Though the tour of their third studio album, “Evolve,” was nearing its end by the time Imagine Dragons performed at the Amalie Arena, the band was nowhere near burnt out as one might have expected. Imagine Dragons captivated the crowd with mood-fitting light shows, plenty of audience involvement, and inspirational speeches.
While the band may have been on tour to promote their newest album, they played several songs from their previous two albums, “Night Visions” and “Smoke and Mirrors.” Ranging from the older hits such as”It’s Time” and more esoteric pieces like “Gold.” There was no telling what the band would play next.
The lead singer, Dan Reynolds, had a fantastic stage presence-coupling his seemingly down-to-earth personality and boundless energy in a way that the audience’s eyes never left him. To ensure that the audience would never get bored or have downtime, Reynolds got them to shout the lyrics to a multitude of songs. Whether it was singing almost an entire pre-chorus bridge or simply chanting one word every time Reynolds drops it in a song, everyone was enjoying themselves and singing the best they could.
On a more serious note, Reynolds spoke on current political issues, referencing events such as the bombing of Manchester Arena, telling the crowd they were fearless for, despite these tragedies, still coming out to see the band. Later on, Reynolds opened up about his personal issues and history with depression. He used his personal experiences to encourage those who are depressed to seek therapy or at least open up about their issues to someone they trust, saying that it would be better for them in the long run than if they bottled up everything.
K. Flay and “Grouplove” were the two opening acts, and though they seemed to be passionate and enjoyed themselves, compared to Imagine Dragons, they were lackluster and somewhat lesser in quality. It seemed the three acts all had good relations with one another, as halfway through their show, fans could see two members of “Grouplove,” Christian Zucconi and Hannah Hooper, dancing in the crowd; K.Flay joined in on one of their songs.
Somewhat predictably, the band ended the show with their most iconic song, “Radioactive.” Though it was cliche to finish with their top-selling song, the band went harder than they ever had before and played the song with everything in them, ending the concert on a high note that left no one despondent.
Aliya Leary // Staff Writer
