Bling (Confession Of A King) (Guitar) - The Killers - Sam’s Town

This is how Dave Keuning played the song live, during the Sam’s Town tour of 2006-2007.
I’ve used the same finger positions as Dave, from studying KZbin videos of performances.
The guitar is in standard tuning.
The main thing to remember about this song, is that it’s all strumming (and left hand damping) - so no cheating by playing individual notes!
Playing the 4 note riff fluidly, during the 16th note strumming of the verses (whilst attempting to dampen the open A string), is probably the hardest part.
When the guitar enters the song, Dave is fretting the B (on the D string, 9th fret) with his little finger and damping the other strings, so he can strum across them. Once he gets into the riff, he changes to using his ring, index and middle fingers and normally rolls his index finger into the last note of each phrase.
In the pre-chorus, the last (passing) chord is just a strum of the open bottom 3 strings (effectively a G/E chord). This allows Dave time to transition into position for the first chord of the chorus, a Dsus2/B.
The chorus chords aren’t too tricky, but the last chord of each repeat (G) is quite a stretch, fretting at the 10th fret A string and and 12th fret D string, whilst moving the little finger backwards and forwards between the 15th and 14th fret on the B string.
Dave originally played the outro octaves in a consistent strumming pattern, which is what I’ve covered here.
More recently, he has changed it slightly and when moving the octave shapes, plays them in a more 1-2345, 1-2345 pattern, which works well and adds some variation.
Guitar-wise, Dave usually used his 2002-2004 Cherry Gibson ES-335 Dot during the tour, but also used an Alpine White Gibson Les Paul Custom, for the song.
For later tours, Dave switched to using his Ebony Gibson ES-335 Dot, most of the time.
He did use an Ebony Gibson Les Paul Custom, during the 2016 Sam’s Town Decennial gigs and in 2021, is using his Cherry ES-335 Dot, again.
I’m using 2004 Cherry Gibson ES-335 Dot.
It doesn’t sound like there are any effects, but at the time, Dave used a Keeley Mod+ Ibanez TS9 Tube Screamer for at least some of the song, as I’ve seen him switching it off after the last octave of the outro, but before the final single strum of the open D major chord.
Overall, the song isn’t played with a lot of overdrive, though.

[@yak6896]

dude. this song sounds easy but those chord changes are tricky as shit. love this song, nice vid. cheers

[@timholden6373]

Thanks man - yeah, agreed, it’s trickier to play it correctly than it first seems.

[@phil8288]

That guitar is super cool

[@timholden6373]

Thanks man! 🤘

[@dioxity]

Notoriously difficult song to play but the best cover on KZbin. Quick Q - 2:33 mark with the pinky sliding up and down - are you playing the open G?

[@timholden6373]

Hey, thanks that means a lot 👍 The way I record these, I can only really hear the guitar acoustically, so playing the damped riff in the verse was quite difficult - bit easier through a turned up amp! In answer to your question - the G string is played open in that it’s not fretted, but is probably being slightly damped by the bottom of the middle finger fretting the D note at the 12th fret. The finger positions are as Dave K uses - the G at the 10th fret A string and the D at the 12th fret D string, so playing a G5 chord, doesn’t use his ring finger and uses his pinky for the sliding bit between the D and C# notes on the B string. Of course, with the G string fully open, or indeed fretted at the 12th, it would still be a G5, just with the extra root note. Whilst I’m sitting in the video, I just think it’s difficult to play that chord shape standing up and for the open G to ring out cleanly every time, even if that’s the intention. What do you think? Btw, I don’t know whether you have read my description that goes with the video. I’m working through The Killers songs, but focusing on how Dave Keuning actually played them live (during the respective albums tours) with the odd exception.

[@dioxity]

@@timholden6373 I think Dave deliberately mutes the open G for sure. To play it open would call for an awkward finger position - and I think it sounds better muted anyway. Another observation, I think the first chord he plays at the chorus is unique - instead of open A, 14 fret on D and G and 15th fret on B, he actually plays 14th fret on A (b note), mutes the D string, 14th on G and 15th on B. Then he just repeats the Open A version until he goes back to the verse riff.

[@timholden6373]

@@dioxity Agreed on the muting - and in terms of the first chorus chord, it is unique - what you’ve suggested, is actually what I’m playing 👍 with the A string fretted at the 14th making a B note, which mirrors what the bass plays. The only difference is that I may have the G string open, but muting, like the other muting discussed, does allow you to get a more obvious staccato effect.