and just making 00:17:08.240 --> 00:17:10.619 Hot Fuss Part 2 to satisfy the label and cash 00:17:10.619 --> 00:17:13.519 -in, they take a massive screeching left turn. 00:17:13.720 --> 00:17:16.640 A huge pivot. In October 2006, they released 00:17:16.640 --> 00:17:19.119 their second album, Samstown, produced by the 00:17:19.119 --> 00:17:21.420 legendary team of Alan Molder and Flood. And 00:17:21.420 --> 00:17:23.359 this is where the stylistic shift is so pronounced, 00:17:23.759 --> 00:17:26.140 it almost gave critics whiplash. Goodbye, eyeliner. 00:17:26.460 --> 00:17:29.160 Exactly. They intentionally step away from the 00:17:29.160 --> 00:17:32.140 British synth pop aesthetic, the eyeliner, and 00:17:32.140 --> 00:17:35.119 the tailored suits. They pivot hard toward Americana 00:17:35.119 --> 00:17:37.960 and Heartland Rock. You can hear heavy, undeniable 00:17:37.960 --> 00:17:40.680 influences of Bruce Springsteen and Tom Petty. 00:17:40.839 --> 00:17:43.769 The music is grittier. more earnest, utilizing 00:17:43.769 --> 00:17:46.710 acoustic guitars and horns, and heavily focused 00:17:46.710 --> 00:17:49.630 on the mythology of America, the desert, and 00:17:49.630 --> 00:17:51.549 the struggles of working -class escape. Which 00:17:51.549 --> 00:17:54.690 surprised a lot of people. It did. And this dramatic 00:17:54.690 --> 00:17:57.710 shift profoundly polarized the critics at the 00:17:57.710 --> 00:18:00.390 time. Rolling Stone magazine, for instance, gave 00:18:00.390 --> 00:18:03.430 it a famously scathing review, mocking the vast 00:18:03.430 --> 00:18:05.809 ambition of it. But commercially. Commercially, 00:18:06.049 --> 00:18:08.430 the album was a massive triumph. It hit number 00:18:08.430 --> 00:18:10.650 two in the US and number one in the UK. selling 00:18:10.650 --> 00:18:13.930 millions of copies. Over time, it has been retroactively 00:18:13.930 --> 00:18:17.009 viewed by many fans and critics as their definitive 00:18:17.009 --> 00:18:19.210 masterpiece. They refused to be pigeonholed. 00:18:19.369 --> 00:18:21.470 They followed up that Americana phase in 2007 00:18:21.470 --> 00:18:23.990 with Sawdust. The B -Sides compilation. Right. 00:18:24.170 --> 00:18:26.609 A compilation of B -sides, meaning the extra 00:18:26.609 --> 00:18:28.650 tracks that didn't quite make the cut for their 00:18:28.650 --> 00:18:30.869 main albums, along with rarities and covers. 00:18:31.309 --> 00:18:34.690 It showed their range, featuring a dark collaboration 00:18:34.690 --> 00:18:37.569 with rock legend Lou Reed called Tranquillize. 00:18:37.809 --> 00:18:40.349 And a brooding cover of Joy Division's Shadow 00:18:40.349 --> 00:18:42.269 Play. But here's where it gets really interesting. 00:18:42.670 --> 00:18:46.069 We get to 2008's Day and Age. They teamed up 00:18:46.069 --> 00:18:48.890 with producer Stuart Price. Which was sort of 00:18:48.890 --> 00:18:51.190 a happy accident. The funny thing is, they initially 00:18:51.190 --> 00:18:53.690 just met Price in London to discuss having him 00:18:53.690 --> 00:18:56.170 produce some of those B -sides for Sawdust. But 00:18:56.170 --> 00:18:58.609 the chemistry was so instant that they ended 00:18:58.609 --> 00:19:01.250 up in his home studio that very night recording 00:19:01.250 --> 00:19:04.329 a demo for a brand new song called Human. And 00:19:04.329 --> 00:19:07.029 Human is a track that generated an enormous amount 00:19:07.029 --> 00:19:09.769 of cultural conversation. Oh, the debate. It 00:19:09.769 --> 00:19:12.089 transcended music criticism and entered into 00:19:12.039 --> 00:19:14.700 to the realm of grammatical debate, primarily 00:19:14.700 --> 00:19:17.519 because of a very specific, highly confusing 00:19:17.519 --> 00:19:19.960 lyrical choice in the chorus. The lyric that 00:19:19.960 --> 00:19:21.799 broke the internet before breaking the internet 00:19:21.799 --> 00:19:24.799 was a thing. The chorus soars, and Brandon Flower 00:19:24.799 --> 00:19:27.720 sings, are we human or are we dancer? And people 00:19:27.720 --> 00:19:30.680 were utterly baffled. Why is dancer singular? 00:19:31.140 --> 00:19:34.319 Why not dancers? It was so debated that it was 00:19:34.319 --> 00:19:36.980 actually voted in one online poll as the most 00:19:36.980 --> 00:19:40.359 confusing song lyric of all time. It is grammatically 00:19:40.359 --> 00:19:42.700 ambiguous, which is precisely why it sticks in 00:19:42.700 --> 00:19:45.460 the mind so effectively. It forces the listener 00:19:45.460 --> 00:19:47.380 to stop and ask, wait, what did he just say? 00:19:47.640 --> 00:19:51.049 But there is an explanation. There is. The origin 00:19:51.049 --> 00:19:53.650 of the lyric provides the clarity, and it reveals 00:19:53.650 --> 00:19:56.509 the depth of Flower's reading habits. He explained 00:19:56.509 --> 00:19:59.329 that he was inspired by a quote from the infamous 00:19:59.329 --> 00:20:02.589 gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson. Ah, of course. 00:20:02.869 --> 00:20:04.910 Thompson had disparagingly stated that America 00:20:04.910 --> 00:20:07.950 was raising a generation of dancers. When you 00:20:07.950 --> 00:20:09.630 view the lyric through the lens of Hunter S. 00:20:09.710 --> 00:20:12.190 Thompson's social critique, dancer isn't functioning 00:20:12.190 --> 00:20:14.880 as a plural noun, it's a state of being. That 00:20:14.880 --> 00:20:16.819 makes so much sense. It's an adjective describing 00:20:16.819 --> 00:20:19.920 a compliant, unthinking, choreographed populace 00:20:19.920 --> 00:20:21.859 that merely follows the steps they are given, 00:20:22.480 --> 00:20:24.839 contrasted against genuine, messy, free -willed 00:20:24.839 --> 00:20:27.619 human individuality. That completely changes 00:20:27.619 --> 00:20:30.119 how you listen to that massive pop chorus. It's 00:20:30.119 --> 00:20:32.980 not a grammatical error. It's a deep social critique 00:20:32.980 --> 00:20:35.380 wrapped in a glittering disco beat. Brilliant 00:20:35.380 --> 00:20:38.319 subversion. Day & Age, as an entire album, was 00:20:38.319 --> 00:20:40.980 described by Flowers as their most playful record 00:20:40.980 --> 00:20:43.900 to date. They were experimenting wildly using 00:20:43.900 --> 00:20:46.700 saxophones, steel drums, and even harpsichords. 00:20:46.900 --> 00:20:50.140 But beneath that bright sonic surface, the album 00:20:50.140 --> 00:20:53.119 carried immense, devastating emotional weight. 00:20:53.319 --> 00:20:56.440 It really did. The sweeping track, A Duskland 00:20:56.440 --> 00:20:58.599 Fairy Tale, was written as a complex tribute 00:20:58.599 --> 00:21:01.420 to Flower's parents, specifically dealing with 00:21:01.420 --> 00:21:03.720 the agonizing reality of his mother's terminal 00:21:03.720 --> 00:21:06.740 cancer diagnosis. Oh, breaking. And the haunting, 00:21:06.980 --> 00:21:09.299 atmospheric closing track, Good Night Travel 00:21:09.299 --> 00:21:11.920 Well, was written as a direct response to the 00:21:11.920 --> 00:21:14.059 death of Dave Keuning's mother. You have this 00:21:14.059 --> 00:21:17.140 fascinating, almost painful juxtaposition running 00:21:17.140 --> 00:21:19.700 through the entire DNA of day and age. The contrast 00:21:19.700 --> 00:21:22.119 is so sharp. You have the glittering, playful, 00:21:22.339 --> 00:21:25.019 Stuart Price produced Sonic surface music designed 00:21:25.019 --> 00:21:27.539 to make arenas dance layered directly over some 00:21:27.539 --> 00:21:30.000 of the most profound personal grief the band 00:21:30.000 --> 00:21:32.500 members had ever experienced. It is the sound 00:21:32.500 --> 00:21:34.799 of trying to dance through unimaginable loss. 00:21:35.279 --> 00:21:37.859 And that grief, combined with the relentless 00:21:37.859 --> 00:21:40.619 pace of their career, inevitably caught up with 00:21:40.619 --> 00:21:44.900 them. In February 2010, Brandon Flowers' mother 00:21:44.900 --> 00:21:48.000 tragically passed away from brain cancer. A profound 00:21:48.000 --> 00:21:50.980 loss. This loss led to canceled tour dates across 00:21:50.980 --> 00:21:53.859 Asia and Australia. It eventually forced the 00:21:53.859 --> 00:21:55.819 band to hit the brakes and announce their first 00:21:55.819 --> 00:21:58.539 major hiatus. They decided to take a year and 00:21:58.539 --> 00:22:00.779 a half off. Which is a massive deal. Because 00:22:00.779 --> 00:22:03.279 they had been on the road relentlessly touring 00:22:03.279 --> 00:22:06.140 and recording for six straight years. Which is 00:22:06.140 --> 00:22:09.480 a crucial, necessary survival mechanism. The 00:22:09.480 --> 00:22:11.119 corporate machine of the band had been running 00:22:11.119 --> 00:22:14.180 too hot for too long. Personal tragedies demand 00:22:14.180 --> 00:22:16.700 space and silence. You can't just power through 00:22:16.700 --> 00:22:19.140 that. Exactly. If they had tried to push through 00:22:19.140 --> 00:22:21.819 that grief and immediately record another album... 00:22:21.819 --> 00:22:23.779 the band likely would have shattered completely. 00:22:24.400 --> 00:22:27.039 This hiatus sets the stage for the next distinct 00:22:27.039 --> 00:22:30.059 phase of their career, one defined by incredible 00:22:30.059 --> 00:22:33.480 resilience, necessary reconfiguration, and understanding 00:22:33.480 --> 00:22:35.920 the physical limits of being a rock star. Welcome 00:22:35.920 --> 00:22:39.369 to the Marathon. Covering 2011 to 2020, we see 00:22:39.369 --> 00:22:41.789 a band learning how to survive its own success. 00:22:42.390 --> 00:22:45.109 They return to the stage in 2011, and by September 00:22:45.109 --> 00:22:48.230 2012, they drop their fourth studio album, Battle 00:22:48.230 --> 00:22:50.789 Born. True to their roots, the title takes its 00:22:50.789 --> 00:22:53.130 name straight from the Nevada state flag. And 00:22:53.130 --> 00:22:56.170 this era features some massive career -defining 00:22:56.170 --> 00:22:59.170 peaks. Truly stadium -level peaks that most bands 00:22:59.170 --> 00:23:01.900 only ever dream of achieving. Specifically, I'm 00:23:01.900 --> 00:23:04.980 thinking of their June 2013 show at Wembley Stadium 00:23:04.980 --> 00:23:07.140 in London. The pinnacle. This isn't an arena. 00:23:07.220 --> 00:23:10.019 This is Wembley. They played to a capacity crowd 00:23:10.019 --> 00:23:13.240 of 90 ,000 people. They even performed a custom 00:23:13.240 --> 00:23:15.539 written Wembley song just for that specific night, 00:23:16.019 --> 00:23:18.000 acknowledging the history of the venue and their 00:23:18.000 --> 00:23:20.460 own improbable journey to get there. It is the 00:23:20.460 --> 00:23:23.279 absolute apex of rock stardom. But beneath that 00:23:23.279 --> 00:23:25.839 triumphant 90 ,000 -person surface, the sheer 00:23:25.839 --> 00:23:28.099 physical and mental toll of this decade -long 00:23:28.099 --> 00:23:30.599 marathon was starting to show real cracks. Around 00:23:30.599 --> 00:23:34.200 2016 and 2017, we see the core lineup begin to 00:23:34.200 --> 00:23:36.539 fracture. And this is a delicate but absolutely 00:23:36.539 --> 00:23:38.960 crucial part of their history to analyze, especially 00:23:38.960 --> 00:23:40.640 for anyone listening who struggles with work 00:23:40.640 --> 00:23:43.579 -life balance or burnout. Oh, so relevant. Being 00:23:43.579 --> 00:23:46.400 in a globally touring rock band is an extreme 00:23:46.400 --> 00:23:49.809 lifestyle. It is a grueling, disorienting existence, 00:23:50.450 --> 00:23:52.670 and it is rarely sustainable indefinitely for 00:23:52.670 --> 00:23:55.430 every single person involved. The human body 00:23:55.430 --> 00:23:58.950 and the human mind have limits. The details show 00:23:58.950 --> 00:24:02.470 the stark reality of that wear and tear. First, 00:24:02.809 --> 00:24:04.930 bassist Mark Stormer announces he is retiring 00:24:04.930 --> 00:24:08.319 from touring. He cites sheer exhaustion from 00:24:08.319 --> 00:24:11.440 the road but also the lingering very real physical 00:24:11.440 --> 00:24:14.319 effects from a pyrotechnics accident that inflicted 00:24:14.319 --> 00:24:16.240 hearing damage during a past show in London. 00:24:16.339 --> 00:24:18.319 He had to protect himself. He makes the hard 00:24:18.319 --> 00:24:20.160 choice to step back from the road to protect 00:24:20.160 --> 00:24:22.400 his health and he is replaced live by a highly 00:24:22.400 --> 00:24:24.839 skilled twirl musician Jake Blanton. And then 00:24:24.839 --> 00:24:27.680 it happens again. Shortly after, in August 2017, 00:24:28.019 --> 00:24:29.960 founding guitarist Dave Keuning announces he 00:24:29.960 --> 00:24:32.039 is taking an indefinite hiatus from the band. 00:24:32.559 --> 00:24:34.940 He cites the grueling, never -ending tour schedule 00:24:34.940 --> 00:24:37.400 and simply a profound desire to stay home and 00:24:37.400 --> 00:24:39.980 spend more time with his son. He's replaced on 00:24:39.980 --> 00:24:42.640 the road by touring guitarist Ted Sablay. If 00:24:42.640 --> 00:24:44.539 we connect this to the bigger picture of the 00:24:44.539 --> 00:24:48.009 music industry. This represents a profound evolution 00:24:48.009 --> 00:24:51.289 in how a modern legacy band operates and survives. 00:24:51.690 --> 00:24:54.210 How so? Well, we traditionally think of a rock 00:24:54.210 --> 00:24:57.009 band as an unbreakable gang of four. If one person 00:24:57.009 --> 00:25:00.589 leaves, the band is over. But as bands age into 00:25:00.589 --> 00:25:03.549 their second and third decades, survival requires 00:25:03.549 --> 00:25:06.789 extreme flexibility. Adapting to survive. Exactly. 00:25:07.549 --> 00:25:10.009 By utilizing highly skilled touring musicians. 00:25:10.299 --> 00:25:12.579 And it's worth noting they also brought on players 00:25:12.579 --> 00:25:14.779 like Taylor Mill and Robbie Connelly for live 00:25:14.779 --> 00:25:17.660 shows. They can keep the massive global touring 00:25:17.660 --> 00:25:19.660 enterprise running while giving the founders 00:25:19.660 --> 00:25:22.039 a break. Crucially, they still retain the core 00:25:22.039 --> 00:25:25.200 members, Stomer and Keuning, for studio work 00:25:25.200 --> 00:25:27.779 and recording when they are ready. It transforms 00:25:27.779 --> 00:25:30.559 from a rigid gang into a hybrid model of operation. 00:25:30.759 --> 00:25:33.299 It's a pragmatic adaptation to the realities 00:25:33.299 --> 00:25:36.059 of aging and changing life priorities. And what's 00:25:36.059 --> 00:25:38.480 wild is that despite missing half of their original 00:25:38.480 --> 00:25:40.920 founding lineup on stage every night, their success 00:25:40.920 --> 00:25:43.299 didn't dip. The fans accepted the evolution. 00:25:43.500 --> 00:25:46.039 They really did. In 2017, they released their 00:25:46.039 --> 00:25:49.140 fifth album, Wonderful Wonderful, and guess what? 00:25:49.619 --> 00:25:52.380 It became their very first album to reach number 00:25:52.380 --> 00:25:55.740 one on the U .S. Billboard 200 chart. After all 00:25:55.740 --> 00:25:58.539 those years, they reached their absolute highest 00:25:58.539 --> 00:26:01.359 U .S. chart peak right in the middle of this 00:26:01.359 --> 00:26:03.859 massive structural upheaval. It proves that the 00:26:03.859 --> 00:26:06.579 brand they had built, the quality of the songwriting, 00:26:07.160 --> 00:26:10.039 and Flower's undeniable capabilities as a frontman 00:26:10.039 --> 00:26:12.339 were strong enough to weather the internal changes. 00:26:12.980 --> 00:26:15.160 The music was bigger than the individuals playing 00:26:15.160 --> 00:26:17.339 the instruments on stage. And they were still 00:26:17.339 --> 00:26:20.359 delivering massive communal moments. Take September 00:26:20.359 --> 00:26:23.359 2017, for instance. They headlined the entertainment 00:26:23.359 --> 00:26:26.799 for the AFL Grand Final, the massive Australian 00:26:26.799 --> 00:26:29.079 Rules football championship in Melbourne, Australia. 00:26:29.359 --> 00:26:31.740 An amazing show. During the set, they actually 00:26:31.740 --> 00:26:34.240 brought a fan onto the stage to sing Mr. Brightside 00:26:34.240 --> 00:26:37.000 with them. But this wasn't just any fan. It was 00:26:37.000 --> 00:26:39.039 Jack Riewol, the vice captain of the Richmond 00:26:39.039 --> 00:26:41.319 team that had literally just won the championship 00:26:41.319 --> 00:26:44.119 game hours earlier, still wearing his gear. Just 00:26:44.119 --> 00:26:47.339 an epic, joyful, incredibly viral cultural moment. 00:26:47.640 --> 00:26:49.960 It cemented their status as a band that provides 00:26:49.960 --> 00:26:52.119 the soundtrack to people's greatest victories. 00:26:52.420 --> 00:26:55.140 And they carry that momentum, continuing to push 00:26:55.140 --> 00:26:57.839 their creative boundaries into a completely new 00:26:57.839 --> 00:27:00.839 decade. In 2020, they released imploding the 00:27:00.839 --> 00:27:03.099 mirage. A huge highlight from that critically 00:27:03.099 --> 00:27:05.460 acclaimed album is the hit single, Caution. A 00:27:05.460 --> 00:27:08.240 fantastic track. They managed to get the legendary 00:27:08.240 --> 00:27:10.519 Lindsay Buckingham, the architect of Fleetwood 00:27:10.519 --> 00:27:13.859 Mac's greatest hits, to play a blistering guitar 00:27:13.859 --> 00:27:17.299 solo on that track. And Caution was a monster 00:27:17.299 --> 00:27:20.319 hit. It hit number one on the alternative songs 00:27:20.319 --> 00:27:22.799 chart, which actually broke a Billboard record. 00:27:22.960 --> 00:27:25.819 The gap record. Yes. It had been 13 and a half 00:27:25.819 --> 00:27:28.019 years since their last alternative number one. 00:27:28.420 --> 00:27:30.839 That is the longest gap between number ones in 00:27:30.839 --> 00:27:33.400 the entire history of that specific chart. Again, 00:27:33.500 --> 00:27:36.299 showing remarkable longevity. To have a hit that 00:27:36.299 --> 00:27:38.400 resonates that deeply a decade and a half after 00:27:38.400 --> 00:27:41.240 debut is incredibly rare, which brings us to 00:27:41.240 --> 00:27:43.740 their most recent and arguably most complex era. 00:27:43.869 --> 00:27:46.289 We are entering the modern era covering 2021 00:27:46.289 --> 00:27:49.569 through late 2025. This period is defined by 00:27:49.569 --> 00:27:52.390 prolific output, unexpected controversy, and 00:27:52.390 --> 00:27:54.710 ultimately, reunion. It starts with a burst of 00:27:54.710 --> 00:27:57.150 pandemic productivity. With the world entirely 00:27:57.150 --> 00:27:59.650 shut down and global touring suspended, they 00:27:59.650 --> 00:28:02.009 channel all that nervous energy into releasing 00:28:02.009 --> 00:28:04.829 their seventh studio album, Pressure Machine, 00:28:05.430 --> 00:28:08.829 in August 2021. And there are some really interesting 00:28:08.829 --> 00:28:11.430 lineup dynamics at play here. Dave Keening actually 00:28:11.430 --> 00:28:14.049 returns to the studio to record this album. Reuniting 00:28:14.049 --> 00:28:16.750 creatively with Flowers and Vinucci. However, 00:28:17.009 --> 00:28:19.130 Mark Starmer is absent from the recording sessions 00:28:19.130 --> 00:28:21.569 due to the logistical difficulties and safety 00:28:21.569 --> 00:28:24.049 concerns presented by the COVID -19 pandemic. 00:28:24.250 --> 00:28:26.859 But despite the shift chairs in the studio. The 00:28:26.859 --> 00:28:31.539 resulting album is a masterpiece of quiet, character 00:28:31.539 --> 00:28:33.400 -driven storytelling. And the fans were there 00:28:33.400 --> 00:28:35.859 for it. It scored them their seventh consecutive 00:28:35.859 --> 00:28:39.059 UK number one album. To achieve a seventh consecutive 00:28:39.059 --> 00:28:41.160 number one in a completely different musical 00:28:41.160 --> 00:28:44.299 era, dominated by streaming and algorithms rather 00:28:44.299 --> 00:28:47.500 than CD sales, shows a level of fan -based loyalty 00:28:47.500 --> 00:28:50.400 that elevates them from a mere popular band to 00:28:50.400 --> 00:28:53.160 an enduring cultural institution. The Pressure 00:28:53.160 --> 00:28:56.299 Machine era also birthed a massive collaboration. 00:28:57.099 --> 00:28:59.539 They re -recorded a version of their emotional 00:28:59.539 --> 00:29:03.400 day and age track, a dustland fairy tale, alongside 00:29:03.400 --> 00:29:05.799 the man who inspired so much of their Americana 00:29:05.799 --> 00:29:09.539 sound, Bruce Springsteen. They retitled it simply 00:29:09.539 --> 00:29:12.160 Dustland. And hearing flowers and Springsteen 00:29:12.160 --> 00:29:15.539 trade verses is just incredible. But this prolific 00:29:15.539 --> 00:29:18.769 period also contained moments of unexpected friction. 00:29:19.089 --> 00:29:22.029 Yes. Global touring is inherently unpredictable, 00:29:22.609 --> 00:29:25.269 and that unpredictability came to a head during 00:29:25.269 --> 00:29:28.069 a specific geopolitical moment. We must detail 00:29:28.069 --> 00:29:31.400 a specific incident from August 2023. On August 00:29:31.400 --> 00:29:34.480 15th, 2023, the band was performing a concert 00:29:34.480 --> 00:29:36.839 at the Black Sea Arena in the country of Georgia. 00:29:37.480 --> 00:29:39.420 During their performance of the song, For Reasons 00:29:39.420 --> 00:29:42.019 Unknown, it had long been their custom to invite 00:29:42.019 --> 00:29:44.319 a fan from the audience on stage to play the 00:29:44.319 --> 00:29:46.559 drums. It's usually a joyous communal moment. 00:29:46.920 --> 00:29:48.700 A staple of their live shows. They invited a 00:29:48.700 --> 00:29:50.539 fan up who happened to be a Russian national. 00:29:50.980 --> 00:29:53.440 This resulted in immediate booing from significant 00:29:53.440 --> 00:29:55.859 parts of the Georgian crowd. Brandon Flowers 00:29:55.859 --> 00:29:58.160 attempted to defuse the rising tension by speaking 00:29:58.160 --> 00:30:00.180 to the audience, suggesting that all killers 00:30:00.170 --> 00:30:02.650 fans are brothers and sisters. This attempt at 00:30:02.650 --> 00:30:05.849 unity drastically backfired. It led to walkouts 00:30:05.849 --> 00:30:08.579 from parts of the audience in protest. Following 00:30:08.579 --> 00:30:10.880 the concert, the band issued a formal apology 00:30:10.880 --> 00:30:13.180 on their social media channels. They stated that 00:30:13.180 --> 00:30:15.519 they did not mean to insult anyone, that they 00:30:15.519 --> 00:30:18.140 recognize the sensitivities, and that their message 00:30:18.140 --> 00:30:20.759 of universal friendship was misconstrued amid 00:30:20.759 --> 00:30:24.240 the very real ongoing geopolitical tensions between 00:30:24.240 --> 00:30:26.980 Russia and Georgia, specifically regarding the 00:30:26.980 --> 00:30:29.200 occupation of Georgian territories by Russia. 00:30:29.460 --> 00:30:31.400 Looking at this purely from the mechanics of 00:30:31.400 --> 00:30:34.299 live performance, it demonstrates the incredible 00:30:34.299 --> 00:30:37.160 volatility of audience interaction on a global 00:30:37.160 --> 00:30:40.700 scale. The risks of unscripted moments. A band 00:30:40.700 --> 00:30:43.519 operates on a set of rehearsed cues, standard 00:30:43.519 --> 00:30:46.180 banter and established traditions like bringing 00:30:46.180 --> 00:30:48.519 a fan on stage, which they had done hundreds 00:30:48.519 --> 00:30:50.839 of times before without incident. But when you 00:30:50.839 --> 00:30:53.599 tour globally, that controlled theatrical environment 00:30:53.599 --> 00:30:56.420 intersects with complex, highly charged real 00:30:56.420 --> 00:30:59.019 world regional dynamics. And things can escalate 00:30:59.019 --> 00:31:02.279 quickly. A gesture intended as standard feel 00:31:02.279 --> 00:31:05.799 good crowd engagement can suddenly trigger profound 00:31:05.799 --> 00:31:09.210 geopolitical sensitivities. It highlights the 00:31:09.210 --> 00:31:11.690 immense tightrope artists' walk in the live, 00:31:11.910 --> 00:31:14.289 unscripted moments of an international tour. 00:31:14.890 --> 00:31:18.089 That same month, August 2023, the band made a 00:31:18.089 --> 00:31:21.269 massive, shocking creative decision. They had 00:31:21.269 --> 00:31:24.269 released a synth -heavy new single called Boy 00:31:24.269 --> 00:31:27.950 in 2022, and they were reportedly deep into working 00:31:27.950 --> 00:31:31.009 on an eighth studio album. But Flowers publicly 00:31:31.009 --> 00:31:33.190 announced they were scrapping the entire album. 00:31:33.309 --> 00:31:35.890 They threw it all away. He stated he was deeply 00:31:35.890 --> 00:31:37.690 dissatisfied with the sonic direction they were 00:31:37.690 --> 00:31:39.470 heading, explicitly telling the press, I don't 00:31:39.470 --> 00:31:41.390 think you see us making this type of music anymore. 00:31:41.650 --> 00:31:43.809 They salvaged a few tracks. They took three songs 00:31:43.809 --> 00:31:45.869 from those aborted sessions, Boy, Your Side of 00:31:45.869 --> 00:31:48.630 Town and Spirit, and put them on a career spanning 00:31:48.630 --> 00:31:51.150 greatest hits compilation called Rebel Diamonds, 00:31:51.269 --> 00:31:54.009 which they released in December 2023. Scrapping 00:31:54.009 --> 00:31:57.230 an entire nearly finished album is a bold, almost 00:31:57.230 --> 00:31:59.309 unheard of move in the modern industry. Takes 00:31:59.309 --> 00:32:01.869 a lot of confidence. It speaks to a band that 00:32:01.869 --> 00:32:04.410 is not only financially secure enough to absorb 00:32:04.410 --> 00:32:07.269 that loss, but also artistically self -aware 00:32:07.269 --> 00:32:09.470 enough to refuse to release something they don't 00:32:09.470 --> 00:32:11.589 fully believe represents their current evolution. 00:32:12.109 --> 00:32:14.150 They refuse to go through the motions. But the 00:32:14.150 --> 00:32:17.990 timeline takes a joyous turn. That creative reset 00:32:17.990 --> 00:32:22.150 leads directly to a triumphant reunion. In August 00:32:22.150 --> 00:32:25.650 2024, the original founding four -piece lineup 00:32:25.920 --> 00:32:29.720 Flowers, Keuning, Starmor, and Vannucci officially 00:32:29.720 --> 00:32:32.319 reunited on stage. A huge moment for the fans. 00:32:32.440 --> 00:32:34.940 They put together a massive 15 -night concert 00:32:34.940 --> 00:32:37.920 residency in their hometown of Las Vegas to celebrate 00:32:37.920 --> 00:32:40.660 the 20th anniversary of Hot Fuss playing the 00:32:40.660 --> 00:32:42.920 Landmark album in full every single night. It 00:32:42.920 --> 00:32:45.039 was a complete full circle moment. And they even 00:32:45.039 --> 00:32:47.299 released a new anthemic single called Bright 00:32:47.299 --> 00:32:50.259 Lights. Which was the first new track to feature 00:32:50.259 --> 00:32:52.359 all four core members playing together since 00:32:52.359 --> 00:32:55.019 2017. It proves that the bonds formed in that 00:32:55.019 --> 00:32:58.569 cramped garage in 2002 were elastic enough to 00:32:58.569 --> 00:33:01.049 stretch but strong enough not to break completely. 00:33:01.329 --> 00:33:03.990 And zooming all the way to 2025, they're still 00:33:03.990 --> 00:33:07.559 pushing forward. In April 2025, they released 00:33:07.559 --> 00:33:11.559 an EP titled Encore at the Garden featuring three 00:33:11.559 --> 00:33:14.099 blistering live tracks performed alongside Bruce 00:33:14.099 --> 00:33:16.880 Springsteen at Madison Square Garden. Just incredible 00:33:16.880 --> 00:33:20.559 energy. And to cap off 2025, in November, they 00:33:20.559 --> 00:33:23.079 performed a gritty tribute cover of Lawyers, 00:33:23.220 --> 00:33:25.900 Guns and Money for the legendary Warren Zivone's 00:33:25.900 --> 00:33:28.019 induction into the rock and roll hot of fame. 00:33:28.500 --> 00:33:30.920 And in a beautiful piece of rock history synergy, 00:33:31.180 --> 00:33:33.740 Dave Keuning played that specific performance 00:33:33.740 --> 00:33:36.339 using a guitar that Zavon had personally gifted 00:33:36.339 --> 00:33:39.000 to David Letterman years prior. That is an incredible 00:33:39.000 --> 00:33:41.279 detail, isn't it? It shows how they have seamlessly 00:33:41.279 --> 00:33:44.460 woven their own legacy into the broader historical 00:33:44.460 --> 00:33:47.039 tapestry of classic rock and roll. Now before 00:33:47.039 --> 00:33:49.059 we conclude our deep dive, we need to step outside 00:33:49.059 --> 00:33:50.940 the recording studio and look at their footprint 00:33:50.940 --> 00:33:53.480 beyond the music, examining their political intersections, 00:33:53.819 --> 00:33:56.359 their massive philanthropic efforts, and the 00:33:56.359 --> 00:33:59.220 myriad of solo flights the members took. And 00:33:59.220 --> 00:34:01.920 when examining the political engagements documented 00:34:01.920 --> 00:34:04.480 in the historical record, it is fascinating to 00:34:04.480 --> 00:34:07.420 see how a band whose lyrics frequently deal with 00:34:07.420 --> 00:34:10.880 the American mythos intersects with actual American 00:34:10.880 --> 00:34:13.719 political figures. The timeline notes several 00:34:13.719 --> 00:34:17.500 significant political crossovers. In July 2010, 00:34:17.739 --> 00:34:19.760 the band received an invitation from President 00:34:19.760 --> 00:34:22.699 Barack Obama to play a USO concert on the South 00:34:22.699 --> 00:34:24.960 Lawn of the White House to celebrate Independence 00:34:24.960 --> 00:34:27.719 Day. Quite an honor. Just a few days later, Flowers, 00:34:28.079 --> 00:34:30.599 Keuning, and Stormer appeared at a Nevada campaign 00:34:30.599 --> 00:34:33.659 rally for Obama and Senator Harry Reid, where 00:34:33.659 --> 00:34:36.199 they performed an acoustic rendition of the official 00:34:36.199 --> 00:34:40.519 Nevada state song, Home Means Nevada. The political 00:34:40.519 --> 00:34:42.619 intersections weren't limited to one side of 00:34:42.619 --> 00:34:45.000 the aisle, however. No, in February 2011, Brandon 00:34:45.000 --> 00:34:46.940 Flowers had a private lunch with Mitt Romney 00:34:46.940 --> 00:34:49.019 during the Republican Party convention in Nevada. 00:34:49.190 --> 00:34:51.469 In terms of direct social commentary in their 00:34:51.469 --> 00:34:54.710 music, a major focal point is their 2019 standalone 00:34:54.710 --> 00:34:57.769 single, Land of the Free, the band enlisted visionary 00:34:57.769 --> 00:35:00.070 director Spike Lee to direct the music video. 00:35:00.289 --> 00:35:02.690 A very striking visual accompaniment. The lyrics 00:35:02.690 --> 00:35:04.670 of Land of the Free represent some of Flower's 00:35:04.670 --> 00:35:08.030 most direct commentary, explicitly referencing 00:35:08.030 --> 00:35:11.510 major, highly debated national issues. The lyrics 00:35:11.510 --> 00:35:13.550 touch on immigration policies at the border, 00:35:13.969 --> 00:35:16.650 the need for gun control and the ongoing crisis 00:35:16.650 --> 00:35:19.690 of police killings in America. Shifting focus 00:35:19.690 --> 00:35:22.610 to their philanthropy, the historical record 00:35:22.610 --> 00:35:25.349 highlights an absolutely incredible, sustained, 00:35:25.590 --> 00:35:28.230 charitable run that is rarely matched by their 00:35:28.230 --> 00:35:30.489 peers. It's quite unique. For 10 consecutive 00:35:30.489 --> 00:35:34.469 years, stretching from 2006 to 2016, the killers 00:35:34.469 --> 00:35:37.920 wrote, recorded and released an original annual 00:35:37.920 --> 00:35:40.480 Christmas -themed single and accompanying music 00:35:40.480 --> 00:35:42.440 video. These weren't just throwaway covers of 00:35:42.440 --> 00:35:45.099 Jingle Bells. These were fully produced, original, 00:35:45.420 --> 00:35:47.380 often hilarious, and sometimes deeply touching 00:35:47.380 --> 00:35:50.280 songs. Tracks like A Great Big Sled, the slightly 00:35:50.280 --> 00:35:52.780 menacing Don't Shoot Me Santa, and Dirt Sledding. 00:35:52.940 --> 00:35:55.019 And the purpose behind this decade of holiday 00:35:55.019 --> 00:35:58.019 output was entirely charitable. All of this was 00:35:58.019 --> 00:36:00.519 done in aid of the charity product RED, directly 00:36:00.519 --> 00:36:03.039 supporting the Global Fund's vital ongoing work 00:36:03.039 --> 00:36:05.900 to fight AIDS, tuberculosis and malaria around 00:36:05.900 --> 00:36:07.599 the world. They brought in some heavy hitters 00:36:07.599 --> 00:36:10.139 too. To elevate the profile of these releases, 00:36:10.639 --> 00:36:13.480 they brought in an astonishing, eclectic roster 00:36:13.480 --> 00:36:16.559 of guest stars over the years, ranging from music 00:36:16.559 --> 00:36:18.840 royalty like Elton John and Neil Tennant from 00:36:18.840 --> 00:36:22.219 the Pet Shop Boys, to cultural figures like late 00:36:22.219 --> 00:36:25.099 night host Jimmy Kimmel, actor Owen Wilson, and 00:36:25.099 --> 00:36:28.000 even Richard Dreyfus. In 2016, they compiled 00:36:28.000 --> 00:36:30.940 all of these annual tracks, plus one final new 00:36:30.940 --> 00:36:33.440 cover featuring Flowers' former elementary school 00:36:33.440 --> 00:36:36.440 teacher, into a full -length album titled Don't 00:36:36.440 --> 00:36:39.590 Waste Your Wishes. Through this dedicated, decade 00:36:39.590 --> 00:36:42.309 -long initiative, the band successfully raised 00:36:42.309 --> 00:36:45.989 over $1 million for the charity. It's a wonderful, 00:36:46.309 --> 00:36:48.570 tangible legacy of using their massive platform 00:36:48.570 --> 00:36:51.110 for global good. And finally, we have to marvel 00:36:51.110 --> 00:36:53.210 at their sheer work ethic because when they weren't 00:36:53.210 --> 00:36:55.250 functioning as the killers, they were still incredibly 00:36:55.250 --> 00:36:57.710 busy. The creative engine never really stopped, 00:36:57.809 --> 00:36:59.969 it just occasionally changed vehicles. The solo 00:36:59.969 --> 00:37:02.449 projects are extensive. Brandon Flowers released 00:37:02.449 --> 00:37:05.889 two highly successful glittering pop solo albums, 00:37:06.289 --> 00:37:09.119 Flamingo and the Desired Effect. Mark Starmer 00:37:09.119 --> 00:37:11.940 explored his more experimental tendencies, releasing 00:37:11.940 --> 00:37:14.440 three solo albums, including the brilliantly 00:37:14.440 --> 00:37:17.000 titled Filthy Apes and Lions. Ronnie Vanucci 00:37:17.000 --> 00:37:19.119 stepped out from behind the drum kit. He fronted 00:37:19.119 --> 00:37:21.619 a rockside project called Big Talk, releasing 00:37:21.619 --> 00:37:24.719 two albums. And Dave Keuning utilized his time 00:37:24.719 --> 00:37:27.539 off the road to release two solo albums, starting 00:37:27.539 --> 00:37:30.260 with his deeply personal record, Prismism, in 00:37:30.260 --> 00:37:33.800 2019. They never stopped working, writing, and 00:37:33.800 --> 00:37:36.039 exploring. The sheer volume of their creative 00:37:36.039 --> 00:37:38.460 output when you combine their collective discography 00:37:38.460 --> 00:37:41.440 with their individual solo endeavors is truly 00:37:41.440 --> 00:37:43.960 staggering. It is the mark of musicians who simply 00:37:43.960 --> 00:37:46.539 do not know how to turn the creative faucet off. 00:37:46.940 --> 00:37:49.519 So what does this all mean? We have thoroughly 00:37:49.519 --> 00:37:52.639 unpacked 24 years of history from a cramped Vegas 00:37:52.639 --> 00:37:55.800 garage to the stage of Wembley Stadium to a 20th 00:37:55.800 --> 00:37:58.760 anniversary residency. How do we summarize the 00:37:58.760 --> 00:38:01.159 true essence of this band? If we synthesize their 00:38:01.159 --> 00:38:03.719 trajectory, The Killers are the ultimate modern 00:38:03.719 --> 00:38:07.130 story of evolution, audacity and endurance. They 00:38:07.130 --> 00:38:10.230 started as complete outsiders. Vegas kids playing 00:38:10.230 --> 00:38:12.570 synthesizers and guitars in a new metal town, 00:38:12.949 --> 00:38:14.909 who miraculously conquered the discerning UK 00:38:14.909 --> 00:38:17.769 music scene by perfectly hybridizing indie rock 00:38:17.769 --> 00:38:20.730 edge with pop sensibilities. But crucially, they 00:38:20.730 --> 00:38:23.250 didn't just replicate that formula. Exactly. 00:38:23.929 --> 00:38:26.710 They boldly embraced Americana and Heartland 00:38:26.710 --> 00:38:29.809 rock when the critics least expected it, risking 00:38:29.809 --> 00:38:32.130 their cool factor to make music they genuinely 00:38:32.130 --> 00:38:35.969 believed in. They survived the intense, often 00:38:35.969 --> 00:38:39.130 destructive internal burnout that shatters most 00:38:39.130 --> 00:38:42.090 global bands, evolving from a rigid four -piece 00:38:42.090 --> 00:38:46.369 gang into a highly flexible, mature musical collective. 00:38:46.789 --> 00:38:48.949 Through all of that reinvention, they sold over 00:38:48.949 --> 00:38:52.269 28 million records globally and definitively 00:38:52.269 --> 00:38:54.650 secured their place as one of the defining rock 00:38:54.650 --> 00:38:56.949 bands of the 21st century. Without a doubt. And 00:38:56.949 --> 00:38:58.769 bringing it right back to you, listening to us 00:38:58.769 --> 00:39:00.809 right now, whether you are trying to build a 00:39:00.809 --> 00:39:02.820 new team at work, whether you are or trying to 00:39:02.820 --> 00:39:04.920 manage your own creative burnout, or whether 00:39:04.920 --> 00:39:06.679 you are just trying to figure out your own identity 00:39:06.679 --> 00:39:08.840 in a world that is constantly shifting around 00:39:08.840 --> 00:39:12.380 you, the killer story is incredibly instructive. 00:39:12.460 --> 00:39:14.880 There are real lessons here. It proves that true, 00:39:15.079 --> 00:39:17.579 long -lasting success requires massive, constant 00:39:17.579 --> 00:39:20.500 adaptation. It requires taking huge, audacious 00:39:20.500 --> 00:39:22.659 swings. Think about the sheer nerve it takes 00:39:22.659 --> 00:39:25.099 to literally sneak into a college band room in 00:39:25.099 --> 00:39:27.000 the middle of the night just because you believe 00:39:27.000 --> 00:39:29.300 in the songs you are writing. And most importantly, 00:39:29.860 --> 00:39:32.940 their history shows that survival requires the 00:39:32.940 --> 00:39:35.500 willingness to rewrite your own rules. To scrap 00:39:35.500 --> 00:39:38.179 the album, to change the touring lineup, when 00:39:38.179 --> 00:39:40.539 the old ways of doing things simply stop working 00:39:40.539 --> 00:39:43.019 for you. Which leaves us with a fascinating broader 00:39:43.019 --> 00:39:46.280 concept to ponder about how our origins shape 00:39:46.280 --> 00:39:49.179 our destiny. Yes, think about how profoundly 00:39:49.179 --> 00:39:51.880 geography shaped the very existence of this band. 00:39:52.480 --> 00:39:55.170 I want you to ask yourself... If Brandon Flowers 00:39:55.170 --> 00:39:57.750 hadn't grown up in Las Vegas, a neon -soaked 00:39:57.750 --> 00:40:01.150 247 -city built entirely on the concept of grand 00:40:01.150 --> 00:40:03.710 illusion, theatricality, and selling a larger 00:40:03.710 --> 00:40:05.949 -than -life dream, would he have ever developed 00:40:05.949 --> 00:40:09.309 the sheer unadulterated audacity to borrow the 00:40:09.309 --> 00:40:12.170 monumental swagger of British rock music and 00:40:12.170 --> 00:40:14.050 confidently sell it back to the rest of the world? 00:40:14.110 --> 00:40:16.329 A fascinating question. We often think of talent 00:40:16.329 --> 00:40:19.210 as something that exists in a vacuum. But perhaps 00:40:19.210 --> 00:40:21.449 the killers are proof that sometimes to create 00:40:21.449 --> 00:40:23.050 something that takes over the globe, you need 00:40:23.050 --> 00:40:25.070 the perfect collision of outside inspiration 00:40:25.070 --> 00:40:27.489 and the specific undeniable weirdness of your 00:40:27.489 --> 00:40:30.349 own hometown. The environment is the invisible 00:40:30.349 --> 00:40:33.269 fifth member of the band. Think about how their 00:40:33.269 --> 00:40:35.829 evolution redefines the very concept of a band. 00:40:36.530 --> 00:40:38.389 We usually think of a rock band as a rigid gang 00:40:38.389 --> 00:40:41.210 of four, but as members step back from mental 00:40:41.210 --> 00:40:43.610 health or hearing preservation, yet still return 00:40:43.610 --> 00:40:46.489 for studio albums or special residencies, are 00:40:46.489 --> 00:40:49.579 we seeing the future of musical longevity? Perhaps 00:40:49.579 --> 00:40:51.780 the secret to keeping a 20 -year creative partnership 00:40:51.780 --> 00:40:54.099 alive isn't forcing everyone to stay on the tour 00:40:54.099 --> 00:40:56.219 bus, but rather allowing the band to become a 00:40:56.219 --> 00:40:58.420 fluid, breathing entity that adapts to the human 00:40:58.420 --> 00:41:00.960 beings inside it. Exactly. Thank you so much 00:41:00.960 --> 00:41:03.079 for joining us on this Deep Dive. Keep examining 00:41:03.079 --> 00:41:05.179 the music you love, keep asking the big questions 00:41:05.179 --> 00:41:08.019 about how it got made, and above all, stay curious. 00:41:08.239 --> 00:41:08.800 Until next time.