Hold fast ladies and gentlemen, there’s some veritable rock and roll in your midst. This past year, Imagine Dragons has clawed its way to the top of, nay, perpetually scaled every worthwhile chart on record. It’s quietly nudged its way into a group of untouchable pop-wrecks that are all too prevalent in the world of Billboard fame. Surrounded on the Hot 100 list by the likes of will.i.am, the Biebs and the semi-offensive “Harlem Shake,” Imagine Dragons has reaffirmed every music lover’s faith that taste still exists.
The comfort it has in being surrounded by overblown and showy acts can be attributed to the city it calls home. Las Vegas is obviously known for its over-the-top showmanship, dollar-burning exhibitions and excessive debauchery. For a four-person rock outfit to survive in that kind of a circus is one thing, for it to thrive in it is another one entirely. It maintains an unassuming presence in an almost demonic industry, allowing the fifth member of its band, the music, to handle the unpleasantries. Imagine Dragons could one day be legendary and, fortunately for listeners, it’s coming to visit again this summer following its March appearance at The Fillmore.
“The Fillmore is definitely a historic venue, and it was one of the best crowds of the whole tour,” says lead guitarist Wayne Sermon. “The fan base in Denver is amazing. We’re always excited to come back.”
The group will bounce around the globe this summer, rocking headlines and festivals with very little breathing room. One of those headlining spots includes renowned Red Rocks Amphitheater May 16.
“We’ve all watched DVDs of our favorite bands playing Red Rocks,” said Sermon. ”We never thought we’d be one of those bands playing. Can’t wait to watch ourselves on DVD (just kidding).”
Jokes aside, its appearance will be one of the best to hit this year’s concert season. Tickets sold out in a matter of moments, and online scalping prices continue to be at absurd levels. Feeling the pressure of being one of summer’s most wanted, it has had to add on additional North American dates, spawning unconfirmed rumors the world over of additional shows.
“We’d rather be busy than sane, so we don’t worry about it too much,” said Sermon. “If we weren’t keeping busy, we’d have bigger problems on our hands.”
Imagine Dragons’ initial success is most accredited to its breakout single, “It’s Time.” The song boasts an animated melody below an easy-to-follow lyrical current. It tells about keeping one’s own integrity and the perils of doing so with ever-changing life priorities. It’s a strange jump from that to the wave-dominating “Radioactive,” which speaks of facing an impending apocalypse and is visually accompanied by dueling puppet monsters on the odd, but alluring, video. The band’s debut album
“Night Visions” touches on the conceptually creative and randomly probing.
The jump in sales and popularity of Imagine’s music is no doubt due to the ubiquity of its singles, but is also amplified by the band being featured in high-traffic media and promoted in commercials for “Assassin’s Creed III” and the science-fiction film
“The Host.”
So while finding tickets to its show may run you into the hundreds of dollars during a quick Craigslist encounter, the experience will no doubt be worth every penny. In the meantime, get its album in your ears if you haven’t already, and get acquainted with something that isn’t akin to auditory slumming.
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