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UNCASVILLE, Conn. - One way to tell if a band is good or not is if they can perform live without the flashy pyrotechnics and other special effects commonly found in today's live shows. The rock group The Killers did just that, "killing" their Saturday night show at Mohegan Sun.

The band took the stage after a brief countdown around 9:20 p.m., starting with their hit single "Human." Lead vocalist Brandon Flowers came out in a jacket with odd tassels on the shoulders, but took it off after the first two numbers. From the moment he picked up the microphone, Flowers didn't stand still.

Following "Human," was "This is Your Life," where Flowers asked the the crowd to wave their arms like an orchestra's conductor, and the crowd was happy to follow him. During their billboard hit "Somebody Told Me," Flowers spun around on stage before launching into "For Reasons Unknown."

Dave Keuning, who also sings and plays guitar, often ripped up the stage with his performance throughout the night and received almost as much attention as Flowers did.

Though perhaps most notable was the saxophone brought out during "This is the World We Live In" and "Joy Ride." A surprise piano rendition of "Sam's Town" was performed beautifully, with Keuning and other band members joining in after a minute. "Sam's Town," which was a switch from the wake 'em up and rock 'em out style of the night, suited the crowd the same as the others.

Most of the time, it looked like only Flowers and drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. were enjoying themselves, though Keuning knew how to own the spotlight during solos. The other band member, Mark Stoermer, tended to his bass guitar and back up vocals with little time spent in the spotlight.

Keuning, whose wild curly hair seems like a throwback to the 80's, helped to found the band by putting an ad in a paper in Las Vegas. Flowers met with Keuning and the band took off from there.

Other more popular songs of the night included "Mr. Brightside" and "All These Things That I've Done," known for the lyrics, "I've got soul, but I'm not a soldier." The band closed with the latter song, but the words "hold on" remained on the digital screen behind the stage. And the crowd did hold on, and they screamed and stamped their feet until Flowers appeared back on the stage with the question, "Did you miss us?"

They ended the night with "Bones," and "Jenny was A Friend of Mine."

With one more song left, Flowers announced, "Let's rock the roof off!" finishing with the wildly popular "When We Were Young."