The Killers are an American rock band, formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (guitar, backing vocals). The band currently consists of Flowers and Keuning alongside drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. and bassist Mark Stoermer.
Flowers and Keuning first connected when Flowers responded to an ad that Keuning left in a local newspaper. After writing songs in Keuning's apartment, the band recorded demo's with drummer Matt Norcross in November 2001. [1] The band were joined by Dell Neal on bass for further demo's the next month. The new four piece played shows around Las Vegas in 2002. [1] [2] Norcross was fired in Summer 2002, he was briefly replaced by Brian Havens before he was fired. Dell Neal also left soon after for personal reasons. [1]
Ronnie Vannucci Jr. joined as the band's new drummer soon Havens departure, playing his first show on August 30, 2002. [3] For that show the band were joined by Mark Stoermer on bass, [4] initially as a stand in while the band tried out other bassists, although Stoermer became permanent bassist soon after, having previously been invited to be second guitarist. [4]
In 2006 for the Sam's Town tour, the band were joined by touring musicians Ted Sablay on keyboards, guitar, [5] and drum tech Rob Whited on percussion. [6] In 2008, for the Day & Age tour, Sablay was replaced by Ray Suen. [7] The band were joined by Tommy Marth on saxophone, [8] and guitar tech Bobby Lee Parker on acoustic guitar. Suen and Marth both departed after the tour in 2010. Sablay returned for the Battle Born World Tour, alongside Jake Blanton also on keyboards and guitar. [9] During the Asia part of the tour, Stoermer had to depart due to an illness, Blanton played bass in his absence. [10] After the tour Parker and Whited both stopped performing.
For a North American tour in 2016, the band were joined by Brian Karscig on guitar/keyboards, [11] while Blanton played bass instead of Stoermer. [12] Blanton continued to play bass for the Wonderful Wonderful World Tour in 2017, where the band were joined by Robbie Connolly [13] and Taylor Milne on keyboards/guitar, while Sablay replaced Keuning who retired from touring. [14] [15] The band were also joined by backing vocalists Erica Canales, [16] Amanda Brown, [17] and Danielle Withers. [18]
For the Imploding the Mirage Tour Starting in April 2022, Keuning returned and Sablay moved to back rhythm guitar/keyboards. Withers and Brown were also replaced by Melissa Mcmillan and Tori Allen. [19] [20] Keuning left the tour in May and Sablay moved back to lead guitar. Keuning returned in July. Allen and Mcmillan were replaced by Nicky Egan and Miranda Joan in 2023. [21] Sablay also played lead guitar with Keuning being absent for the rest of the tour, although he has since returned in 2024
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Brandon Flowers | 2001–present |
| all releases | |
| Dave Keuning [b] |
|
| all releases, except Imploding the Mirage (2020) | |
| Ronnie Vannucci Jr. | 2002–present |
| all releases | |
| Mark Stoermer [d] | 2002–present (hiatus 2020–2022) |
| all releases, except Pressure Machine (2021) |
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Dell Neal | 2001–2002 |
| early demos and live shows | |
| Matt Norcross | drums | |||
| Brian Havens | 2002 | live shows |
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ted Sablay |
|
|
| |
| Jake Blanton | 2011–present |
| none | |
| Robbie Connolly | 2017–present |
| ||
| Erica Canales | 2018–present | backing vocals | ||
| Nicky Egan | 2023–present |
| ||
| Miranda Joan | backing vocals |
| Image | Name | Years active | Instruments | Release contributions |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Rob Whited | 2006–2014 |
| Live from the Royal Albert Hall (2009) | |
| Bobby Lee Parker | 2008–2014 | acoustic guitar | ||
| Ray Suen | 2008–2010 |
| ||
| Tommy Marth | 2008–2010 (died 2012) |
| ||
| Brian Karscig | 2016 |
| none | |
| Taylor Milne |
| |||
| Amanda Brown | 2017–2018 | backing vocals | ||
| Danielle Withers | ||||
| Melissa McMillan | 2021–2023 | |||
| Tori Allen |
|
| Period | Members | Releases |
|---|---|---|
| Mid 2001 |
| none – demos only |
| November – December 2001 |
| |
| December 2001 – summer 2002 |
| none – demos and live shows only |
| summer 2002 |
| |
| August 2002 – August 2017 |
|
|
| August 2017 – January 2021 |
|
|
| January – August 2021 |
|
|
| August 2021 – present |
| none to date |
The Killers are an American rock band formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers and Dave Keuning. After going through a number of short-term bassists and drummers in their early days, both Mark Stoermer and Ronnie Vannucci Jr. joined the band in 2002.
David Brent Keuning is an American musician, best known for being the lead guitarist of the rock band The Killers, which he founded alongside frontman Brandon Flowers in 2001 and with whom he has recorded six studio albums. Keuning played every show with The Killers since its inception up until the show at Chicago's Lollapalooza in August 2017. From 2017 to the end of 2020, Keuning was on hiatus from the band. He returned to The Killers to assist in recording their 2021 album Pressure Machine. Keuning released a solo album titled Prismism under his surname Keuning in 2019.
Ronald Vannucci Jr. is an American musician, best known for being the drummer for the rock band the Killers. He is also involved in a side project called Big Talk and became the drummer of the Rentals in 2018.
Theodore Sablay is an American musician, musical director and songwriter. He has been a touring guitarist and keyboardist for The Killers since 2006 and musical director for the band's live concerts since 2022.
David Hopkins is an Irish singer-songwriter and producer, originally from Dublin, Ireland, and currently residing in Las Vegas, Nevada, United States. He was the original keyboardist for Irish alternative rock group LiR.
Mark August Stoermer is an American musician. He is best known as the bassist for the rock band the Killers, with whom he has recorded six studio albums.
The Hot Fuss Tour was the first headlining concert tour by American rock band the Killers. It took place between 2003 and 2005 to support the band's first studio album, Hot Fuss, which was released in June 2004. The tour was enduring with the band playing well over 300 shows in a two-year period.
Big Talk is an American rock band formed by The Killers' drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. and longtime friend Taylor Milne in 2011. As of 2015, John Spiker, John Konesky and Brooks Wackerman are also members of the band. The band have released an eponymous debut album Big Talk (2011), with follow-up Straight In No Kissin' released in 2015.
Thomas Christian Marth Jr. was an American saxophone player, best known for his recordings and live performances with The Killers. He toured widely with the band in 2008–2009, and also played on the albums Sam's Town and Day & Age.
The Battle Born World Tour is the fourth major concert tour by American rock band The Killers, in support of their fourth studio album Battle Born, which was released in September 2012. The tour included the band's biggest show to date at Wembley Stadium. It also saw them visit new territories including Russia, Ukraine, China and South East Asia. The tour was the 43rd highest grossing worldwide during 2013.
Ryan Pardey is a musician, singer, songwriter, promoter, tour manager, actor, left-handed guitar player, and DJ from Las Vegas. He is best known as the singer and songwriter for Halloween Town, which has featured members of The Killers, Louis XIV, and The Shys. Pardey is also well known for portraying Santa Claus on A Great Big Sled (2006) and Don't Shoot Me Santa (2007), two Christmas music videos released by The Killers. Pardey appeared as Santa again for The Killers in the two sequel Christmas singles, I Feel It in My Bones (2012) and Dirt Sledding (2015). He also appears in the videos and as illustrations in the artwork for both singles.
Direct Hits is a greatest hits album by American rock band the Killers. It was released on November 11, 2013, by Island Records. The album includes tracks from the band's first four studio albums and features two new tracks—"Shot at the Night" and "Just Another Girl", produced by Anthony Gonzalez of M83 and Stuart Price, respectively.
"Rut" is a song by American rock band the Killers from their fifth studio album, Wonderful Wonderful (2017). It was serviced to UK hot adult contemporary radio on December 9, 2017, as the album's third and final single. The accompanying music video, directed by Danny Drysdale, was released on January 9, 2018, and depicts a woman who suffers from loneliness and depression at several points in her life, from childhood to adulthood. The single peaked at number 10 on the New Zealand Heatseeker Singles chart.
"Run for Cover" is a song by American rock band the Killers from their fifth studio album, Wonderful Wonderful (2017). Originally released as a promotional single on July 28, 2017, the song was sent to alternative radio in the United States on November 14, 2017, serving as the album's second single.
Wonderful Wonderful is the fifth studio album by American rock band the Killers, released on September 22, 2017, by Island Records. It was their first studio album in five years, since Battle Born (2012), and their fifth consecutive studio album to top the UK Albums Chart. It is also their first album to top the Billboard 200, moving 118,000 album-equivalent units in its first week. Wonderful Wonderful is the Killers' most recent album to feature the band's core line-up, with lead guitarist Dave Keuning and bassist Mark Stoermer being absent on Imploding the Mirage (2020) and Pressure Machine (2021), respectively.
"Wonderful Wonderful" is a song by American rock band The Killers for their fifth studio album Wonderful Wonderful (2017). It was released on August 24, 2017 as the first promotional single from the album. Nearly a year later on August 23, 2018, the band released a music video for the title track.
The Wonderful Wonderful World Tour was the fifth major concert tour by the American rock band The Killers, in support of their fifth studio album Wonderful Wonderful, which was released on September 22, 2017. The tour included dates in 34 countries of Europe, Asia, the Americas, and Oceania.
Imploding the Mirage is the sixth studio album by American rock band the Killers, released on August 21, 2020, by Island Records in the United States and internationally by EMI. To date, it is the band's only album without lead guitarist Dave Keuning, who took an indefinite hiatus from the band in 2017. Guitar parts are covered by Killers bassist Mark Stoermer, producer Jonathan Rado, and a variety of guest musicians, including Lindsey Buckingham and Adam Granduciel.
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.
The Rebel Diamonds Tour was the seventh major concert tour by American rock band the Killers. The tour supports their second greatest hits album Rebel Diamonds (2023), which features select songs from each of their studio albums.
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| Compilation albums | |
| Live albums | |
| Extended plays | |
| Singles |
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| Other songs | |
| Christmas songs | |
| Concert tours | |
| Related articles | |
