📝 SHOW NOTES
🇬🇧 FROM THE UK TO THE KILLERS
Vickie tells us how she first discovered The Killers.
Her introduction was “Somebody Told Me”, but it was When You Were Young that really grabbed her attention.
She eventually bought the Live at the Royal Albert Hall DVD and fell completely in love with the band.
🎶 DISCOVERING THE ALBUMS
Vickie talks about discovering Day & Age, working backward to Sam's Town and eventually getting into Hot Fuss.
For years, The Killers were primarily a soundtrack to her life — playing in the car and at home — because life circumstances made it difficult to attend concerts.
🏟️ FINALLY SEEING THE KILLERS LIVE
Her first major Killers concert experience was Wembley during the Battle Born era.
Years later, she began making up for lost time with shows in Edinburgh, Rebel Diamonds and eventually the Las Vegas residencies.
🎰 THE VEGAS DREAM
Vickie had always dreamed of seeing The Killers in Las Vegas.
When she discovered they were going to play T-Mobile Arena, she changed her vacation plans and spent extra money to make sure she could be there.
That trip changed everything.
It made her realize she wanted to experience more Killers shows — and, just as importantly, connect with more fans.
❤️ THE KILLERS FAN COMMUNITY
One of the biggest parts of Vickie's story is the friendships she's made through The Killers fan community.
People she'd only known online eventually became real-life friends, including people she traveled with and met during the Las Vegas residencies.
🏔️ THE ROAD TO NEPHI
After the Las Vegas residencies, Vickie, Emma and other fans began discussing a possible trip to Nephi.
When the opportunity finally came together, Derek offered to help plan the itinerary and show them around his hometown.
Derek also made sure they understood one thing:
Nephi is not Las Vegas.
They knew they were visiting a small Utah town, but Vickie wasn't prepared for how beautiful the surrounding landscape would be.
😭 “I STARTED CRYING”
This is one of the emotional highlights of the entire episode.
As Derek drives Vickie and Emma toward Nephi, Pressure Machine is playing.
Then Derek pulls over in the West Hills.
Vickie steps out of the car.
Suddenly she's standing in the landscape she's heard Brandon sing about so many times.
And she starts crying.
For her, “West Hills” became real.
🌄 SEEING PRESSURE MACHINE DIFFERENTLY
Vickie explains how actually visiting Nephi changed the way she hears Pressure Machine.
Places that were previously just lyrics now have physical locations attached to them.
Places they visited included:
- The West Hills
- Salt Creek
- Old Mill Park
- The rubber plant
- Brandon's school
- The church
- The mouth of the canyon
- The gym
- The Ute Stampede grounds
- The three crosses
- Main Street
She explains why the album has taken on an entirely different meaning for her since the trip.
🐯 TIGER'S BLOOD
One of the more surreal moments of the trip was getting to experience Tiger's Blood in Nephi.
Vickie talks about seeing the imagery connected to the song and finally understanding some of the references she had previously only heard about.
☕ MEETING TONY
Vickie and Emma met Tony and later visited his coffee shop.
Vickie describes it as some of the best coffee of the trip — but more importantly, it gave them an opportunity to talk with someone who actually lives in Nephi.
Derek explains why he thinks this is an important part of visiting Nephi:
It's about meeting the people, not simply checking off the locations.
📍 THE “REAL” CORNER OF MAIN STREET
Derek and Vickie revisit one of the funniest debates from the tour.
Vickie wasn't initially convinced that Derek had found the correct corner of Main Street.
After his explanation, however...
She's convinced.
✝️ THE THREE CROSSES
Seeing the three crosses from different angles gave Vickie another surreal Pressure Machine moment.
She talks about realizing she was actually standing in the landscape represented in the album's imagery.
🎥 THE NOTES OF A QUIET TOWN CONNECTION
After meeting Tony, Vickie realized she recognized him from The Notes of a Quiet Town documentary.
She went home and rewatched the documentary so she could connect the person she'd just met with the footage she'd previously seen.
👀 THEY MISSED BRANDON BY ONE DAY
One of the wildest parts of the story:
Brandon was in Nephi the day after Vickie and Emma visited.
They had no idea he was going to be there.
Vickie admits that part of her was disappointed they missed him, but she also believes the timing worked out exactly as it was supposed to.
She wouldn't trade the day they had.
☕ THE COFFEE DEBATE
Before the trip, Vickie and Emma weren't even sure whether they should drink coffee while visiting Nephi.
They wanted to be respectful of the town and the people who lived there.
Then they discovered Tony's coffee shop.
Problem solved.
🍕 AN UNEXPECTED DINNER WITH STEPHANIE
The day took another completely unexpected turn when Stephanie Flowers invited Vickie, Emma and Derek to meet for dinner at Fat Jack's in Payson.
They talked about the day's adventures, Nephi and Brandon's history.
Stephanie also shared some personal family connections with them.
Vickie describes it as the perfect ending to an already unforgettable day.
📸 MAKING A MEMORY BOOK
Vickie explains why she likes having physical photographs rather than keeping all her memories digitally.
After returning home, she created a physical photo book documenting the Nephi trip.
It includes photos from:
- The West Hills
- Salt Creek
- The canyon
- The church
- Nephi's landscape
- Vickie and Emma
- Derek
- Stephanie
- Their Pressure Machine moments
And she's even making one for Derek.
🎵 THRASHER & BRANDON'S EVOLVING STORY
Vickie also talks about how Thrasher has continued the story in a different way.
She sees a connection between Pressure Machine and Thrasher, particularly in how Brandon looks back at his hometown, family and past.
She explains how visiting Nephi has given her a completely different perspective on both albums.
🎸 TED SABLAY
Vickie talks about her appreciation for Ted Sablay — both his work with The Killers and his solo music.
She discusses looking forward to his next album and hopes he eventually brings his solo music to the UK.
🎶 SOFT ECHO
Vickie also gives a shout-out to Soft Echo, a Las Vegas band she has become a fan of.
She encourages Killers fans to give them a listen.
🏜️ WILL VICKIE COME BACK TO NEPHI?
The answer is definitely yes.
Vickie says she would love to return and spend more time actually experiencing Nephi rather than trying to fit everything into one day.
She'd like to visit more local businesses, explore the town and simply enjoy the area.
And there's even talk of an eventual RV/camping trip to the West Hills.
❤️ A DAY SHE'LL NEVER FORGET
For Vickie, the trip wasn't about meeting Brandon.
In fact, she missed him by one day.
It wasn't about checking off every Killers-related location either.
It was about experiencing the place behind the music.
And she says that day in Nephi was the highlight of her entire Vegas trip — even above everything else she experienced.
📱 FOLLOW VICKIE DAVIES
Instagram: @vickiedaviesxx
Vickie Davies is a longtime Killers fan from the UK who has become an active part of the worldwide Killers fan community.
🌹 FOLLOW LONELY TOWN
Lonely Town – A Killers Podcast
Instagram: @lonelytownpodcast
Derek Everitt
Instagram: @droyeveritt
Facebook Group:
Lonely Town – A Killers Podcast
Merch:
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Produced & Edited by Derek Everitt
