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List of the Killers band members

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The Killers performing in 2006, 2012, and 2017

The Killers are an American rock band, formed in Las Vegas in 2001 by Brandon Flowers (lead vocals, keyboards, bass) and Dave Keuning (guitar, backing vocals). The band currently consists of Flowers and Keuning alongside drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr. and bassist Mark Stoermer.

History

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Flowers and Keuning first connected when Flowers responded to an ad that Keuning left in a local newspaper. After writing songs in Keuning's apartment, the band recorded demo's with drummer Matt Norcross in November 2001.[1] The band were joined by Dell Neal on bass for further demo's the next month. The new four piece played shows around Las Vegas in 2002.[1][2] Norcross was fired in Summer 2002, he was briefly replaced by Brian Havens before he was fired. Dell Neal also left soon after for personal reasons.[1]

Ronnie Vannucci Jr. joined as the band's new drummer soon Havens departure, playing his first show on August 30, 2002.[3] For that show the band were joined by Mark Stoermer on bass,[4] initially as a stand in while the band tried out other bassists, although Stoermer became permanent bassist soon after, having previously been invited to be second guitarist.[4]

In 2006 for the Sam's Town tour, the band were joined by touring musicians Ted Sablay on keyboards, guitar,[5] and drum tech Rob Whited on percussion.[6] In 2008, for the Day & Age tour, Sablay was replaced by Ray Suen.[7] The band were joined by Tommy Marth on saxophone,[8] and guitar tech Bobby Lee Parker on acoustic guitar. Suen and Marth both departed after the tour in 2010. Sablay returned for the Battle Born World Tour, alongside Jake Blanton also on keyboards and guitar.[9] During the Asia part of the tour, Stoermer had to depart due to an illness, Blanton played bass in his absence.[10] After the tour Parker and Whited both stopped performing.

For a North American tour in 2016, the band were joined by Brian Karscig on guitar/keyboards,[11] while Blanton played bass instead of Stoermer.[12] Blanton continued to play bass for the Wonderful Wonderful World Tour in 2017, where the band were joined by Robbie Connolly[13] and Taylor Milne on keyboards/guitar, while Sablay replaced Keuning who retired from touring.[14][15] The band were also joined by backing vocalists Erica Canales,[16] Amanda Brown,[17] and Danielle Withers.[18]

For the Imploding the Mirage Tour Starting in April 2022, Keuning returned and Sablay moved to rhythm guitar/keyboards. Withers and Brown were also replaced by Melissa Mcmillan and Tori Allen.[19][20] Keuning left the tour in May and Sablay moved back to lead guitar. Keuning returned in July. Allen and Mcmillan were replaced by Nicky Egan and Miranda Joan in 2023.[21] Sablay also played lead guitar with Keuning being absent for the rest of the tour.

Official members

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Current members

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Image Name Years active Instruments Release contributions
The_Killers_(261268823).jpg
Brandon Flowers 2001–present
  • lead vocals
  • keyboards
  • synthesizer
  • bass[a]
  • guitar (2020–present; in studio)
all releases
The_Killers_(261264891).jpg
Dave Keuning[b]
  • 2001–2017
  • 2020–present
  • guitar
  • backing vocals
all releases, except Imploding the Mirage (2020)
The_Killers_(261268719).jpg
Ronnie Vannucci Jr. 2002–present
  • drums
  • percussion
  • guitar (2020–present)[c]
all releases
Mark Stoermer Flickr.jpg
Mark Stoermer[d] 2002–present (hiatus 2020–2022)
  • bass
  • backing vocals
  • guitar[e]
all releases, except Pressure Machine (2021)

Former members

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Image Name Years active Instruments Release contributions
Dell Neal 2001–2002
  • bass
  • backing vocals
early demos and live shows
Matt Norcross drums
Brian Havens 2002 live shows

Touring musicians

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Current touring musicians

[edit]
Image Name Years active Instruments Release contributions
KillersBrixton120917-47 (cropped).jpg
Ted Sablay
  • 2006–2007
  • 2011–present
  • lead guitar (2017–2020, 2022, 2023)
  • rhythm guitar and keyboards (2006–2007, 2011–2017, 2022, 2022–2023, 2024–present)
  • backing vocals
The Killers - BST Hyde Park - Saturday 8th July 2017 KillersBST080717-31 (35034823984) (cropped).jpg
Jake Blanton 2011–present
  • bass (2013, 2016–present)
  • keyboards and rhythm guitar (2011–2016, 2024-present)
  • backing vocals
none
Robbie Connolly 2017–present
  • keyboards
  • rhythm guitar
  • backing vocals
Erica Canales 2018–present backing vocals
Nicky Egan 2023–present
  • backing vocals
  • acoustic guitar
Miranda Joan backing vocals

Former touring musicians

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Image Name Years active Instruments Release contributions
Rob Whited 2006–2014
  • percussion
  • backing vocals
Live from the Royal Albert Hall (2009)
Bobby Lee Parker 2008–2014 acoustic guitar
Ray Suen 2008–2010
  • keyboards
  • violin
  • rhythm guitar
  • backing vocals
Tommy_Marth.jpg
Tommy Marth 2008–2010 (died 2012)
  • saxophone
  • backing vocals
Brihat.jpg
Brian Karscig 2016
  • rhythm guitar
  • keyboards
  • backing vocals
none
Taylor Milne
  • 2017–2020
  • 2022
  • 2023
Amanda Brown 2017–2018 backing vocals
Danielle Withers
Melissa McMillan 2021–2023
Tori Allen
  • backing vocals
  • violin
  • acoustic guitar

Timeline

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Touring musicians timeline

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Line-ups

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Period Members Releases
Mid 2001 none – demos only
November – December 2001
  • Brandon Flowers – lead vocals, keyboards, bass
  • Dave Keuning – guitar, backing vocals
  • Matt Norcross – drums
December 2001 – summer 2002
  • Brandon Flowers – lead vocals, keyboards
  • Dave Keuning – guitar, backing vocals
  • Matt Norcross – drums
  • Dell Neal – bass, backing vocals
none – demos and live shows only
summer 2002
  • Brandon Flowers – lead vocals, keyboards
  • Dave Keuning – guitar, backing vocals
  • Dell Neal – bass, backing vocals
  • Brian Havens – drums
August 2002 – August 2017
  • Brandon Flowers – lead vocals, keyboards, bass
  • Dave Keuning – guitar, backing vocals
  • Ronnie Vannucci Jr. – drums
  • Mark Stoermer – bass, backing vocals, guitar
August 2017 – January 2021
  • Brandon Flowers – lead vocals, keyboards, bass
  • Ronnie Vannucci Jr. – drums, guitar
  • Mark Stoermer – guitar, bass, backing vocals
January – August 2021
  • Brandon Flowers – lead vocals, keyboards
  • Ronnie Vannucci Jr. – drums, guitar
  • Dave Keuning – guitar, backing vocals
August 2021 – present
  • Brandon Flowers – lead vocals, keyboards, bass
  • Ronnie Vannucci Jr. – drums
  • Dave Keuning – guitar, backing vocals
  • Mark Stoermer – bass, backing vocals, guitar
none to date

References

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  1. ^ a b c Patterson, Spencer (April 16, 2010). "Almost Famous". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  2. ^ Mike "DJ" Pizzo (October 2015). "The Night The Killers Left Las Vegas – Cuepoint – Medium". Medium.com. Archived from the original on December 4, 2016. Retrieved December 10, 2016.
  3. ^ McLean, Craig (September 14, 2008). "Change we can believe in". The Guardian. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved November 24, 2019.
  4. ^ a b Payne, Chris (January 8, 2016). "Killers Mark Stoermer Interview". Billboard. Archived from the original on April 23, 2018. Retrieved September 22, 2017.
  5. ^ "Ted Sablay | LinkedIn". LinkedIn. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  6. ^ Davis, Laura (November 6, 2009). "Partying with the Killers: Cooler and tamer!". Las Vegas Sun. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  7. ^ Walters, Barry (December 15, 2008). "The Killers Kick Off "Day & Age" Tour That's One Part Spectacle, One Part Heart". Rolling Stone. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  8. ^ "The Killers sax player Tommy Marth commits suicide at 33". NBC News. April 26, 2012. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  9. ^ "THE KILLERS". SCARLET LIGHT. May 16, 2023. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  10. ^ "Jake Blanton — A concert goer". UMI SYAM. September 27, 2013. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  11. ^ "Brian Karscig | LinkedIn". LinkedIn. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  12. ^ Earls, John (May 25, 2016). "The Killers bassist Mark Stoermer quits touring". NME. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  13. ^ "Utah native, musician and new dad Robbie Connolly on life as a Killer(s)". Deseret News. January 31, 2018. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  14. ^ Gaca, Anna (August 28, 2017). "Killers Guitarist Dave Keuning Announces Touring Break". spin. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  15. ^ Hanley, James (December 21, 2017). "The Killers talk line-up changes and Sam's Town 10th anniversary shows". www.musicweek.com. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  16. ^ "Vocal Coach". Erica Canales. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  17. ^ "home". Amanda Brown Music. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  18. ^ Walden, Eric (February 9, 2018). "Photos and review: The Killers power through the flu to rock the 'Delta Center' — er, The Viv — in Salt Lake City". The Salt Lake Tribune. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  19. ^ Monahan, Jacqueline (August 29, 2022). "The Killers Slay 'em at T-Mobile Arena". lasvegasroundtheclock.com. Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  20. ^ Sheckells, Melinda (April 16, 2022). "The Killers Kick Off "Imploding The Mirage Tour" in Vegas: Recap + Photos". Retrieved June 8, 2024.
  21. ^ Egan, Nicky [@nicky_egan] (September 25, 2023). "Life if Beautiful Festival clips with @thekillers in 🌟VEGAS🌟" – via Instagram.
  1. ^ Flowers still plays bass during live performances of "For Reasons Unknown".
  2. ^ Keuning returned to touring with the band between 2020 and 2022, but is currently on touring hiatus.
  3. ^ Vannucci Jr.'s guitar contributions to the band are mostly studio-based, save for recent live performances of "For Reasons Unknown".
  4. ^ Stoermer has been on a touring hiatus from the band since 2016, save for some select appearances.
  5. ^ Stoermer's guitar contributions to the band are almost entirely studio-based, save for live performances of "For Reasons Unknown".