The Killers performed their politically charged recent single, Land of the Free, for the first time live in their Las Vegas, Nevada hometown during Jimmy Kimmel Live on Monday. The TV show, which normally broadcasts from Los Angeles, is shooting in Vegas this week. The Killers also delivered 2004s Hot Fuss single, All These Things That Ive Done.
Singer Brandon Flowers opened the song alone on piano before a choir chimed in with a repeated chorus of land of the free and the rest of the band joined in. The song criticizes President Trumps proposed border wall, institutional racism and Americas gun violence. Towards the end of the performance, Flowers rose from the piano and took center stage to deliver a powerful a cappella. So how many daughters, tell me how many sons do we have to put in the ground before we just break down and face it? he queries. Weve got a problem with guns.
In January, the band released the Spike Lee-directed video for the song, which highlights the struggles and resiliency of real-life migrant families near the U.S./Mexican border. The Killers are slated to headline a number of festivals beginning this summer, including the U.K.s Glastonbury in June, Forecastle Festival in Louisville, Kentucky in July, Woodstock 50 in Watkins Glen, New York in August and Nashville, Tennessees Pilgrimage Festival in September.