Las Vegas-based rockers The Killers have come out of the woodwork after keeping a relatively low profile for the last two years, revealing not only the lead single, Caution, from their upcoming studio album Imploding the Mirage, but plans for a 31-date North American tour, too.
On the upcoming Imploding the Mirage world tour, frontman Brandon Flowers and co. will play shows across the U.S. and Canada between August and October.
Despite the elation among many die-hard fans, Thursday’s news comes amid worldwide concern pertaining to the novel coronavirus illness, COVID-19, making it a potentially inopportune time for the When You Were Young rockers’ comeback.
From the cancellation of the 2020 Juno Awards and the suspension of the 2019-20 NHL season on Thursday to the ongoing postponements of concert tours continent-wide in the last two weeks, it’s clear that the global pandemic has quite literally plagued the entertainment industry as a whole.
So who’s to say it won’t affect the Killers’ forthcoming plans? The four-piece band says it believes the coronavirus will follow “traditional flu season patterns” and dissipate in time for their global return.
Claiming to have “been paying close attention to the recent precautionary measures around the world,” the Killers issued a statement to Twitter on Thursday afternoon explaining that despite the concern surrounding COVID-19, they have decided to continue with the tour.
“We’ve been putting this tour together for a long time and we are extremely excited to finally share it with you,” the statement read. “We look forward to a great summer of shows.”
“Look after each other — sing the chorus of Mr. Brightside when you wash your hands — and see you this summer!” concluded the band, referring to their breakthrough 2004 hit single and the recently viral not-for-profit Wash Your Lyrics website.
The COVID-19 outbreak began in Wuhan, China last December, and as of March 12, has been confirmed to have infected more than 130,000 people across 100-plus countries. It has claimed over 4,900 lives. There are currently 140 confirmed cases of the illness in Canada, according to Health Canada and provincial health officials.
During their ambitious 2020 trek, the Killers are scheduled to play three Canadian shows in three different cities: Vancouver (Aug. 21), Toronto (Sept. 25) and Montreal (Sept. 26).
Also sharing their excitement for the followup to 2017’s Wonderful, Wonderful album, fans of the Killers — for the most part — took to social media commending the group for going through with announcing the tour rather than postponing or cancelling it amid coronavirus concerns.
Here’s what some Twitter users had to say:
Imploding the Mirage is scheduled for a worldwide release on May 29 through Island Records — a subsidiary of Universal Music Group.
Caution is now available through all major streaming platforms, including YouTube and Spotify.
All tickets for the North American Imploding the Mirage tour go on sale next Friday (March 20) at 10 a.m. in each local time zone where the Killers will play. Every purchased ticket will be accompanied by a physical CD copy of Imploding the Mirage.
Additional tour dates and updates are available via the official Killers website.
2020 North American Imploding the Mirage tour dates
** All Canadian gigs have been bolded below **
Aug. 18 — Denver, Colo. @ Pepsi Center
Aug. 19 — Salt Lake City, Utah @ Vivint Smart Home Arena
Aug. 21 — Vancouver, B.C. @ Rogers Arena
Aug. 22 — George, Wash. @ Gorge Amphitheatre
Aug. 23 — Portland, Ore. @ Moda Center
Aug. 25 — San Francisco, Calif. @ Chase Center
Aug. 26 — Las Vegas, Nev. @ MGM Grand Garden Arena
Aug. 29 — Los Angeles, Calif. @ Banc of California Stadium
Aug. 30 — Phoenix, Ariz. @ Gila River Arena
Sept. 10 — Houston, Texas @ Toyota Center
Sept. 11 — Fort Worth, Texas @ Dickies Arena
Sept. 12 — Austin, Texas @ Frank Erwin Center
Sept. 15 — Miami, Fla. @ American Airlines Arena
Sept. 16 — Orlando, Fla. @ Amway Center
Sept. 18 — Atlanta, Ga. @ State Farm Arena
Sept. 19 — Nashville, Tenn. @ Bridgestone Arena
Sept. 20 — St. Louis, Mo. @ Chaifetz Arena
Sept. 22 — St. Paul, Minn. @ Xcel Energy Center
Sept. 23 — Chicago, Ill. @ United Center
Sept. 25 — Toronto, Ont. @ Scotiabank Arena
Sept. 26 — Montreal, Que. @ Bell Centre
Sept. 27 — Verona, N.Y. @ Turning Stone Event Center
Sept. 29 — Philadelphia, Pa. @ Wells Fargo Center
Oct. 1 — New York, N.Y. @ Madison Square Garden
Oct. 2 — New York, N.Y. @ Madison Square Garden
Oct. 3 — Washington, D.C. @ Capitol One Arena
Oct. 5 — Boston, Mass. @ TD Garden
Oct. 6 — University Park, Pa. @ Bryce Jordan Center
Oct. 8 — Pittsburgh, Pa. @ Petersen Events Center
Oct. 9 — Cleveland, Ohio @ Rocket Mortgage Fieldhouse
Oct. 10 — Detroit, Mich. @ Little Caesars Arena
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