The Killers opened their two-night concert at Forest Hills Arena in Queens, New York, on Saturday night with a tribute to another band that played the same venue 60 years ago.
“Some of you may know the history of the place,” Killers frontman Brandon Flowers told the crowd. “Obviously, some amazing tennis matches have been played here. When you think about that historic Beatles performance at Shea Stadium, that was in 1965. But in 1964, 60 years ago, the Beatles played two nights here in Forest Hills. We thought we’d pay our respects. I don’t think there’s a person here who hasn’t been touched by them in some way. Here it is.”
The Killers then played “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” a song they had never performed in concert before. (They had performed “Helter Skelter,” “Get Back,” “In My Life,” “Michelle,” and “When I'm Sixty-Hour” at various times in the past.)
“I Wanna Hold Your Hand” was a historically accurate choice. When the Beatles performed at Forest Hills Stadium on August 28 and 29, 1964, the song was in the set both nights. But a more significant moment occurred after the first show when Bob Dylan visited them at the Delmonico Hotel on Park Avenue and introduced them to marijuana, which they all credited with opening their minds dramatically, and setting them on a path toward more experimental music.
The Forest Hills Stadium concert lineup in the summer of 1964 also included Barbra Streisand, Joan Baez with special guest Bob Dylan, Harry Belafonte with Miriam Makeba, Johnny Mathis, Trini Lopez, Count Basie, and Woody Allen, all in a span of about six weeks.
The Killers' show came just two weeks after the 60th anniversary of The Beatles' performances. In addition to “I Want to Hold Your Hand,” they performed Erasure's 1988 classic “A Little Respect,” as well as a long string of their hits, including “Somebody Told Me,” “Read My Mind,” “All the Things That I've Done,” “When You Were Young,” “Human,” and, of course, “Mr. Brightside.”
They'll play again at Forest Hills Arena on Sunday night, then take a two-week break before playing the Ocean Calling Festival in Ocean City, Maryland, on September 28. The band heads to Mexico in October before traveling to Australia in late November to close out the year.
