From The Straits Times    |
Singapore Grand Prix 2013: The Killers and Day 2 racing highlights

Singapore Grand Prix 2013: The Killers and Day 2 racing highlights
Formula One qualifying race at the Singapore Grand Prix 2013.
PHOTOS: SINGAPORE GRAND PRIX

Day two of Singapore’s racing weekend saw Sebastian Vettel of Red Bull blazing through the qualifying race with the best time that night while The Killers charged through a tight 18-track concert.

Third-time world champion Sebastian Vettel took the pole position with the time of 1 min 42.841 sec at the qualifying race on September 22 at the Singapore Grand Prix 2013. The Red Bull driver was so confident of his record that he sat out on the second round, sitting in the garage while the other drivers sped by on the track.  

Nico Rosberg of Mercedes took the second position, followed by Romain Grosjean from Lotus F1 Team, Red Bull driver Mark Webber, Lewis Hamilton of Mercedes and Felipe Massa of Ferrari.

On the Padang concert grounds that night, The Killers packed a whopping 18 tracks into an intense show of over one hour and 15 minutes.

Singapore Grand Prix 2013: The Killers and Day 2 racing highlights

If the Singapore fans were still upset with the band’s cancelled Asian tour in 2010, this 2013 appearance may just be The Killers’ heartfelt rock music remedy. Although the concert began 40 minutes late, the rock band made the wait worth the while with an electrifying performance at their first show in Singapore.

Leaping straight in with “Mr. Brightside”, The Killers appeared in their signature black leather jackets and vests; which clearly were too much in the Singapore heat. Frontman Brandon Flowers whipped his off mid-way through belting out second track “Spaceman”, with the sleeves of his striped shirt all rolled up.

Singapore Grand Prix 2013: The Killers and Day 2 racing highlights

Flowers paused briefly to greet the crowd with a “Ni Hao” in Mandarin during third track “The Way It Was”, followed by greetings in Malay and Tamil, to cover “all four languages”. He continued to leap on the fanservice: “Singapore, they didn’t tell us how good looking you are”, delighting fans who sang along to the hit from Battle Born.

Ever the good showman, Flowers teased the crowd about needing to “test your Hot Fuzz knowledge” before belting out “Smile Like You Mean It” from their debut album. He took to the keyboard during the chorus, with Ronnie Vannucci standing up, waving to the crowd at the end of the track.

Singapore Grand Prix 2013: The Killers and Day 2 racing highlights

The acoustic start to “Human” slowed the concert pace after the string of rock anthems before quickly segueing mid-song to “Bling”. Of course, the band wouldn’t just give up on the pop rock hit halfway through; The Killers dived back into a crowd-pleasing performance of “Human” right after that.

The band then charged right into “Somebody Told Me”, another hot track that had Flowers practically shouting out the lyrics towards the end. Next up was The Killers’ favourite cover track this year “I Think We’re Alone Now”; the Tommy James and the Shondells tune was filled with thumping beats and a quieter singalong chorus as the crowd echoed Flowers.

Singapore Grand Prix 2013: The Killers and Day 2 racing highlights

The lead vocalist was near breathless when he spoke to the audience again during “For Reasons Unknown”. “We get together on this song,” said Flowers as the crowd clapped and sang with him. Dancey next tune “From Here On Now” ended with Vannucci’s energetic drum solo that gained many cheers from the crowd.

Even Flowers’ usual line about his hometown was preempted with a reference to Singapore. “The motto here is Majulah Singapura,” said the singer. “Our motto is ‘what happens in Vegas stays in Vegas.’ But I’ll say our motto is a crock of s*** because we are here tonight.”

Singapore Grand Prix 2013: The Killers and Day 2 racing highlights

The Killers concluded their fast-paced concert with “Jenny” and “When We Were Young”. “We aren’t going to fly all the way across the Pacific Ocean and not play ‘Jenny Was a Friend of Mine’,” said Flowers before the start of the song. “We will not do that to you.”

Sadly, bassist Mark Stoermer was not able to join the band in Singapore due to a hurt back; he’s also skipping The Killers’ concert tours in Asia and the United Arab Emirates to rest up before rejoining the Battle Born tour at the end of this year.

The Killers Singapore Grand Prix 2013 setlist
1. Mr. Brightside

2. Spaceman

3. The Way It Was

4. Smile Like You Mean It

5. Bling (Confession of a King)

6. Shadowplay (Joy Division cover)

7. Human

8. Somebody Told Me

9. I Think We’re Alone Now (Tommy James and the Shondells cover)

10. For Reasons Unknown

11. From Here On Out

12. A Dustland Fairytale

13. Read My Mind

14. Runaways

15. All these Things That I’ve Done

16. This Is Your Life

17. Jenny Was a Friend of Mine

18. When You Were Young

Relive the racing highs and the Big Bang headlining concert on Day 1 of our Singapore Grand Prix coverage here.

The Singapore Grand Prix is on now until Sunday, September 22 2013. For more information, go www.singaporegp.sg. You can get updates also from the Facebook page or Twitter at @F1NightRace.

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