The Killers and Bruce Springsteen – Encore at the Garden Review

What a surprising reach The Killers still has. Their overlap with pop and rock royalty, be it Neil Tennant of Pet Shop Boys or Johnny Marr of The Smiths, is staggering. Frequent appearances from those legends of the stage in their biggest shows have come to be an expectation. It makes their collaboration with Bruce Springsteen feel both invigorated and unique, yet not at all surprising. Of course, Brandon Flowers and The Boss are collaborating. Somewhere, deep in the mind, it just makes sense. Three songs from the Springsteen discography, backed by The Killers with their pop-friendly, but still-rocking and deep, grooving sound, is what Encore at the Garden offers. A Record Store Day exclusive, but breeding rarity is not something The Killers are interested in, not for a performance this massive. Flowers’ fiery frontman persona, the respect he has for fellow legends of the stage, is heard from the very first moments of Encore at the Garden.  

This is what separates the collaboration from other stage moments. Springsteen has shared the stage with everyone, from Bob Dylan to Patti Smith and back to his own band with talent like Stevie Van Zandt and Max Weinberg. Those electric moments, the sheer quality and often bravery of collaboration in an environment out of the artist’s control, are a fundamental joy for performance. Encore at the Garden gets to grips with that. The spectacle must match the quality. The Killers and Springsteen appearing together for a trio of hit tracks, no doubt known to the audience, let alone passive Springsteen listeners, is the right choice. Even then, The Boss does not rely on the inevitabilities of his discography. Thunder Road and Born in the U.S.A. take a break, instead swapped for Badlands and Born to Run. Incredible songs for all three, too. A back-and-forth from Springsteen to Flowers works well.  

Flowers is a surprising addition here. It shouldn’t be such a surprise to hear he can handle the gruffer tone, the rougher octave needed to deliver a song like Badlands, but Encore at the Garden serves up a surprise or two, nonetheless. He holds the same vocal condition as Springsteen, and stepping up to the level The Boss has on stage is no small feat. The Killers’ Dustland is a suitable addition, too, where Springsteen shares how the heartland rock style overlaps into genres not of his making. He and Flowers have such a grand overlap in these moments. The Killers owe a subtle debt to Springsteen when it comes to their biggest hits, but also to the thrilling deep cuts of their discography. Dustland proves to be the latter and is a welcome addition to the setlist.  

What may surprise Springsteen listeners is how Dustland holds its own. The Killers are legends, though they do not yet have the same longevity, the same depths, as Springsteen. Flowers and the band hold their own, both instrumentally and vocally, with The Boss across Encore at the Garden. Born to Run is the icing on the cake at this point. It is hard to go wrong with a classic, and The Killers troupe add their flair to it, the lighter instrumental, the attempt Flowers makes at matching the gruff and soulful voice Springsteen now has. It makes for a balanced, enjoyable, and crucially spontaneous moment for the crowd. Encore at the Garden makes good on the meeting of masters, and that is borderline impossible to pull off. Flowers and the band make themselves appear natural collaborators to The Boss, and bring out the full potential of this three-track release.