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The band’s first big break came in 2009 at the Bite of Las Vegas Festival when Train frontman Pat Monahan fell ill. As a last-minute replacement, Imagine Dragons’ first major gig before an audience of 26,000.
Over the next two years, Imagine Dragons followed up with two EPs, Imagine Dragons and Hell and Silence. It broke out in 2011 with the single “It’s Time”, which led them to sign with Interscope Records. The band moved to California and worked with producer Alex da Kid on two more EPs: Continued Silence and Hear Me. Now ready for the big leagues, Imagine Dragons released its debut album Night Visions in the summer of 2012.
Night Visions was a smash hit across the board. The highest-charting rock album since 2006, it sold over 83,000 copies and reached the number one spot on Billboard’s Alternative and Rock Album chart. It topped charts worldwide, reaching the #1 spot in the UK, Australia, Brazil, Mexico, and Canada, and produced chart-topping singles “Radioactive” and “Demons”.
Imagine Dragons launched its Night Visions Tour, and the resulting series of sold-out shows across the US and Europe earned it recognition as “The Best Breakout Band of 2013” from Billboard. While touring, the band worked on dozens of demos which would lead to the band’s second studio release.
Over the course of 2014, Imagine Dragons honed these songs as it worked on other projects like the song “Battle Cry” for Transformers: Age of Extinction and “Warriors” for the esports event League of Legends Championships. By that October, its new single “I Bet My Life” heralded even greater successes in the coming year.
InFebruary 2015, Imagine Dragons’ second studio album, Smoke + Mirrors debuted at #1 on the Billboard charts. The record proved that the band had truly arrived and went on to sell well over one million copies. Another tour ensued in June of 2015 which would press on into early 2016. Along the way, the band also released a cover of the Eagles of Death Metal song “I Love You All the Time” in support of victims of the November 2015 terrorist attacks in Paris.
For a lot of 2016, the band took a break, releasing just a few singles for the films Suicide Squad, Me Before You and Passengers. Suicide Squad’s “Sucker for Pain,” featuring Lil Wayne, Wiz Khalifa, Logic, Ty Dolla Sign, and X Ambassadors, was a smash hit, topping the charts in what was otherwise a quiet year for the band.
In February of 2017, audiences would get its first taste of new music from the band with the song “Believer,” the first new single from the upcoming record, which also appeared in a Super Bowl ad. A few months later in May, the album arrived. Evolve was revealed with a whole new collection of songs, a brand new single (“Whatever It Takes”) and a tour announcement all on the same day. Evolve would go on to be nominated for multiple Grammys and win Best Rock Video at the MTV Music Awards for “Whatever It Takes.”
Imagine Dragons didn’t rest on its laurels after 2017. The Evolve Tour continued, more singles dropped including “Natural,” and a collaboration tune with Kygo called “Born to Be Yours” hit Twitter. But why stop there? Origins, the band’s fourth studio album in six years, hit audiences with full force, making it to number two on the Billboard 200 and #1 on Top Rock Albums.
Finally, Imagine Dragons took a more restful couple of years. As Reynolds focused on new fatherhood and COVID-19 shut down concert venues, the band’s output slowed down to singles and video releases of old songs.
Then, in 2021, Mercury – Act 1 came out. The next year, 2022, a sequel, Mercury, Acts 1 & 2 followed. Produced by the legendary Rick Rubin, the concept album would slap dozens of tracks down with yet another tour ramping up.
Catch Imagine Dragons in concert when the tour rolls around to your area.
Listening to Las Vegas native band Imagine Dragons through headphones is one great experience, but seeing them perform their upbeat guitar and drum tunes in person, paired with the resonating vocals of Dan Reynolds, truly makes for a life-changing event.
The band has now performed all over the world due to their understandable success, and I saw them play at Lollapalooza in Brazil where they dressed in all black and gave the screaming crowd something they wouldn’t ever forget. The mellifluous band has a sort of chill, indie, rock and roll style, but they are far from an independent band – they embarked on a world tour after major success with their single “Radioactive” and have received lots of radio play for their cool guitar strums and cheerful yet relaxing music style.
Seeing the band live really makes you want to get off your feet, and the lively lyrics will truly dare you to try and stand still in one place, as the music urges you to let go and give in to the feeling of the music flowing through your whole body as your hear it the amazing instrumentals and sounds.
At Lollapalooza, the band didn’t require any props besides a simple few lights and their name in the background on a screen. All they need are their instruments, and Dan’s soulful voice.