The Killers Mostly Painting By Numbers

Two albums into their career, The Killers have amassed enough anthemic synth-rock singles to pack the Air Canada Centre quite literally to the rafters. Trying to infuse some of their Las Vegas kitsch into Toronto, the band blasted off their Monday night cabaret with dramatic imagery and glitzy confetti. The action was set appropriately to Sam's Town opener "Enterlude," which was no doubt written with a live audience in mind.

"We hope you enjoy your stay, it's good to have you with us, even if it's just for the day," Brandon Flowers cooed before the jingle slowly gained speed and morphed into "When You Were Young" (again, just as it does on the record).

In addition to prominently displaying a "Sam's Town" marquee sign above the stage, and another one that read "Welcome" across the piano, the band also gave a nod to their ethnic influences. They decked the lighting grid with Mexican fiesta flags and adorned — or littered — the stage with freshly-cut flowers, possibly as a witty reference to Flowers' self-absorption.

The Killers played their creme de la creme from both Sam's Town and 2004's Hot Fuss, including "Somebody Told Me," "Bones" and "Andy, You're A Star," culminating in a crowd-igniting rendition of "Mr. Brightside," before finally leaving the stage for a brief breather. Upon return, Flowers launched into a few impromptu couplets of "Can't Take My Eyes Off You" and then returned to his own repertoire with "For Reasons Unknown" and "The List."

While Dave Keuning was the silver-clad, wild-haired epitome of an emotive guitarist, Flowers, dressed like a croupier in wingtips and a tuxedo vest, let his powerful, skillfully choked voice do all the emoting. He somewhat robotically took turns playing the sparkly keyboard at the front of the stage and the piano at the back and paced around nervously, admiring the teeming pit of humans in front of him.

The other band members were little more than set pieces, including the suspicious fifth touring musician, who was cached between drummer Ronnie Vannucci's giant gong and the velvet curtain.

In trying to tastefully recreate a Vegas atmosphere, one thing The Killers forgot to borrow from true Sin City performers was the stage banter. Besides thanking Toronto a couple of times, neither Flowers nor the band were very talkative in between songs, which made the act seem more like a well-rehearsed facade.

Flowers finally came alive during "All These Things That I've Done," jumping onto a stack of speakers and holding his mic stand high above the audience so as to better capture the choral chanting of the army of "soulful non-soldiers."

As the song faded, the band temporarily left. After some dutiful applause and stomping, The Killers re-emerged once more. "We hope you enjoyed your stay, it's good to have you with us, even if it's just for the day," they sang during Sam's Town finale "Exitlude."

As everyone skittered off stage, Vannucci handpicked some flowers off the piano and handed the bouquets to a few squealing fans. Flowers, ironically and predictably, didn't stick around for such gestures.