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The LC was rocked last night with the Las Vegas indie-pop band, Imagine Dragons, as well as LA natives AWOLNATION. Not knowing what to expect from either band, I felt like I was on some emotional roller coaster ride because my thoughts about Imagine Dragons did not match the enthusiasm and energy of the crowd.
Imagine Dragons is not a bad band, just mediocre. Lead singer, Dan Reynolds seemed to try to keep everyone interested (or maybe just me) by having one arm lifted/raised throughout the set. When this arm was not raised, the mic stand was used as a prop, and raised as well. It was your standard fare of bro-rock. No chances were taken, nothing too crazy happened on stage, and everyone seemed sober. How lame.
Before starting “On Top of the World”, Reynolds asked if the audience was ready to dance, to which I was optimistic about, but unfortunately they failed yet again. Just because there are high-hats in a song, does not automatically make one want to dance, especially when the song is bad. The best part is when Reynolds beat his fist against his chest during one of his songs, but instead of looking passionate and humble, he only reminded me of a nice version of Mark Wahlberg in the classic film (in my mind), “Fear”. Reynolds joined the band by playing drums on an instrumental part of their last song. Sadly, this was the best part. It is possible that I am missing something, since the crowd enjoyed themselves, but I unfortunately did not.
AWOLNATION, with a Girl Talk-esque opening, came onto the stage around 10:00. With a bright white “AN” light and 4 flags hanging from the tops of the stage, their set design was simple. With just the opening, all of my preconceived notions were proved completely false.
They are extremely energetic and the talent is apparent. Drummer, Hayden Scott hit each and every note so powerfully that I was amazed the same amount of energy he started with, was the same at the end of the set. Bass player, David Amezcua was a pleasure to watch while he whipped his hair in time with the drum beats. A few points during the course of their set, the bass was so intense that it shook my skinny jeans.
Towards the end of the show, lead singer Aaron Bruno lead audience members in the sold-out arena in an acapella rendition of “Lean on Me”. I at first thought it was cheesy, but somehow they pulled it off. Their hit “Sail” seemed to be sung by all in attendance, as cell phones simultaneously rose in the air as if there was some memo that I did not receive. They lost me at the end of their set because of the nearly 15 minute song, “Knights of Shame”. I was surprised at AWOLNATION as a band. They are so much more than “Sail”, but are not on my priority list as a band I would like to see again.
Special thanks to Brandy Walker and Kristina Keck for their photography.
I loved Imagine Dragons. I thought they did a great job. All of my friends were more excited to see them. I’ve never been a huge fan of AWOLNATION but do enjoy a few of their songs. I was not a fan of their show yesterday. Too much head banging and it was a little too wild (or maybe I’m getting old).
Too bad you didn’t enjoy your evening. We thought Imagine Dragons sounded great despite Dan’s sinus infection. They might sound a little too much like The Killers (who I don’t really like; weird, huh?) at times but Imagine Dragon’s new CD has really grown on me. I think AWOLNATION probably surprised a lot of people – both in a good way and a bad way. They are heavier live which I loved about them as did my friend who said they reminded him of what he heard in clubs in the UK (where he is from) in the early ’90s. My daughter, Olivia, and her friend, Connie, interviewed Aaron Bruno from AWOLNATION before the show for their website – http://www.kidsinterviewbands.com/kids-interview-bands-awolnation/
As I stood on the balcony, I noticed a woman that was standing in the front with her camera around her neck and leaning onto the stage. She stood there and looked like a member of her family had passed away, or, that being at this event was punishment. After having read your review and seeing the camera angle of the photos above, I can deduce that this was you. I can appreciate a good critic, however, you are way off. To call Imagine Dragons mediocre clearly shows that your music likes are very compartmentalized and cannot separate the two different styles of music to properly make a good critic. It is funny that you brought up humility. Because as I stood there listening to him talk between songs, I thought to myself, “Wow! Not only can he sing, but, he is very humble. There is no arrogance.” This is a quality that I have not seen in many artists. It’s all about the money and a facade. He seemed very genuine. I’m not quite sure what exactly you were expecting him to do. You mock his style of arm raising and the mic stand used as a prop with no chances taken. Did you want him to do cartwheels and backflips? If that’s the case, perhaps, you should get tickets for Cirque Du Soleil. Your statement for the crowd being somber was false. You didn’t have a view to adequately draw that conclusion. That would have been the crowds reaction to Zeale being on stage. Having had the ‘birds eye’ view of the crowd, we were all quite pumped for the show. In fact we stepped outside to cool off and didn’t go back in when AWOLNATION went on. We listened from outside and made the decision that it wasn’t worth staying for. As we were walking back through the venue, the crowd didn’t seem as energetic as with Imagine Dragons and there was a steady stream of people walking out of the show early. And yes, you are clearly missing something. That is an understanding of music with an open mind. How you can say that a band that went to #1 (and currently #4) on iTunes within 24 hrs of release is mediocre is beyond me. If you don’t like indie rock, or, they are not within the scope of your musical preference, you should have stated that.
Actually that person was not me. I was in the crowd with everyone else, and wasn’t lucky enough to even come that close to the stage. I had a couple of friends take pictures for me (with a camera that was not long enough to hang around her neck), since my primary job is to review the show. I came into the show with an open mind, and was quite aware of the band’s popularity. There are many songs that make it to the number one spot on the charts, but that doesn’t mean that you or I are required to like them because a lot of people do. Some examples of crappy songs that went to number one include: “Mmmbop” by Hanson (which, at the time I did enjoy), “Believe” by Cher, and “Tik Tok” by Ke$ha.
I am also sure I mentioned the crowd as being really into it, and that I felt the complete opposite. Somber was not a word I used to describe them at all. I love all types of music (except country, which is why I’ll probably never review a country artist), including that of the indie variety, but this show didn’t do it for me.
Well said, Briana.