Cuffed Up on Killers

Cuffed Up on Killers: Ralph Torrefranca of indie rockers Cuffed Up told us about his Killers experience.

Ralph Torrefranca: It was April 2007 in Santa Barbara, CA. I was a high schooler and a year into my music industry career working part time at the local alt rock station 92.9 KJEE. Apart from working my way into such an amazing part time job (I was the youngest DJ in their station’s history I believe), we were lucky enough to get free tickets to concerts whenever a band would decide to make SB a stop on their tour. At this point I was in my first band, trying my best to hone my songwriting skills but taking most of my influences from the pop/punk/emo bands of the era so when I was given the opportunity to see the Killers, I was slightly indifferent. Not because I didn’t like them but it was literally part of my job description to hear “Mr. Brightside” every hour on the hour at the station so I definitely took them for granted. 

The show was happening at the aptly named “Thunderdome” at UC Santa Barbara, famously where Kobe Bryant would do his summer Basketball workouts/camps. After making some new friends in line, they convinced me to bum rush to the front of the stage. The lights finally kicked off… a low hum filled the dome as walk out music started. With the stage still shrouded in darkness, the band members came out one by one until the lead singer Brandon Flowers sat at his piano. A single orange spotlight shot down at him, the front of the piano had a large “Welcome” sign hanging so there was already a calmness to this moment. He sang and played “Enterlude” from their new album Sam’s Town which was deceptively sweet. I still remember feeling a well of emotion as he sang the last line “It’s good to have you with us, even if it’s just for the day” followed by that touching lead piano line. 

Now I should have done my research before the show because it was obvious the crowd knew what was coming. After Brandon hit the last note of “Enterlude” guitarist Dave Keuning suddenly strummed a chord that RIPPLED into the dome… Ronnie, their drummer, hit the snare/kick like a damn shotgun…. then the whole band dove headfirst into “When You Were Young”. When I say the crowd roared they ROARED! The lights kicked in and the entire Thunderdome was jumping up and down, like a stampede beneath my feet, belting the lyrics along with Brandon like it was gospel. That’s when I knew I wasn’t just seeing a show, I was truly having an “experience” that seeped into the very fiber of my DNA, both as a music lover and a musician. People sang every melody but also worshiped every single poetic Flowers lyric. I finally understood what it meant to write a song that could stand the test of time. The entire show was a masterclass in what it was to be a band that not only wrote songs with substance but transcended the experience by putting 1000% into every single moment of their live show. I still channel that moment in my mind every time I step onto a stage.

Cuffed Up on Killers: Cuffed Up’s “Finer Things” single is out now. The All You Got album is out April 5.

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