Who knew the sound of victory would sync up so well with a hit from The Killers?
On Wednesday evening, July 10, the rock band played London’s O2 Arena at the exact same time England’s men’s soccer team was playing against the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 semifinal.
In honor of the championship game, the rockers paused their concert to screen the final moments of England’s 2 to 1 win on the big screen, per fan-recorded footage. And with impeccable timing, they celebrated the triumph by launching right into their 2000s smash “Mr. Brightside” just as the final whistle blew.
“Possibly the most electric moment of my life. When the Killers livestream the Euros right before England win and they hit us with Mr Brightside,” one X (formerly Twitter) user captioned a video of the epic moment.
The Killers acknowledged the momentous occasion, too, after their show, sharing a bunch of pictures of them performing and watching the soccer game onstage in an Instagram post. They captioned it, “Tonight we played for England 🏴!”
The Killers’ latest performance of “Mr. Brightside” comes on the heels of the track’s record-breaking music awards from the Guinness World Records. According to the organization, as of July 4, the hit anthem has achieved the longest stay on the U.K. singles chart by a group and the most cumulative weeks on the U.K. singles chart, with a total of 416 weeks (nearly eight full years!).
Per Billboard, “Mr. Brightside” was first released in 2003 but didn’t debut on the Billboard Hot 100 until it was re-released the following year. It peaked at No. 10 in the summer of 2005 and remained on the chart for 38 weeks. Although the song didn’t blaze to the top of the charts, it clearly remained a crown jewel in the U.K., per its newest iconic titles.
The Killers were presented with their record-holder certificate backstage during their string of London shows this month, during which they told Guinness World Records that they’ll never grow tired of performing their signature song.
“It’s infectious still to us. I know some people can’t wrap their head around it, but you’ll see the response [when you see it live],” said frontman Brandon Flowers, 43. “It’s tough not to be touched by it or be excited by it, and there’s going to be people tonight who’ve never seen it live; there’ll be some people who’ve seen it 45 times. And we just don’t get tired of it.”
Drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr., 48, added, “We start it, and then we enjoy the ride, and then one of us has to stop it. It’s one of those kind of songs. It’s a highly reciprocal thing that happens, and we enjoy the ride just as much as they do.”
Later this summer, The Killers will play a string of dates at The Colosseum at Caesars Palace for their first-ever hometown Las Vegas residency to celebrate the 20th anniversary of their hit debut album, Hot Fuss.
There were wild scenes at London’s O2 Arena tonight as The Killers paused their gig to show the final few minutes of England’s Euro 2024 semifinal win over the Netherlands, then launched straight into their mammoth 2003 hit “Mr Brightside”.
Several fans posted footage of the memorable moment to social media. The house lights were turned down and ITV commentary played out over the speakers as the final moments of the game were projected onto the band’s backdrop. When the final whistle blew, the 20,000-strong audience roared as red and white streamers were fired into the air from the stage. The band then kicked off their signature song.
On X/Twitter, one user wrote: “Wow! England win live @thekillers show at @TheO2 ! Drop straight into Mr Brightside.”
Another wrote: “The Killers stopped their show at the O2 tonight to show the final few minutes and whistle of the England victory before launching straight into Mr Brightside.”
Moments later, the same user added: “You could say it went down well.”
England booked their place in the Euro 2024 final in dramatic fashion after Ollie Watkins’ superb last-minute strike secured a 2-1 win over the Netherlands. They will now face Spain on Sunday.
A lively start in Dortmund saw Xavi Simons punish Declan Rice in possession with a stunning strike from range. But the Three Lions responded, with Harry Kane fouled by Denzel Dumfries before despatching the resulting penalty.
“Mr Brightside” has become one of the UK’s most beloved rock songs since it was released over two decades ago. Last year The Independent’s Mark Beaumont explored the making of the song in depth.
“It’s a riff that lights up a room like dopamine in the air-con,” wrote Beaumont. “An airy, tumbling thing, indie rock’s very own ice-cream jingle that, come the end of the night, still sends every dancefloor, student bar and wedding disco into air-punching frenzies decades after its release. Then comes the song’s universal message of triumph over jealousy, heartbreak and adulterous adversity, chests clutched and lungs opened to the timeless roar of the heart’s first crack: ‘I just can’t look, it’s killing meeee’.
“From Gen Z-ers betrayed by a Magaluf brethren to boomers lamenting their umpteenth divorce, every age group, five pints in, finds itself bawling along to this indelible song. ‘Mr Brightside’ – the longest-charting song of all time in the UK, celebrating its 20th anniversary this week – has become far more than the definitive tune of Noughties indie. It’s now a pan-generational anthem, the 21st-century ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’. And it – almost – never got released at all.”
The Killers soundtracked England’s win against the Netherlands in the Euro 2024 semifinal with “Mr. Brightside.”
On Wednesday, while performing at O2 Arena in London, the band paused their show to display the final moments of England’s 2 to 1 triumph on the big screen (allowing the team to advance to play Spain in Sunday’s final). Soon after the final whistle, white and red confetti shot into the sky and the Killers immediately celebrated the occasion by launching into “Mr. Brightside” — the hit 2000s track has enjoyed the longest run on the U.K. singles chart, clocking in at 408 weeks, and is also the U.K.’s third biggest-selling song of all time.
In a social media post, the group posted a series of photos capturing the event alongside the caption: “Tonight we played for England.”
In June, the Killers showed their appreciation for two of Manchester’s most cherished artists, playing a rendition of New Order’s “True Faith” and covering the Stone Roses’ “Ten Storey Love Song.” During their tour of the U.K., the band has covered multiple musicians from the Kinks’ “Come Dancing” and a tease of U2’s “The Sweetest Thing” during their stops in Dublin.
Before embarking on their European tour, the Killers headlined Governors Ball and paid tribute to another 2000s hit with a cover of Yeah Yeah Yeahs’ “Maps.”
The Killers will kick off their Hot Fuss 25th anniversary shows at Las Vegas’ The Colosseum at Caesars Palace on Aug. 14, with eight shows currently slated throughout that month.
The Killers paused their concert in London to watch and celebrate England’s semi-final victory in the Euros with their audience – watch the thrilling moment below.
During the penultimate show of The Killers’ six-date residency at the O2 Arena in London, the band stopped the gig mid-show to watch England secure a 2-1 victory against the Netherlands during the UEFA Euros semi-finals. Ten songs into their performance, Brandon Flowers and co. paused the concert to watch the clashing Euros semi-finals with the O2 audience. After England secured the victory, red and white streamers were fired to raucous applause, and the band dove right into ‘Mr. Brightside’ to celebrate.
Drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. also donned the England jersey for a portion of the show.
The Killers’ first night at the O2 Arena on July 8 scored them a four-star review, with Thomas Smith writing for NME: “The tone of the evening remains consistent: a balance of big hits and deep cuts from their entire discography. ‘Smile Like You Mean It’, ‘Spaceman’ and ‘Somebody Told Me’ are performed with bombast and urgency, as Flowers assumes the role of gracious host, reminding the audience that he and his band are in the service industry, gleefully here to facilitate the best of times. The smart staging – diamond-shaped lighting and a garishly-patterned casino carpet – complements the dazzling black number that Flowers sashays and flexes in.”
The Killers aren’t the only ones who have paused a show to watch the Euros. Over the weekend, James Corden delayed the start of his play The Constituent to watch the penalty shootout between England and Switzerland, even bringing an iPad onstage before the show to commentate for the audience.
The worlds of music and sport collided this evening as The Killers aired a football match during their gig in London. The Las Vegas rockers have been praised on social media for allowing gig-goers to watch England’s last-minute 2-1 victory over Holland in Germany at The O2 Arena during their concert. Ollie Watkins struck at the death to send England to their second successive European Championship final as Gareth Southgate’s side dug deep to see off the Netherlands. The eyes of the nation were fixed on Dortmund as the Euro 2020 runners-up looked to seal a shot at history in Sunday’s Berlin showpiece against favourites Spain – with even American group The Killers getting caught up in the atmosphere and getting involved. In a clip shared on social media, a huge screen on stage can be seen showing the final seconds of England’s win before the final whistle blew and victory was secured. Once it was confirmed England will be playing Spain in the final, streamers filled the arena and The Killers burst song, with Mr Brightside the anthem of choice for celebrating.
“Well @thekillers just did the coolest thing ever on stage as England won the semi final… #ENGNED #ItsComingHome,” a Twitter (X) user penned as they shared the video online this evening. “This is bloody awesome,” one wrote in response, with another adding: “They’re such a class act!” Others pointed out the song played within seconds of England’s huge achievement, with one Twitter user praising The Killers for kickstarting the celebrations by “playing the most British song” and another viewer jokingly replying: “Please rise for the national anthem.”
On Monday, The Killers were presented with two esteemed Guinness World Records in recognition of their enduring hit Mr Brightside, ahead of their first performance at London’s The O2 arena. The group’s indie-rock anthem has been crowned with the record for the Most cumulative weeks on the UK singles chart (one song), having lodged an impressive 416 weeks in the Top 100 of the Official Singles Chart by 4 July 2024. They’ve also claimed the title for Longest stay on the UK singles chart by a group once again, at 416 weeks. To put this feat into perspective, the song has remained in the Top 100 for almost eight years across 60 separate chart runs. First seeing the light of day in 2003 and experiencing a re-release in 2004, Mr Brightside was the debut single from The Killers’ first album, Hot Fuss. It reached its peak position in the charts on 5 June 2004 at No.1 Incredibly, it spent only its first week in the Top 20 and seven weeks within the Top 40. In May 2024, the Official Charts Company unveiled that despite it never reaching the No. 1 spot, the track had become the UK’s biggest single, amassing 5.57 million combined units (equating to 1.066 million sales and 530.34 million streams). In large part due to its continuous appeal on streaming platforms, Mr Brightside has lingered in the lower parts of the weekly countdown over the past two decades. The Killers were presented with two Guinness World Records certificates at London’s The O2 arena on Monday evening, recognising their record-breaking track Mr Brightside. The band is currently performing a series of six shows at the venue as part of their Rebel Diamonds tour. Brandon Flowers, the frontman of The Killers, spoke backstage at The O2 before their concert. He said of the catchy tune”: “It’s infectious still to us, I know some people can’t wrap their head around it, but you’ll see the response [when you see it live]. It’s tough not to be touched by it or be excited by it and there’s going to be people tonight who’ve never seen it live, there’ll be some people who’ve seen it 45 times. And we just don’t get tired of it.”
Source: The Independent, Billboard, NME, Mirror
