The Killers perform Sunday night at the Outside Lands Music Festival.
The Killers proved to be the closing headliner the 2014 installment of Outside Lands deserved, a serviceable but unremarkable performance from a year that had its highs and lows.
The lowest came early Sunday afternoon when British electropop group Chvrches canceled, recalibrating the main stage schedule and driving droves to find solace with Flume, Paolo Nutini and Jenny Lewis instead.
For The Killers, the Las Vegas dance rock quartet opened with “Mr. Brightside,” its biggest hit to date, and, similar to its career trajectory, began a slow descent from there.
While hits such as “Somebody Told Me,” “Human” and “Read My Mind” registered, covers of Creedence Clearwater Revival’s “Bad Moon Rising” and Otis Redding’s “(Sittin’ On) The Dock of the Bay” felt backhanded rather than celebratory. It didn't help that singer Brandon Flowers’ made dated references to the Bay Area, such as Rice-A-Roni and “Full House’s” Uncle Jesse.
The Killers followed an utterly absurd set from Oklahoma City’s The Flaming Lips (right), whose theatrics showed they may have had a stronger claim to the headliner spot. Their set included — no joke — people dressed as giant mushrooms and a rainbow, singer Wayne Coyne in a skintight suit of the human muscular system, and, oh, right, some deep cuts to go along with well-loved material.
Along with “Yoshimi Battles the Pink Robots” and “Do You Realize??” the Lips peppered their set with obscurities such as “Vein of Stars” and “The Golden Path.” Coyne and company belted out an on-point psychedelic cover of The Beatles’ “Lucy in the Sky With Diamonds” as well. Also, Coyne broke out an old Lips trick many thought abandoned: Surfing the crowd in a story-tall transparent human hamster ball.
Upstart Australian DJ Flume packed Hellman’s Hollow for a midafternoon appearance on the Twin Peaks Stage, thanks in part to Chvrches cancellation. Flume opened with "Drop the Game" and kept spinning, dropping bass on a crowd that showed enthusiasm throughout the weekend for electronic dance music.
One of the day’s best sets came from San Francisco’s The Brothers Comatose. Showmen throughout, including a trick when the band members sink into the stage only to keep playing and stand back up, the band also brought out Nicki Bluhm for a guest appearance on “Morning Time.” When the band’s set ended at 2 p.m., it took to the bales of hay at the back of the Panhandle Stage area, going acoustic with Tumbleweed Wanderers’ Jeremy Lyon in tow for a pack of fans.
Texas’ Spoon (left) executed well in its hourlong main stage stint. The band uncorked popular tracks such as “You Got Yr. Cherry Bomb” and “The Underdog” to go alongside a helping of material from their recent They Want My Soul album.
Brooklyn-based indie pop quintet Lucius took an early afternoon spot on the Sutro Stage, dishing out tracks from last year’s second album, Wildewoman. Best among them was “Until We Get There,” featuring soaring, scuzzy guitar work at the song’s end. The group closed its rocking good time by segueing "Turn it Around" into Whitney Houston's "I Wanna Dance With Somebody (Who Loves Me)."
A pair of brothers from Los Angeles, The Bots, started the day on the Panhandle Stage. Mikaiah Lei and Anaiah Lei battled technical difficulties early. The duo had the spirit of a garage band, channeling the fuzzy, ramshackle sound, but also some of the fuzzy, ramshackle timing.
Coming later this week: Closing thoughts and a photo gallery.
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