Seeing The Killers live was on my bucket list. Glenn had been checking the website for years looking for a North American tour. Finally, the dates lined up, we bought tickets and planned a trip to Orlando. Since the concert was at Hard Rock Live in Universal Studios Citywalk complex, we decided it would be a great chance to explore Universal.
Friday we both took half days and hit the road. It took us about an hour and 15 minutes to get here. We checked into the Loews Royal Pacific Hotel. We were really impressed with the hotel and staff. Everyone was very friendly. The hotel is beautiful. The greenery in the lobby and around the front of the hotel remind us of Hawaii. After checking in, we headed down the walkway for a 10 minute walk to Universal Studios Orlando.
We purchased seasonal passes through AAA. So we stood in line to redeem those and pick up a meal plan for Saturday. The meal plan is 29.99 for dinner and lunch. Since one quick service entree is around 10 dollars, we thought this be a good deal.
Our first attraction was the Terminator 2: 3D show. It is a mix of live action and 3D movie. I thought it was really well done and a lot of fun. We walked out of the show just as the Simpsons were walking out for photos so we got our picture taken. Inspired we went to explore the Simpsons area. It is so cool. They recreated the businesses from Springfield. We then headed into Krustyland for the ride. It is very well done. The wait is part of the attraction with lots of tv screens and funny announcements. For the ride, you get into a 2 row capsule with four people per row. It then moves in coordination with the graphics on a huge surrounding screen. It is an awesome ride. It was a little too intense for me. I was a bit shaky afterwards so we walked around the park and grabbed a burger.
After refueling, we went to the Twister attraction. It shows how are you teens use special effects to create the twister in the movie Twister. It was funny when we walked out because this could turn dark and it was very windy. We joked that Universal was really bringing its a game for this attraction. To avoid the rain, we grabbed a bar stool at the Irish pub and listened to the guitar player. It was a lot of fun. The rain let up so we headed to the Beetlejuice Graveyard Revue. It was a lot of fun and featured all my favorite songs.
Then it was time to head to the Hard Rock Live for the concert. The crew did a good job managing the line and we were inside in about 30 minutes. We had floor access so we grabbed a couple beers and went to protect our spot. The opening band start promptly at 8. They were boring. The Killers came on at 915 with an incredible performance of my favorite song Mr Brightside. It was the bucket list moment. The concert was fantastic with incredible special facts and even a confetti drop. After the show we headed next door to the Hard Rock Cafe for a nightcap and a snack. It was one of those nights where you can't believe you're so lucky that this is your life.
