Concert Review: The Killers at Capitol Federal Park at Sandstone

Saturday night, at the concert venue formerly known as Sandstone, Brandon Flowers and the rest of the Killers opened up the 2009 concert season with big ol’ post-yacht-rock-frat-boy-arena-pop-Vegas-y-EXPLOSION!

I must admit the last time I went to Sandstone was in spring of 2004. The show? Blink-182 and Cypress Hill. I remember freely moving between the lawn, frozen drink stands and kiosks selling huge marijuana-leaf beads. I read on the venue Web site that the most of the reserved seats at the front had been removed to make room for a bigger GA section so one could get closer to the stage.

Of course, I completely missed out on this. I didn’t realize that until I picked up my tickets that VIP wristbands were included. I was told by the event staff (95% of them were middle-aged women) that VIP ticket holders are let in the doors first. Alas, I was too late. I enjoyed the other VIP perks instead, like the private bathrooms and bar that still had cups for beer later on in the evening when the other vendors had run out.

After wrongly assuming I would be able to sit on the lawn, I found seats in the back, close to the barricaded grass. It wasn’t long before a family of four sat in front of me, the youngest daughter with a tiger-striped Snuggie and mom snapping pictures of the older daughter with her new $30 Killers t-shirt on. Needless to say, it was hard to see openers Wild Light from so far back.