The Killers give England fans euphoric night at O2

The Killers

Picture credit, Chris Phelps

The band, The Killers, finished their concert with drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr sporting an England jersey.

The Killers - Figure 1
Photo BBC News

Fate was beckoning the English football team in the Euro 2024 semi-final - but many fans holding tickets to see The Killers at London's O2 arena on Wednesday were worried they wouldn't be able to attend the game.

Yet, the American rock group found a way to please the audience by displaying the exciting conclusion of the game on the large screen.

As the crowd cheered at the end of the game, the band made the celebrations even more intense by quickly starting to play their joyful song Mr Brightside.

"I've attended some really awesome concerts in the past, so I had conflicting emotions when I found out that my birthday present was tickets to see the Killers at the O2 tonight, which coincides with the semi-final," shared author and journalist Tim Shipman on X, an external platform.

"After that, they performed and we went from sheer happiness to hearing my favorite song. It was perfect."

Picture credit, Chris Phelps

The party in England were displayed on the large monitor

Sky reporter Martin Kimber shared that one of the most memorable moments of his life was when The Killers live-streamed the Euros just before England won, and they played the song "Mr. Brightside."

A different supporter, Amelia, commented: "It will always be a special memory for me now that England made it to the final and the Killers played Mr Brightside right after."

The words of the song "I can't bear to see, it's really hurting me" are often fitting for England matches, but the team turned things around in Wednesday's semi-final game when substitute forward Ollie Watkins netted a goal in the final minute of play.

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Lead singer Brandon Flowers was seen standing at the front of the O2 stage, cheering on with the fans during the last few minutes of the show. As the game came to an end, red and white streamers were released into the air, creating a lively and celebratory atmosphere among the crowd.

Drummer Ronnie Vannucci Jr came back, this time wearing an English football jersey.

"Tonight we performed for our home country!" the band shared, accompanied by a flag symbol of the English flag.

The band's performance on Wednesday marked their fifth appearance out of a total of six shows at the arena, wrapping up their tour in the UK.

Next, they will travel to Spain and perform at a festival in Madrid on Saturday. Fortunately, they have a day off on Sunday, so they won't have to compete for attention with the Euro 2024 final between England and Spain that night.

Photo credit: Chris Phelps

Brandon Flowers and guitarist Dave Keuning observed the conclusion of the game on the display.

John Bishop Steers Clear Of Final Showdown

Following the semi-final, comedian John Bishop quickly declared his intention to reschedule his performance in Wolverhampton on Sunday to avoid overlapping with the 20:00 BST match.

"I won't be performing the show at eight tonight. It's going to be rescheduled for the afternoon," he announced in a video posted on social media, while England players were shown celebrating on television in the background.

He said: "I understand that it may not be suitable for everyone, so if you can't attend, we will provide a refund."

"We have decided to reschedule the event to Sunday afternoon. I will be occupied watching these boys, so I will not be available at 8 o'clock."

The performance will start at 2:00 PM.

More big concerts happening in England on Sunday include performances by American rapper Megan Thee Stallion in Manchester at Co-op Live arena, Doja Cat at the Wireless festival in Finsbury Park, London, and South Korean boy band Stray Kids at the BST festival in Hyde Park.

Some entertainment venues that do not have scheduled events, such as the O2 and Manchester's AO, will be airing the final match on their large screens for thousands of fans.

Many people will be watching TV. The number of people watching the semi-final reached over 20 million.

Around 20.2 million viewers tuned into ITV between 9:50 and 9:55 PM on Wednesday to witness Watkins score the winning goal and the game coming to an end.

On the other hand, the penalty shoot-out between England and Switzerland in the quarter-finals on Saturday had a peak of 16.8 million viewers for five minutes.

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