Imagine Dragons
February 20, 2015
Troubadour- Los Angeles, CA
Three days after the release of Imagine Dragons’ second studio album, Smoke + Mirrors, the band performed an intimate show at the Troubadour in Los Angeles, CA for a lucky 400 adoring fans. This was a very special show for the band and fans alike as fans could only win their way into the show since tickets weren’t for sale. One of the last times Imagine Dragons had played at the Troubadour was in 2012 and since then, their fan-base grew tremendously, with them now set to play one of the biggest arena’s in Los Angeles on their upcoming Smoke + Mirrors World Tour. Returning at a venue which they started out with brought back lots of memories that lead singer Dan Reynolds mentioned throughout the show.
With no opening band, Imagine Dragons hit the compacted small stage at 9:20pm and kicked off their 12 song set with Shots the opening track from Smoke + Mirrors. The stage being so small, looked so big from afar as there were lights going from the back of the stage making a box like shape all the way to the front. It was a really interesting set up that was pulled off really well in such a small place.
The night was filled with live debuts including Smoke and Mirrors, Dream, It Comes Back to You and Friction. Although they were live debuts, the band pulled them off like they’ve been performing those songs for years and fans sang along verbatim. Following the debut of Dream, Dan Reynolds pointed out to the crowd that his mother was in the audience. He went on to say, “…She’s one of the greatest women in the world and I wanna tell her I love her. I know it sounds cheesy but I’m grateful for my mother.” As fans awed at his appreciation speech, he finished with saying “Conflict is just a part of love and I’m just so grateful for everything that she’s done for me.” The band then went off their setlist, asked fans what they wanted to hear and added an oldie but a goodie, Amsterdam to the mix.
As the set was coming to an end, Reynolds introduced all the band members and even introduced a touring member who was on keys. He told the crowd to not even think about forgetting about him, which was really noble since many people don’t pay much attention to the touring members of a band and when a roadie came out on stage to fix the mic, Reynolds introduced him to the crowd saying how amazing he was as well. The band concluded with Radioactive and I Bet My Life, thanked the crowd one last time, threw out guitar pics and drum sticks and left the stage.
Not only do these guys perform tremendously with such enthusiasm and energy, but they are also very humble and down to earth. They don’t take anything for granted and they truly appreciate all of their fans and all the support they receive. Reynolds thanked the crowd multiple times through the short set and made sure the fans knew that the band wouldn’t be anywhere without them. Imagine Dragons is a band that everyone should make an effort to go see. They not only put out great music, have an amazing stage production, put on a energetic live show, but they are humble musicians, something that many musicians should look at and use as an example for themselves.
Review by: Nicole Lemberg
