The Prudential Center, affectionally known as “The Rock,”
in Newark, New Jersey, was the backdrop for my first encounter with Imagine
Dragons. It was an unseasonably warm October night when my wife and I
experienced this band in concert. And while I missed the opening act of K Flay,
I did not miss Grouplove, which was part of the reason I purchased the tickets.
Grouplove
I was excited to watch Grouplove’s performance. I have
been a fan since their debut album but never had the opportunity to see them live.
They did not disappoint! Packed with energy and fun, Grouplove was spectacular.
And while I did not get to hear my favorite song (Lovely Cup) all of the songs
performed were terrific. Grouplove was so good that I want to see their headlining
set. The rhythm section of the band was solid, but it was vocalists Hannah
Hooper and Christian Zucconi that made their portion of the evening memorable.
Both performers had an intense level of energy that they brought to the live
show and exuded onto the stage for the entirety of their 40-minute set.
One area that could use some improvement is the stage
banter. This is still a work in progress for Grouplove and that is not a
negative knock on them. It is clear they are working on it and may have been
nervous performing in front of such a large and raucous crowd. By the middle of
their set, the arena was almost completely full and that had to be encouraging
to this band.
Grouplove can best be described as modern alternative.
The leopard outfits and fluorescent hair that Hooper and Zucconi adorned were
more of a shout out to classic punk bands, but Grouplove is not punk rock in
the sense of The Ramones or Rancid. They are definitely a band with a modern
punk flair and songs that just make people happy. A majority of the fans around
me were singing along to each and every song that Grouplove played. That has to
be a catalyst to this band as they are at a time in their career where they are
close to blasting off toward stardom.
Grouplove Setlist
Welcome To Your Life
Itchin’ On A Photograph
I’m With You
Hippy Hill
Shark Attack
Ways To Go
Tongue Tied
Sabotage
Colours
Imagine Dragons
There is no doubt that Imagine Dragons can perform. They
receive an A for effort, especially lead singer Dan Reynolds. He had energy and
joy and passion that showed throughout the entire evening. However, Imagine
Dragons performance also included too many prerecorded backing tracks and sound
effects. I like my live music to be live and not keyboard samples.
Unfortunately, Imagine Dragons does not feel the same way.
One of the things that I like most about live music is
the fact that it is live. And live music means there is a chance that there may
be some errors during the performance and it might even get ugly at times. But
the best of the best can always recover from that and it makes the concert that
much more entertaining. Live music is performed to perfection through hard work
and several daily hours of practice. And those that commit to this will not
have any pre-recorded tracks being played during their live show. And that is
where Imagine Dragons lost me unfortunately.
I was also upset with their song decision for the
setlist. I understand that they are supporting a new album, however, they
played too many songs form it. And while it’s not a terrible record, their last
record was far superior. In keeping with the theme of the night, I didn’t get
to hear my favorite songs from this band either. I think song selection would
have made this concert an entirely different experience for me. Key songs that
were not included in the setlist: “Hopeless Opus,” “Shots,” “Polaroid,” “It
Comes Back To You,” “Trouble,” and “Tiptoe.” I realize that they weren’t going
to play all of those, but a couple of those songs are huge hits and hearing
them may have left me with a different opinion of the night.
As for the new songs, “Rise Up,” and “Yesterday,” were performed
tremendously. I also like that the band has several different drums set up
throughout the stage and at certain times all band members would pound on those
drums as songs came to a close. Imagine Dragons have a lot of percussion in
their music and this was a good way for the band to perform those segments.
Singer Dan Reynolds appeared humbled before the crowd. He
told us several times that evening that the band does not take their success
for granted and thanked the audience multiple times over for coming out to the
concert. He realizes the importance of fans and he and the rest of the band did
all they could to make sure that it was a memorable evening for everyone in
attendance.
Ticket prices were affordable, which I commend. My wife
and I were seated in section 17, row 10 and we paid less than $80 for the
tickets. That’s incredible! Based on ticket sales and crowd reaction, this band
is going to be giving sold out performances for a long time. And while I
enjoyed the concert, I think Imagine Dragons is a one and done live for me. I
just seem to like their studio music much better than their concert
performance. Although I don’t think that will hurt their ticket sales at all.
Imagine Dragons are destined to have a long and prosperous career.
Imagine Dragons
Setlist
I Don’t Know Why
It’s Time
Gold
Whatever It Takes
I’ll Make It Up to You
Mouth of the River
Yesterday
Start Over
Demons
Rise Up
I’m So Sorry
On Top of the World
I Won’t Back Down
Bleeding Out
Amsterdam
Thunder
I Bet My Life
Believer
Walking the Wire
Radioactive
