How The Killers Took Over Boston For One Night In January

Wonderful, Wonderful.

That's the title of the new album from alt-rock veterans The Killers, and it'd be a perfect reaction to the show they performed at the TD Garden on Sunday night. Although, I'd have to admit, I left with the feeling that I had seen an insanely great show, not just wonderful.

I've seen The Killers three other times over the course of several years, always in smaller venues throughout the northeast. Each time I left those shows feeling like I had been entertained, that the band themselves CARED about the performance, and that it was worth the money/effort to get to where I was seeing them. But last night at the Garden was a whole different level of The Killers experience.

The band's stage set-up was one of best I've ever experienced in more than 20 years of attending concerts. Their conglomerate of LED screens made the experience of watching the band that much more enjoyable. For some songs, they had choreographed videos, for others, they flashed towards the band members and crowd with perfectly placed cameras with special effects added to the screens. It was a personal touch missing from other Killers performances in the past.

And then there's the curious case of Brandon Flowers. Flowers performances have always been shrouded in a sort of shyness, willing to give the crowd only pieces of himself while grounding himself before he put too much out there. Not last night. Between the refined Chris Isaak-esque look he was sporting, to the flashy sequined outfits he fashioned, to the new electricity he carried around the stage, this was a DIFFERENT Brandon Flowers. There was no shyness, there was nothing hidden. He smiled, he laughed, he looked like he was having the time of his life, and the crowd fed off of that energy.

The crowd was also amazing. The Killers haven't visited Boston in a hot minute, which made the TD Garden a hot ticket. The capacity crowd was vibrant and full of energy. And once the chorus of "The Man" kicked in, and the stage sprayed the entire crowd with confetti and streamers, The Killers never lost the attention of their adoring fans for the rest of the night.

The band even gave Boston a little Easter egg. Flowers told a story of his deep rooted love for The Cars, and how they inspired some of his song writing. Then, the Killers proceeded to cover one of The Cars greatest hits, "Just What I Needed". It was a terrific moment.

It was the kind of show many of the people in attendance will remember for years to come. The Killers owned a piece of Boston for two hours on Sunday night and it truly was wonderful, wonderful.