In the nearly 20 years since they burst onto the scene with their debut album, Y2K post-punk revival staple Hot Fuss, The Killers have been strongly associated with flamboyant and gloriously messy new wave pastiche. The album’s lead single “Mr. Brightside,” with its campy theatrics and Moulin Rouge-inspired music video, is an all-time-great pop song that feels just as fresh as it did in 2004.

What set Hot Fuss apart from other indie favorites of the time was its candor about the awkward and embarrassing side of going out and hooking up in your early 20s. Underneath all the glam and “guyliner,” these are songs for those of us who always feel like the lamest people at the coolest party.

All that being said, maybe it shouldn’t be surprising that they haven’t made music like that since.

The evolution of The Killers was best represented by the fans at the Dickies Arena stop of their Imploding the Mirage Tour on Saturday. Teenage dirtbags, aging hipsters and entire Mormon families came together to support their shared idols in tepid solidarity. Standing in general admission, you were equally likely to be elbowed in the face by a goth girl as you were to be harassed by a 40-something dad for standing in “his” spot. There was also a little kid sitting on the floor of the barricade wearing noise-cancelling headphones and playing a video game while his millennial parents geeked out. None of these people seemed out of place.

The first opener was an Austin band named Me Nd Adam, and the most notable thing about their set was that nobody seemed to know they were playing, resulting in a comically palpable vibe shift.

As the backing band members took to the stage at 7:30 p.m. on the dot, the sinking realization that there was actually a third band on the bill rolled through the audience of about 13,000 strong at almost the exact same time.

“Why does Johnny Marr have a mullet?” many people in the audience were probably thinking. “And why is he exuding such potent radio indie dude-bro energy?”

Fortunately for these people, the legendary guitarist and cofounder of The Smiths took to the stage almost exactly one hour after starting what seemed like a Zumiez commercial of a set.

In case anyone is still in doubt, let it be known that Marr is and always has been the superior ex-Smith. He’s an ace guitarist, a profoundly charismatic performer and far less likely to make some unhinged, out of pocket political statement than his more commercially…