I’ve kind of, sort of seen Imagine Dragons in concert before. When I attended Taylor Swift’s 1989 tour, Dan Reynolds, Imagine Dragon’s lead singer, made an appearance to sing Radioactive with the pop star. The Detroit stop was early on in her tour, so his surprise appearance was truly that, a surprise. He and the rest of the group returned to town for a show about a month later, but I didn’t go, and have regretted that since.
Luckily I made up for it by checking out their Evolve tour. Mom, Dad, and I sat seventh row on the floor, in the center aisle. Scarcely a better seat in the house (and we only paid $70!). We arrived relatively early and walked around Little Caesars Arena before heading to our seats to catch some of Grouplove’s set.
They rocked out pretty hard on some songs, but had an awesome energy and left it all out on the stage. Tongue Tied is one of my favorite songs and I loved hearing it in person.
Before too long Imagine Dragons took the stage and kept the show jamming from start to finish with powerhouse song after powerhouse song. They played all their hits, and their music has what in an arena feels very much like magic.
The songs are powerful and come from a place of raw emotion; they are perfect for a concert, with everyone singing the words and jumping up and down. Dan Reynolds spoke very honestly about depression and anxiety, which is something I relate to. This is why I think I relate to the music so much. It’s about the struggle. It’s about the pain. But it’s about the joy too.
They opened with I Don’t Know Why, which I think has been stuck in my head since. From there Whatever It Takes, Mouth of the River, and Rise Up were some of my favorites. The only minor lull came when they moved to the b stage and performed some slower songs, but they maintained more energy than most shows that go for the big move.
With their move back to the a stage came giant beach balls (my least favorite concert trend – seriously no more balls please), bubbles filled with smoke (verrrrryyyyy cool), and tons of confetti. I means tons of confetti and you all know I measure the quality of a concert by the amount of confetti.
The laser lights really added to the show as did some video screens. But the real star, as it should have been, and I’m realizing is at most of the best shows, was the band and their talent. The soaring vocals, the guitars, the drums, the endless energy that was exchanged between us in the crowd and them on the stage all night long.
Thunder, I Bet My Life, Radioactive, Walking the Wire, and Believer rounded out the night and after just about two hours, I think I speak for everyone in that packed arena when I say I didn’t want the night to end. From here on out, any chance I have to see Imagine Dragons will be one I will not miss.
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