Imagine Dragons' enthusiasm for music and life proves infectious live
Imagine Dragons' Roots video was shot here in New Zealand.
REVIEW: When a concert begins with masses of confetti raining down on a near-sellout crowd, you get the feeling you're in for a good show.
Las Vegas rockers Imagine Dragons concluded their seven-stop Australasian tour in Wellington on Wednesday night, pulling no punches with a jam-packed setlist, in support of their third album Evolve.
Kicking off with I Don't Know Why, which utilised the first of several confetti cannons, the high-energy foursome showed no signs of weariness as they swept the huddled audience up into an evening of singing, dancing and positivity.
Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds owned the stage, with his energy never faltering.
From the get-go, frontman Dan Reynolds struck the perfect balance between being chatty with the audience, while also cranking through the four-person band's many hit songs with his distinctive voice never faltering.
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Holding up a rainbow flag and declaring TSB Arena to be a place of "love and understanding" instantly enamoured the crowd to Reynolds and his bandmates and provided a perfect lead into It's Time, with lyrics that proudly declare "I'm never changing who I am."
Formed in 2009, Imagine Dragons – frontman Dan Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman – have had a massive year thanks to their third album, Evolve.
A second poignant moment came later in the evening, in the form of a suicide prevention message which drew rapturous applause.
Reynolds briefly, but openly, shared his experiences with depression and urged anyone feeling low to reach out and get help. His words felt authentic rather than preachy and with the concert an all-ages affair, it was a responsible way for the band to use their platform for good.
What struck me most about all four of the Imagine Dragons crew was just how stoked they seemed to be with their fame.
Holding nothing back they all grinned, jumped and whooped their way through the 20-strong set list, despite having toured consistently for the past year and having another year to go.
The most joyous moment came during On Top of the World, a standout hit from the band's debut album. As giant balloons tumbled from the ceiling onto the surging crowd, the lights went off and, like a magic trick, the foursome appeared on a new stage at the back of the arena.
The sneaky stage shift was a cool way for those at the back and in the stands, primarily some of the youngest attendees, to get a closer look without the stress of moshing.
One very slight disappointment was the omission of Roots, a song off Evolve, which the American rockers shot the music video for in New Zealand.
Despite that, the full noise spectacular featured every other song the crowd could possibly have desired with chart-toppers Thunder, Believer and Demons all met with screams from the crowd.
Unsurprisingly, the final song was the Grammy award-winning Radioactive, a fittingly epic sing-along to close out the confetti-filled and visually striking show.
Did you see the band play TSB? Let us now what you thought in the comments.
- Stuff
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