The Killers had different scenarios planned for England's Euro semi-final victory

16 July 2024, 13:57 | Updated: 16 July 2024, 14:03

The Killers at The O2, London on their 2024 Rebel Diamonds tour. Picture: Chris Phelps

By Jenny Mensah

Brandon Flowers explained the background behind their viral moment, which saw them play the result of the England semi-final before launching into their Mr. Brightside hit.

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Brandon Flowers has opened up about The Killers choosing to stream England's EURO semi-final victory against Netherlands.

The Las Vegas rockers played an historic six nights at The O2, London this month and when the nation's football team took part in the EURO semi-final on Wednesday 10th July, they managed to capture the moment Oli Watkins scored the winning goal in stoppage time, putting England through the finals.

Asked about the moment by NME at MadCool Festival, Flowers explained: "I have a son who's 13 now and he's obsessed with what we call soccer and what you call football and so I've gotten introduced to this new world and so we were watching all the matches, so I was aware of what was going on."

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"And that led into this very important match between England and Holland," the When You Were Young singer went on. "And it happened to be on while we were playing the gig and we just wanted to do something special for the fans and it ended up being something that timed out really well."

He added: "You can't really make anything happen like that. It was a lot of luck."

When the interviewer remarked that they had come prepared for the moment, the indie rocker added: "I don't wanna go too far, but we had scenarios planned.... If they won, if they lost, if it went another extra 30 minutes... If it came to penalties.

"We had everything covered and it just happened when it happened."

Remind yourself of the iconic moment below:

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Meanwhile, the band were presented with an award last week to mark their history-making six nights at The O2, London.

The six nights saw the band sell over 105,000 tickets for The O2, marking the highest number of any music act at the venue in 2024.

To commemorate the landmark moment, the band were awarded by a plaque made of sustainable material Jesmonite, which also features imagery of The Killers’ shows at the venue and incorporates a piece of The O2’s own tent fabric.

The Killers (with Matt Woolliscroft – SJM Concerts and Emma Bownes – AEG Europe) have been awarded for their six night residency at The O2, London — The Killers (with Matt Woolliscroft at SJM Concerts and Emma Bownes at AEG Europe) have been awarded for their six night residency at The O2, London. Picture: Chris Phelps

The Rebel Diamonds tour - promoted by SJM Concerts and with special guest Travis - also saw The Killers visit the likes of Dublin, Glasgow and Manchester, but it's record-breaking residency had some particularly special nights in store including the viral EUROs moment and a surprise appearance from Erasure's Andy Bell, who joined them on their cover of his band's A Little Respect hit and helped them perform their Human single.

The Killers' Brandon Flowers looks on as they play the last few minutes of the England vs Netherlands game. Picture: Chris Phelps

Matt Woolliscroft, Promoter at SJM Concerts said: "The six-night residency of The Killer at The O2 has been a phenomenal experience to be a part of. In the 20 years that I have been working with the band, the ‘Rebel Diamonds’ tour has seen, in my opinion, their best performances, best production and best setlists. Every night the audience reaction and energy has been incredible. The night of the Euros semi-final at The O2 was a true once in a lifetime “I was there” moment, and it was a privilege to be in the room for it. Each time they tour the UK, I am left thinking that they can’t get any better live, then the next time they come over they once again reach new heights."

Kirk M. Sommer, Global Co-Head of Music at WME, said: "The Killers were my first signing more than two decades ago – it was love on first listen – and they continue to break records, warm hearts, and delight fans each and every night. It is a great privilege to be a part of their team and I was so proud to share in the joy of these record-breaking shows at The O2. After their monumental second Glastonbury headline performance in 2019, multiple sold-out stadium shows across the world in 2022, and their stunning Reading and Leeds headline sets last year, this six-night, sold-out run at London’s The O2 was the perfect capstone to the wildly successful ‘Rebel Diamonds’ tour in UK. It is exhilarating to see 20 years of hits performed live with conviction and surprises by a band at the top of their game. The audiences were electric. Congratulations to the band and whole team."

Emma Bownes, Vice President of Venue Programming for AEG Europe, added: “We were absolutely thrilled to welcome The Killers back to The O2 for six incredible shows. Everything about the show was truly world class – from the changing setlist, to the mammoth production, and of course the moment of absolute euphoria when the band transitioned from the England Euro’s win into one of the most iconic songs of all time – Mr Brightside. It’s truly been a residency to remember, and we hope to welcome The Killers back to The O2 in the future.”