Concerts, Music
Sep 29, 2015

IMAGINE DRAGONS GET PERSONAL WITH AUDIENCE AT HOLLYWOOD PALLADIUM

“If this is your first time at an Imagine Dragons show, we promise we don’t normally talk this much,”  Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds let out after his  third or fourth dragged out story of the night.

Last night’s show at the Hollywood Palladium was more of an elongated, live show of VH1’s Storytellers than a rock concert. Fans buzzed around the venue hours before the show started drinking drinks and snapping pictures of the Citi Advantage presents Imagine Dragons decorations that were nearly mummifying the place.

The band appeared at 8:30 p.m. sharp and took the stage with their breakout hit “It’s Time.” Right off the bat, the sound problems were noticeable. The mix was soft and the acoustics made it sound like I was in the very last row at the Hollywood Bowl, which is odd for such a small venue.

Despite the sound, the band knows how to put on a hell of a show.  Reynolds works the stage like a pro, dancing and weaving in and out of the crowd, belting out his vocals with calls-and-responses from the crowd.  As the show progressed, the mix seemed to get better and better, making the show better and better.

Unfortunately, due to all the storytelling, the band only played about 10 songs over a 90 minute set – but the last three songs made the night worth it. Ending the night with a few of their biggest radio hits and culminating with their smash “Radioactive,” complete with an amazing, nearly seizure-inducing light show that kept my ears buzzing (probably not healthy) and a smile on my face all night.

Written  by: Craig Sherwood