By Brian Frenette
In the realm of indie rock, massive success can be a cruel mistress. Obviously such fame catapults a group out of obscurity, relieving them from any number of monotonous, soon-to-be-embarrassing, part time jobs and making their musical craft a full time endeavor. It brings more money, more press and also more visibility.
However, on the other hand, success (particularly immediate success) has a tendency of alienating many of the band’s initial fans, fans that were essential to their success in the first place. The Indie follower prides him or herself on their marginal tastes in music, on knowing about an obscure band that no one, or at least only a small following, is aware of. Following these underground bands is all about knowing about something secretive and selective, making it all about the listener.
Such an example can be said of The Killers, whose cannonball run to pop success is hard to miss in recent months. As they prepare for their newest musical effort, “Sam’s Town,” the group has decided to embark on a month-long North American tour, making stops at some smaller venues.
This will give fans, new and old, the chance to get up close and personal with some of pop’s newer arrivals. In addition to their newest video, which is all over MTV2 and YouTube, this tour is a sure-fire way to only catapult this band further into the stratosphere. Whether or not this alienates fans remains to be seen.
Tour dates:
10-06 Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
10-07 Los Angeles, CA – The Wiltern
10-08 San Francisco, CA – Warfield Theatre
10-10 Portland, OR – Roseland Theater
10-11 Vancouver, British Columbia – Orpheum Theatre
10-12 Seattle, WA – Paramount Theatre
10-14 Magna, UT – The Great Salt Air
10-15 Denver, CO – Fillmore Auditorium
10-17 Chicago, IL – Congress Theatre
10-18 Detroit, MI – State Theatre
10-20 Toronto, Ontario – Koolhaus
10-21 Atlantic City, NJ – Borgata Event Center
10-23 Philadelphia, PA – Electric Factory
10-24 New York, NY – Theatre at Madison Square Garden
10-25 New York, NY – Theatre at Madison Square Garden
10-26 Boston, MA – Orpheum Theatre
10-28 Las Vegas, NV – Sam Boyd Stadium