Who would have thought a pop band with Smiths and Duran Duran influences would battle it out with hip-hop and dance titans last year?
Sure, it took a few months for the hype ball to get rolling on the Killers’ 2004 debut, “Hot Fuss,” but once sugary singles like “Mr. Brightside” took hold, they wouldn’t let go. Detractors of the MTV-friendly quartet have called them a calculated mix of The Strokes and ‘N Sync, but the truth is that their addictive, moody songs worm their way into your brain whether you like it or not.
They’ll visit the Fillmore Auditorium on Oct. 15, a little less than two weeks after their new disc, “Sam’s Town,” drops. It’s a smart bet that the album will blow up at least as big as “Hot Fuss,” especially with names like Flood (U2, PJ Harvey) and Alan Moulder (Depeche Mode, Yeah Yeah Yeahs) producing.
Tickets for the show go on sale at 10 a.m. today. ($30.25, Ticketmaster)
Paul Simon has resisted resting on his laurels the past few years, although the singer-songwriter has certainly accumulated enough to last the rest of his life. Still, he experiments: “Surprise,” released in May, finds him collaborating with ambient icon Brian Eno – two great tastes that don’t taste so great together. The mediocre reception of that disc will probably not deter fans from snatching up tickets to Simon’s Oct. 10 show at DU’s Magness Arena. On sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($49.50-$69.50, Ticketmaster)
Madeleine Peyroux may never escape the constant comparisons to Billie Holiday, but whether she thinks of herself as a blues or jazz singer, she should be flattered by them. The gifted vocalist will visit the Paramount Theatre on Oct. 10. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($28.50-$38.50, Ticketmaster)
Jonny Lang instantly got tagged as a prodigy when he released his debut album at 15 years old. Ten years later, the technically dazzling blues guitarist now has to compete with the rest of the world, and his new album, “Turn Around,” is being touted as a mature offering from a musician with a unique perspective on life. Tickets for Lang’s Oct. 21 show at the Paramount Theatre go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($29.75-$39.75, Ticketmaster)
HIM, short for “His Infernal Majesty,” should appeal to latter-day goth-rock fans unable to get over the demise of Sisters of Mercy. The Scandinavian band plays with Papa Roach, lostprophets and Kill Hannah on Nov. 3 at the Fillmore Auditorium. Tickets go on sale at 10 a.m. Saturday. ($33, Ticketmaster)
Def Leppard and Journey fans that didn’t get enough of their beloved nostalgia acts at the Aug. 15 Red Rocks show can rejoice. The bands announced an Oct. 17 date at Budweiser Events Center in Loveland, part of the third leg of their tour. Tickets go on sale Sept. 9. ($66-$86, Ticketmaster)
