The Lake Tahoe Summit is a yearly gathering of state, federal and local officials which carries the objective of figuring out how to sustain the environment surrounding Lake Tahoe, which is along the borders of California and Nevada. This year, the summit also featured a performance by The Killers, who performed a decidedly swaggering cover of Bob Dylan’s “Blowin’ In The Wind,” surely capturing the attention of anyone who hadn’t been listening before.
As natives of Nevada, The Killers had a natural connection to the summit, and their performance was hosted by former Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, who is retiring from Congress after this year. The summit’s keynote address was delivered by President Obama.
Their rendition of the song begins with a powerful drum beat from Ronnie Vannucci, lending an almost militaristic vibe to the proceedings. Later, as the song builds up, there’s a subtle-but-resonant guitar solo going into the song’s mid-section. The real star here, however, is Brandon Flowers, whose vocals lend the song the appropriate amount of grace and power. This performance was a welcome reminder of just strong of a vocalist Flowers can be. At one point, an audience member can be heard shouting “tell it, Brandon!” and it’s hard not to agree.
(Via Rolling Stone)
