Flowers swaps country for Killers hits in Dublin

Brandon Flowers performed at the 3Olympia Theatre in Dublin on Tuesday evening. He arrived in the city to showcase his latest record, Thrasher. The new album features a country-rock theme. He intended to play a significant portion of that material.

The plan changed about two-thirds into the concert. Flowers dropped the new songs and shifted to a greatest hits set. The show lasted three hours. The audience responded to the change in direction.

Flowers opened the second half with When You Were Young. He followed that with Read My Mind. He then played Mr Brightside. He stood on the edge of the stage during that performance. He led the audience through the verse. The crowd sang the chorus back to him.

Flowers wore a formal cowboy suit for the show. He smiled broadly between songs. The outfit gave him the appearance of a classic rock star. The audience cheered loudly during his spoken segments.

The new material on Thrasher reflects Flowers’ childhood. He grew up moving between rural towns in Nevada and Utah. His father influenced his early love for country music. Flowers said he spent a long time feeling embarrassed by that genre. He told the crowd that night was the moment he would finally play it.

The songs on the new album are personal. They describe his life as a transplant to Henderson, Nevada, and Nephi, Utah. He discussed being picked on in school for his lack of athletic skill. He introduced the track Miss America. He explained that the song addresses his older sister’s experience with domestic abuse.

The concert included a guest appearance. Alex Cameron joined Flowers on stage. Cameron is a friend and songwriting collaborator. They performed Runnin’ Outta Luck together. The track has a synth-pop sound inspired by the 1980s. It resembles music from a 1980s movie soundtrack.

Flowers cited New Order, The Smiths, and Depeche Mode as early influences. The Killers project remains a mainstream rock act. His solo work often takes a darker and more personal tone. The new album continues that trend with diary-like lyrics.

The show ended with An American Dream. The song is a power ballad about mortality. Flowers described a surreal vision in the lyrics. He imagined meeting Elvis Presley driving a Tesla. The performance concluded the three-hour set.