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Imploding the Mirage Tour

Tour by The Killers
Tour poster for United Kingdom dates
Location	Europe North America Oceania South America
Associated album	Imploding the Mirage Pressure Machine
Start date	August 19, 2021
End date	December 2, 2023
Legs	9
No. of shows	63 in North America 13 in Latin America 37 in Europe 11 in Oceania 124 in total
Supporting acts	Dawes Blossoms Manic Street Preachers Sam Fender Supergrass Orville Peck The Lathums Johnny Marr Hot Chip Me Nd Adam The Lemon Twigs Ted Sablay Joshua Ray Walker
The Killers concert chronology
Wonderful Wonderful World Tour (2017–18) Imploding the Mirage Tour (2021–23) Rebel Diamonds Tour (2024)

The Imploding the Mirage Tour was the sixth major concert tour by American rock band The Killers. The tour supports their sixth and seventh studio albums Imploding the Mirage (2020) and Pressure Machine (2021). The tour began at the Terminal 5 in New York City on August 19, 2021, and ended at Interlagos Circuit in São Paulo on December 2, 2023.

Background

Announcements and tour itinerary

The tour was initially announced in November 2019, with a series of stadium concerts in the UK and Ireland in May and June 2020. This was followed by announcements for multiple festival and arena shows across Europe in summer 2020. However, in April 2020, the band were forced to postpone the shows due to the COVID-19 pandemic, rescheduling them to summer 2021. Further pandemic restrictions forced the band to postpone the shows again in March 2021, moving them to summer 2022.

Following the announcement of the band's seventh studio album, Pressure Machine, in July 2021, the band also added a number of dates across North America between August and October 2022 to the tour. The tour began with a series of warm-up shows in the United States between August and December 2022, which also coincided with the release of Pressure Machine.

In November 2021, the band further extended the tour by announcing dates in Mexico in April 2022, and in Australia and New Zealand in November and December 2022.

In February 2022, the band announced that the tour would begin with three intimate shows at Las Vegas' Cosmopolitan Hotel in April 2022. This preceded the tour's first stadium shows in Mexico in April and May. The tour then continued on to the UK and Ireland in May and June 2022, and in April the band announced that the UK tour would begin with an intimate warm-up show at the O2 Academy Sheffield. The tour then continued on throughout Europe and to North America during the summer of 2022.

In August and September, the band announced a further leg of the tour into South America in November 2022, with shows in Colombia, Chile and Brazil. This was followed by their previously announced tour of Australia and New Zealand in November and December 2022.

In December 2022, the band confirmed that the tour would continue into 2023. This began with the a series of shows in the United States throughout the year, followed by the announcement that the band would tour the UK and Ireland again in August and September 2023, most notably with headline slots at the Reading and Leeds Festivals.

In July 2023, the band announced that the tour would end with a headline slot at Primavera Sound in São Paulo in December.

Highlights

At the first of two shows at London's Emirates Stadium on 3 June 2022, the band débuted the title track from their 2022 album Pressure Machine following a request from BBC Radio 2 DJ Jo Whiley, who was in attendance on the night. Before performing the track, Flowers said, "Jo Whiley, she’s always championed us since the very beginning – she’s here tonight. She should have a jubilee, right? She said some wonderful things about this next song and she requested it tonight – if you don’t like it blame her. It’s called ‘Pressure Machine’." Whiley later said this on Twitter that this was a "life highlight".

The band's show in Manchester on 11 June 2022 attracted headlines after 67-year-old Doug James crowd-surfed to the front of the audience during the show and injured his head. Frontman Brandon Flowers embraced James after he was carried over the security barriers, and James later said it was “like his childhood coming back” and it brought him “so much joy”.

At their headline set at the Mad Cool Festival in Madrid in on 7 July 2022, the band débuted new track "boy" for the first time. Flowers introduced the new song by asking the crowd, "Do you wanna be the first to hear us play a new song right now? It goes like this." A studio version of "boy" was later released on 5 August.

The following August, the band released another new single, "Your Side of Town", on 25 August 2023, on the weekend that they headlined Reading and Leeds Festivals. The song was débuted live the next day at Reading, on 26 August.

In November 2023, "boy" and "Your Side of Town" were confirmed to be included on the band's second greatest hits album, Rebel Diamonds. The third new track from Rebel Diamonds, "Spirit", was débuted live in São Paulo on 30 November, the week before the song (and album) was released.

Controversies

On August 15, 2023, the band apologised after inviting an audience member from Russia to perform on drums for "For Reasons Unknown" during their concert in Batumi in Georgia, the band's first ever show in the country. After inviting the audience member on stage, frontman Brandon Flowers asked the crowd, "We don't know the etiquette of this land but this guy's a Russian. You OK with a Russian coming up here?", which was greeted with a mix of boos and cheers. Flowers later responded to crowd discontent by asking, "You can't recognise if someone's your brother? He's not your brother?", which led to further booing and some fans walking out of the arena. The band later issued an apology on their social media pages, stating "it was never our intention to offend anyone" and recognising that Flowers' comments "could be misconstrued".

Critical reception

The tour received widespread acclaim from music critics.

Reviewing their second performance at the Emirates Stadium in London in 2022, Thomas Smith of NME awarded the band four stars, commenting that they strike the balance between "humble and grateful; bombastic and flashy" and that frontman Brandon Flowers has "Jagger-level bundles of energy and a similar magnetism". Smith particularly praised the additions to the set list from the Imploding the Mirage album. Jenessa Williams of The Guardian also gave the band four stars for their intimate warm-up show at the O2 Academy in Sheffield prior to the start of the UK and Ireland leg of the tour in 2022, noting that the band overcame issues with the venue's sound system and consequently that "tonight’s cage might not have been as grand as the Killers are used to, but with 20 years of practice and the crowd on their side, they’re still coming out of it with style."

These sentiments were echoed in reviews of the band's headline set at the 2023 Reading and Leeds Festivals. NME's Andrew Trendell called "Mr. Brightside" "a fitting showstopper of showmanship to a set that could run as a Vegas residency for the rest of time" in his four-star review of the performance. The i newspaper's Ali Shutler awarded the same number of stars in his review, remarking that "The Killers’ music remains universal and timeless" and praising the band's balance between "a sense of nostalgia" and "fresh-faced excitement".

Set list

This set list is representative of the show on May 24, 2022 in Doncaster. It is not intended to represent all shows from the tour.

1. "My Own Soul's Warning"
2. "Enterlude"
3. "When You Were Young"
4. "Jenny Was a Friend of Mine"
5. "Smile Like You Mean It"
6. "Shot at the Night"
7. "Blowback"
8. "Running Towards a Place"
9. "Mr. Brightside"
10. "Somebody Told Me"
11. "Fire in Bone"
12. "Shadowplay"
13. "Run for Cover"
14. "Runaway Horses"
15. "A Dustland Fairytale"
16. "The First Time Ever I Saw Your Face"
17. "Runaways"
18. "Read My Mind"
19. "Dying Breed"
20. "Caution" (with "Rut Segue intro")

Encore

21. "Spaceman"
22. "Human"
23. "Midnight Show"
24. "All These Things That I've Done"

Special guests

• Alex Moore performed The Lathums' "How Beautiful Life Can Be" with the band during the concert on 12 July 2022 in Vienna, and again on 16 July in Amsterdam.
• Johnny Marr performed The Smiths' "There Is A Light That Never Goes Out", "Stop Me If You Think You’ve Heard This One Before", "What She Said", "Please, Please, Please, Let Me Get What I Want", "This Charming Man" and "You Just Haven't Earned It Yet, Baby", as well as The Killers' "Mr. Brightside", frequently during the encore of the band's 2022 North American tour (where Marr also served as the band's opening act). Marr returned to play "This Charming Man" and "When You Were Young" with the band on 29 August 2023 in Edinburgh.
• Lindsey Buckingham performed Fleetwood Mac's "Go Your Own Way" and The Killers' "Caution" and "Mr. Brightside" with the band during the concert on 27 August 2022 in Los Angeles.
• Bruce Springsteen performed "Born to Run" and "Badlands" and The Killers' "A Dustland Fairytale" with the band during the concert on 2 October 2022 in New York City.
• Mike Scott performed The Waterboys' "The Whole of the Moon" with the band during their headline performance at the Electric Picnic Festival on 3 September 2023.

Tour dates

Cancelled shows

Personnel

Credits adapted from LasVegasRoundTheClock and Consequence of Sound

The Killers

• Brandon Flowers - lead vocals, keyboards, piano, bass on "For Reasons Unknown"
• Dave Keuning - lead guitar, backing vocals (did not appear on May 17 - June 22, 2022, returned to the tour on July 2, 2022 in Gdynia, Poland, absent in 2023 dates)
• Ronnie Vannucci Jr. - drums, percussion, rhythm guitar on "For Reasons Unknown" (audience member on drums)

Additional musicians

• Ted Sablay - keyboards, rhythm guitar, lead guitar (May 17 - June 22, 2022 and 2023 dates), musical director, backing vocals
• Jake Blanton - bass, backing vocals
• Taylor Milne - rhythm guitar, keyboards, backing vocals
• Robbie Connolly - keyboards, rhythm guitar, backing vocals
• Erica Canales - background vocals
• Melissa Mcmillan - background vocals
• Tori Allen - background vocals, violin, acoustic guitar

Notes

1. ^ This show was a warm-up concert.
2. The September 24, 2021 show was part of Firefly Music Festival.
3. The concert in Scheeßel on June 17, 2022 was part of the Hurricane Festival.
4. The concert in Neuhausen ob Eck on June 18, 2022 was part of the Southside Festival.
5. The concert in Zagreb on June 20, 2022 was part of the InMusic Festival.
6. The concert in Milan on June 21, 2022 was part of the Milano Summer Festival.
7. The concert in Sopron on June 22, 2022 was part of the Volt Festival.
8. The concert in Gdynia on July 2, 2022 was part of the Open'er Festival.
9. The concert in Werchter on July 3, 2022 was part of Rock Werchter.
10. The concert in Madrid on July 7, 2022 was part of the Mad Cool Festival.
11. The concert in Bilbao on July 8, 2022 was part of Bilbao BBK Live.
12. The concert in Esch-sur-Alzette on July 10, 2022 was part of the Open Air Belval.
13. The concert in Ostrava on July 14, 2022 was part of Colours of Ostrava.
14. The concert in Santiago on November 10, 2022, is part of the Rockout Festival.
15. The concert in São Paulo on November 12, 2022, is part of the GP Week.
16. The concert in Geelong on December 10, 2022, is part of A Day on the Green.
17. The concert in Geelong on December 10, 2022, is part of A Day on the Green.
18. Was originally scheduled for October 6, 2022 but was delayed till March 19, 2023.
19. Was originally scheduled for September 18, 2022 but was delayed till March 22, 2023.
20. The concert in Monterrey on April 2, 2023 is part of Pal Norte.
21. The May 5, 2023 show was part of Shaky Knees Music Festival.
22. The May 7, 2023 show was part of Sunfest.
23. The May 12, 2023 show will be the first show performing at Steelhouse Omaha.
24. Was originally scheduled for September 8, 2022, delayed till March 25, 2023, then delayed one more time for May 14, 2023. Free posters were given away as a thank you to the fans for waiting.
25. The July 14, 2023 show was part of TC Summer Fest.
26. The August 18, 2023 show was part of Lovestream Festival.
27. The August 20, 2023 show was part of Pukkelpop.
28. The August 23, 2023 show was part of Zurich Open Air.
29. The August 26, 2023 show was part of Reading Festival.
30. The August 27, 2023 show was part of Leeds Festival.
31. The September 3, 2023 show was part of Electric Picnic.
32. The September 15, 2023 show was part of Bourbon and Beyond Festival.
33. The September 16, 2023 show was part of Sea.Hear.Now Festival.
34. The September 22, 2023 show was part of Life is Beautiful Festival.
35. The September 29, 2023 show was part of Ohana Festival.
36. The October 20, 2023 show was part of the 2023 Formula One World Championship.
37. The December 2, 2023 show was part of the Primavera Sound Festival in Sāo Paulo.
38. The cancelled show would have been part of Park Live Festival.

References

1. Richards, Will (April 11, 2022). "The Killers announce tiny Sheffield show ahead of UK stadium tour". NME. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
2. Gray, Geordie (November 5, 2021). "The Killers Announce 'Imploding The Mirage' Tour". Rolling Stone Australia. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
3. "Primavera Sound anuncia Killers, the Cure, Pet Shop Boys e Beck como atrações do festival em SP". July 20, 2023.
4. "The Killers announce new album 'Imploding The Mirage', new stadium tour". diymag.com. November 15, 2019. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
5. "THE KILLERS 'IMPLODING THE MIRAGE TOUR' RESCHEDULED FOR MAY/JUNE 2021". Gigs and Tours. April 24, 2020. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
6. "THE KILLERS RESCHEDULED DATES CONFIRMED FOR MAY JUNE 2022". Gigs and Tours. March 8, 2021. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
7. "The Killers Announce New Album Pressure Machine & 2022 North American Tour - Consequence". July 19, 2021. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
8. @thekillers (November 3, 2021). "México, vengan a pasar un buen rato con nosotros… ¡no podemos esperar a verlos de nuevo!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
9. Langford, Jackson (November 4, 2021). "The Killers announce 2022 Australia and New Zealand tour". nme.com. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
10. Staff, News 3 (February 8, 2022). "The Killers set April show at The Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas". news3lv.com. Retrieved July 9, 2024.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
11. Peacock, Tim (April 11, 2022). "The Killers Announce Intimate Sheffield Show As Warm-Up For UK Tour". udiscovermusic.com. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
12. @thekillers (August 22, 2022). "Bogota! Tickets on sale this Friday" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
13. @thekillers (September 6, 2022). "¿Estas listo Chile? Because we're heading your way November 10. Get your tickets today!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
14. @thekillers (August 11, 2022). "Brazil! You know we wouldn't forget you. We're playing @allianzparque on November 12th for @gpweek to celebrate the 50th anniversary of the world's biggest racing event. Tickets on sale now!" (Tweet) – via Twitter.
15. NJ.com, Nicole Iuzzolino (December 2, 2022). "The Killers add N.J. show to 2022-2023 tour". nj.com. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
16. "The Killers announce UK & Ireland shows for 2023". Radio X. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
17. ^ "Primavera Sound anuncia Killers, the Cure, Pet Shop Boys e Beck como atrações do festival em SP". July 20, 2023.
18. Daly, Rhian (June 4, 2022). "Watch The Killers debut 'Pressure Machine' live in London". nme.com. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
19. Pidd, Helen; editor, Helen Pidd North of England (June 14, 2022). "'I'm enjoying meself': 67-year-old crowd surfer hailed at Killers gig". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 27, 2024. {{cite news}}: |last2= has generic name (help)
20. "The Killers crowd surfer, 67, halts concert after hurting head". BBC News. June 13, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
21. Gallagher, Alex (July 8, 2022). "Watch The Killers debut new song 'Boy' at Mad Cool Festival 2022". NME. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
22. Zemler, Emily (August 5, 2022). "Brandon Flowers Discourages Overthinking on the Killers' New Single 'Boy'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
23. Singh, Surej (August 27, 2023). "Watch The Killers debut new single 'Your Side Of Town' at Reading 2023". nme.com. Retrieved July 9, 2024.
24. David Amórtegui (November 30, 2023). The Killers - Spirit (New Song) @ Tokyo Marine Hall (São Paulo, 30.11.23). Retrieved July 9, 2024 – via YouTube.
25. "The Killers apologise for offending fans in Georgia with Russian 'brother' remark". BBC News. August 16, 2023. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
26. Sun, Michael (August 16, 2023). "Booing and walkouts after the Killers tell Georgia audience Russian is their 'brother'". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
27. Rizzo, Carita (August 16, 2023). "The Killers Apologize for Bringing Russian Fan Onstage in Georgia". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 26, 2024.
28. Smith, Thomas (June 6, 2022). "The Killers live in London: a simply dazzling return to form, as new material earns its place". nme.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
29. Williams, Jenessa (May 18, 2022). "The Killers review – Brandon Flowers thrills intimate venue with Vegas showman swagger". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
30. Trendell, Andrew (August 27, 2023). "The Killers at Reading Festival: pure Vegas showmanship – and a teen drum sensation". nme.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
31. Shutler, Ali (August 27, 2023). "Their hits are older than the crowd - but The Killers deliver euphoria at Reading Festival". inews.co.uk. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
32. Richards, Will (May 25, 2022). "The Killers air classics and covers as UK stadium tour kicks off in Doncaster". NME. Retrieved May 25, 2022.
33. Qureshi, Arusa (July 13, 2022). "Watch The Killers perform a cover of The Lathums' 'How Beautiful Life Can Be'". nme.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
34. Richards, Will (August 21, 2022). "Watch Johnny Marr join The Killers on stage as they begin US tour together". nme.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
35. ^ "Lindsey Buckingham, Johnny Marr Join The Killers in Los Angeles". Spin. August 28, 2022. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
36. Skinner, Tom (October 13, 2022). "Watch The Killers cover The Smiths' 'Please, Please, Please...' with Johnny Marr". nme.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
37. Dean·Live·, Laura (September 3, 2023). "LIVE: The Killers / Johnny Marr - Royal Highland Centre, Edinburgh, 29/08/2023 - God Is In The TV". Retrieved June 27, 2024.
38. Kreps, Daniel (October 2, 2022). "See Bruce Springsteen Join the Killers for Three-Song Encore at Madison Square Garden". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
39. Lee, Maeve (September 4, 2023). "Electric Picnic 2023 review: Thirteen talking points from a fine weekend in Stradbally". Irish Examiner. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
40. "Imploding The Mirage Tour (2022)". Touring Data. June 6, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
41. "Imploding The Mirage Tour (2022)". Touring Data. June 6, 2022. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
42. Skinner, Tom (May 18, 2022). "The Killers warm up for UK stadium tour with intimate Sheffield show: "This is our spiritual home"". NME. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
43. Disalvo, Tom (October 20, 2022). "The Killers announce Alex Cameron and Jack Ladder as special guests for Australasian tour". nme.com. Retrieved June 27, 2024.
44. Fuamoli, Sosefina (August 2, 2022). "The Killers Set To Headline Adelaide 500 Post-Race Concert Series". Music Feeds. Retrieved May 2, 2023.
45. "The Killers add N.J. Show to 2022-2023 tour". December 2, 2022.
46. "The Killers, Muse and the Lumineers to headline Shaky Knees 2023". NME. December 2022.
47. "The Killers to play warmup gig at First Avenue next week ahead of Target Field show". Star Tribune. July 6, 2023.
48. "The Killers, Imagine Dragons to headline inaugural TC Summer Fest at Target Field this July". MSN.
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50. ""The Killers" coming to the GSR this September". MSN.
51. ""The Killers" coming to the GSR this September". MSN.
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53. Fetters Maloy, Ashley (August 22, 2022). "Henri rains out New York's big Homecoming Concert". Washington Post. Retrieved May 23, 2022.
54. ^ Kaufman, Gil (March 1, 2022). "Killers, Iggy Pop Drop Off Moscow Park Live Festival". Billboard. Retrieved May 22, 2022.
55. "The Killers Slay 'em at T-Mobile Arena". lasvegasroundtheclock.com. Retrieved September 6, 2022.
56. Young, Alex (April 16, 2022). "The Killers Kick Off "Imploding the Mirage Tour" with Raucous Hometown Gig in Vegas: Review". Consequence. Retrieved October 2, 2022.

v t e The Killers
Brandon Flowers Dave Keuning Ronnie Vannucci Jr. Mark Stoermer List of the Killers band members
Studio albums	Hot Fuss Sam's Town Day & Age Battle Born Wonderful Wonderful Imploding the Mirage Pressure Machine
Compilation albums	Sawdust Direct Hits Don't Waste Your Wishes Rebel Diamonds
Live albums	Live from the Royal Albert Hall
Extended plays	(Red) Christmas EP
Singles	"Mr. Brightside" "Somebody Told Me" "All These Things That I've Done" "Smile Like You Mean It" "When You Were Young" "Bones" "Read My Mind" "For Reasons Unknown" "Shadowplay" "Tranquilize" "Human" "Spaceman" "The World We Live In" "A Dustland Fairytale" "Runaways" "Miss Atomic Bomb" "Here with Me" "Shot at the Night" "Just Another Girl" "The Man" "Run for Cover" "Rut" "Caution" "My Own Soul's Warning" "Dustland"
Other songs	"Jenny Was a Friend of Mine" "Glamorous Indie Rock & Roll" "Wonderful Wonderful" "Some Kind of Love"
Christmas songs	"A Great Big Sled" "Don't Shoot Me Santa" "Joseph, Better You than Me" "¡Happy Birthday Guadalupe!" "Boots" "The Cowboys' Christmas Ball" "I Feel It in My Bones" "Christmas in L.A." "Joel the Lump of Coal" "Dirt Sledding"
Concert tours	Hot Fuss Tour Battle Born World Tour Wonderful Wonderful World Tour Imploding the Mirage Tour Rebel Diamonds Tour
Related articles	Discography Songs Awards and nominations The Heavy Entertainment Show Ray Suen Tommy Marth Ted Sablay Ryan Pardey Big Talk Big Talk Straight In No Kissin' Izabella Miko Flamingo Another Life The Desired Effect Dark Arts Prismism
Category

• 2021 concert tours
• 2022 concert tours
• 2023 concert tours
• The Killers concert tours
• Concert tours of North America
• Concert tours of the United States
• Concert tours of Canada
• Concert tours of Mexico
• Concert tours of Europe
• Concert tours of the United Kingdom
• Concert tours of France
• Concert tours of Germany
• Concert tours of Ireland
• Concert tours of Oceania
• Concert tours of Australia
• Concert tours of New Zealand