As a kid, Brandon Flowers found himself at a crossroads of sorts.
Riding in the truck with his dad in small-town Utah, he’d hear country greats like Merle Haggard, Waylon Jennings and Willie Nelson.
From his older brother, Flowers learned about a different world inhabited by new wave and post-punk music. He became driven to the synth-heavy pop of bands like New Order.
In the young Flowers’ mind, this was a strict musical dichotomy. He couldn’t have both.
So being embarrassed by his dad’s music, he embraced his brother’s.
That choice took him on a path to The Killers’ debut record “Hot Fuss,” which generated a slew of hits like “Mr. Brightside” and “All These Things That I’ve Done” more than two decades ago.
The synth, pop-rock sound continued to live on in both The Killers’ music and Flowers’ solo work. Fairly early on, though — starting with the band’s second album, “Sam’s Town” — a Springsteen-influenced heartland rock style began to seep in.
But, as Flowers said at his sold-out show in Salt Lake City Friday night, it wasn’t until now, at age 45, that he realized all of this music didn’t have to be mutually exclusive — that there really was room for all of it in his life, in his career and in his shows.
And based on the eclectic spirit of his Salt Lake show Friday night, it’s clear he has wholeheartedly embraced that idea.
Brandon Flowers returns to his Nephi, Utah, roots
The pop to country music pipeline is popular — just look at Beyoncé and Post Malone, who made their country music debuts a few months apart in 2024.
Flowers’ new album, which has been labeled as his own pivot to country music, feels different. In fact, it feels familiar.
The signs pointing in this direction have been there for a while. In many ways, Flowers’ new album, “Thrasher,” acts as a natural extension of The Killers’ 2021 “Pressure Machine,” which explored his rural upbringing in Nephi, Utah.
Rather than being a brand new direction for Flowers, this new Western-influenced music is more of a return to the dusty Nephi roads where he’d ride along with his dad in the truck.
“I spent a long time being embarrassed by that music, but tonight, I’m going to play it to you,” Flowers told the enthusiastic crowd of roughly 3,000 at the start of his Red Butte Garden show.
Wearing a black dress shirt and bolo tie, complete with a matching embroidered black jacket and pants, Flowers took the stage in Salt Lake City and made a plea of sorts with his new song “The Red Ground.”
“Been circling above now for so long
“I’m ready to come down
“Take me back
“Take me back
“I wanna put my feet in the red ground.”
The song set the tone for a homecoming of sorts for Flowers.
But it also foreshadowed how the singer isn’t limiting himself to one style or genre.
“The Red Ground” kicks off with a 35-second mariachi intro, and then, somehow, evolves into Flowers channeling his inner Roy Orbison.
Following that opener with “Does It Ever Cross Your Mind?” — another track from his new album — Flowers turned to the more traditional country sound of his youth.
About two-thirds of the way through the show, Flowers’ Utah crowd reaped the benefits of being in the place the singer calls home.
Knowing his Utah audience likely didn’t need much explanation, Flowers shared that the first time he’d ever sung publicly was a rendition of “I Am A Child of God” at his brother’s mission farewell. His next performance would come 11 years later, singing Oasis’ “Don’t Look Back in Anger” at a karaoke party.
Now, Flowers said, he has a 15-year-old son who loves Oasis.
And to the thrill of the Salt Lake crowd, he brought out his son, Henry, to play guitar on the Oasis hit.
Flowers knew that would be hard to top. So he did the only thing he could think of and broke out next into “Mr. Brightside.”
It undoubtedly raised the fans’ excitement level to the highest degree.
Based on recent setlists from Flowers’ tour, the back-to-back Oasis/“Mr. Brightside” moment seems to be a special gift reserved for the hometown crowd.
Flowers contains multitudes, and laid it all out on the stage Friday night. But at the heart of it all — even through the mariachi and the Western sound and the Oasis cover — was the unmistakable belting rocker voice that has driven The Killers for more than 20 years.
So while it was solo Flowers, it still felt like a Killers arena show — minus the confetti and pyrotechnics.
Which made the substantially smaller Red Butte Garden venue all the more of a surprise — and a treat.
Small-town vibes and small venues
The Killers have previously played to large crowds at Salt Lake City’s Delta Center, which can hold up to 20,000.
So for Flowers to put on a show at a Salt Lake venue that has a capacity for 3,000 is genuinely surprising.
But he dropped an even bigger surprise when he did two warm-up shows at the State Room in Salt Lake City two weeks ago. That venue has a capacity of just under 300.
Flowers has to know he could play to larger crowds. His Red Butte show sold out in a matter of a few minutes, so he easily could’ve sold out a larger venue.
His theatrical voice and high-energy stage presence lend themselves to the bigger venues. But there’s an earthly quality to his new music that does make the smaller setting fitting.
The music is deeply autobiographical. Between songs, Flowers shared scenes from his youth, family and Utah that have shaped his new music.
In the heart-wrenching “Miss America,” he sings from the perspective of his older sister, who stays with her parents after escaping an abusive marriage.
“We’re up in Utah now
“At my parents’ house
“You should see these mountains
“You know I hate the snow
“But when it falls like ashes
“It’s kind of pretty though
“They got a car wash here I think it’s still in use
“Where Kevin Bacon and Chris Penn filmed
“That scene in ‘Footloose.’”
Near the end of the song, which is a letter from his sister, Flowers sings: “Maybe I’ll go and get me / A Mormon boy / One who treats me like a queen.”
As Flowers paints pictures of his family, of scenes from small-town Utah, it feels like he’s asking listeners to hop into the truck while he drives and points out these formative moments along the way.
After years of stardom, of the glitz and glam of Las Vegas-style arena shows, it’s an unexpected but welcome change of pace.
In “An American Dream” — which may be the best song on his new album and concluded his Salt Lake show — Flowers has a poignant encounter with the King of Rock ‘n’ Roll. He asks Elvis if his years of being in the spotlight, if all of the fame and the fortune, was worth it.
With his new music, driving back to his childhood and revisiting the moments that predated his own rise to fame, Flowers may very well be trying to answer that question for himself.
He might not yet have an answer, but he seems to be sure of this much: He’s grateful for the ride.
“What has happened to me in my life is a miracle, it’s an absolute miracle. There just isn’t a better word for it,” Flowers told the Salt Lake crowd as he reflected on his upbringing in Utah and Las Vegas. “I got out of the city of Paradise, and I found my own slice of it with my family — and on nights like this, in arenas and rooms like this, with people like you. So thank you very much.”