Concert DVD kills

The Killers really do know how many rabid screaming fans it takes to fill Albert Hall. The Las Vegas natives recently released a live DVD/CD set of their two-night performance at the Royal Albert Hall in London, which took place earlier this year. The DVD consists of selections from all four of the band's studio records with 22 tracks in all.

The band shows their Las Vegas roots in their performance, and frontman Brandon Flowers is the epitome of showmanship. Flowers imbues each song with an intensity that makes the whole experience unique and one of the best live performances possible. By the end of the night, he is literally panting, worn out from wowing the crowd. During "Reasons Unknown," Flowers stops the song to speak poetically of love and loss - "You wake up one morning, the butterflies stop fluttering, but you want it back and you want to fight for it, you want to breathe that fire again, so you call for it, you call out" - before leading the crowd in a rising chant. Flowers even takes a moment to reminisce on the beginnings of the band before blasting into "Mr. Brightside."

The energy level is always high, despite whatever tempo the song has. Even an acoustic version of "Sam's Town" fails in its attempt to bring the intensity of the show down. Near the end of the performance the entire crowd echoes, "I've got soul but I'm not a soldier!" from "All These Things That I Have Done," possibly one of the most engrossing moments in all of The Killers' musical repertoire. The rest of the band is in top form as well, exciting the crowd with their stage presence and mastery of their instruments.

The direction of the recording is amazing, from tight shots that display every detail of Flowers' face to wide shots capturing the pyrotechnics and special effects. The DVD also includes several older live recordings of the band from various music festivals, an awesome addition for any Killers fanatic.

The included CD has a shortened 17-song set and a few minor studio tweaks but still conveys an audio firestorm that can't be experienced with a studio recording. Not one low point exists during this performance - it is the definition of what a live concert should be. For anyone who enjoys music at all, this set is a must buy. Drop everything and go buy this right now. As Flowers puts it, "It's good to have you with us, even if it's just for the day."

One of the defining albums in all of progressive rock just had its 40th birthday and, in lieu of cake, the band re-released one of its most well-known albums. King Crimson's debut album, "In the Court of the Crimson King," is heralded as one of prog-rock's defining albums, one of the first of the genre.

The band made several versions of the re-issue, ranging from a one CD re-mastered version to a five CD set consisting of dozens of rough cuts. I reviewed the two CD set, consisting of the original recordings plus a handful of bonus tracks and early takes. The re-mastered versions of the first five tracks are excellent quality, better than many earlier CD releases. The original album consisted of only five tracks but ran about 45 minutes long, with experimental instrumental interludes drawing the album out. Periods of non-structured free jazz rock are punctuated by the planned lyrical elements. Flute solos and one of the first major uses of the melletron make this a classic example of what many prog-bands eventually would draw influences from.

Fanciful, out-there lyrics define each song, such as the titular track in which we hear, "The yellow jester does not play / But gently pulls the strings / And smiles as the puppets dance / In the court of the Crimson King." The extra tracks bring to light the creative process the band went through while recording the album, as well as showing various remixes after the album was created. However, unless you are a long-time King Crimson fan, these tracks just weigh down a classic. Fans of bands such as Yes, The Moody Blues or Jethro Tull who have not yet listened to this album should pick up one of the normal, non-cluttered versions or, better yet, go find an original release on vinyl and fire up that old Crosley.