Having already attended two Imagine Dragons concerts in Bangkok (one being Marriott Marquis' private event), expectations were sky-high for their Evolve World Tour gig which took place last Thursday at Impact Challenger Hall. The band's Smoke and Mirrors Tour back in 2015 was possibly one of the best performances of the year, so many questions arose. Would they be as energetic as the previous rounds? Would their set list be as long? Is frontman Dan Reynolds going to wear elephant patterned harem pants again? And although the set only lasted an hour-and-a-half and Reynolds only wore simple black trousers, the Grammy-winning Los Angeles-based alt-arena-rock band still soared through the night, giving an adrenaline-inducing yet heartfelt performance.
Walking onto the stage amid the roar of the crowd -- which ranged from girls wearing headbands with Reynolds' face on them to middle-aged men who simply just want to rock out -- Dan Reynolds (vocals), Daniel Wayne Sermon (guitars), Ben McKee (bass) and Daniel Platzman (drums) opened their performance with I Don't Know Why from their recently released album Evolve. Sitting on the floor after the song ended, Reynolds took a brief moment to muse about Thailand's culture, gentleness and warmth.
"We have a lot to learn," he said to an attentive crowd. "I hope you know we're taking a piece of you home with us and we're better for having it. I hope that you feel free, I hope your heart is free, I hope your mind as free, at least for one night. Peace and love to all of you." With a brief pause, Reynolds belted out the first lyrics of It's Time from their previous album, sending positive vibes throughout the whole hall.
The impressive stage lights criss-crossing the arena and LED screens added more drama to each song -- especially with their high-energy hits like Whatever It Takes, Believer and Yesterday. The hall went pitch black and then exploded with light once the chorus hit. Then, fuelling the audience's energy further was Reynolds' dancing, percussion playing and larger than life movements seeped with swagger.
Imagine Dragons assemble.
The band sounded just as good as their recordings if not better -- giving hope and empowering the crowd with their dark lyrics yet melodically powerful songs. With most of their music about mental illness and overcoming pain, you could hear the raw emotion in Reynolds' deep and raspy voice, especially when he sang Demons, prefaced with a poignant and personal speech about his battle with depression.
"The thing that I've learned is that depression is not a weakness," he said as the audience screamed in agreement. "It's not something to be shy of, it's not something to be afraid of, it's not something you should be afraid to admit. It's part of your story.
"Too many people have taken their lives because they didn't turn to someone when they needed to. Reach out. Give love. Above all, your life is always worth living. Always."
After the moving performance, the band continued with more of their upbeat and positive songs like Rise Up, On Top Of The World and Thunder. Announcing that they won't do an encore call to "play as many songs as possible", emotions peaked as they played their first ever love song from the Evolve album -- Walking The Wire.
Announcing the last song to the cries of the crowd, they ended the night with an epic rendition of their megahit Radioactive. Stretching out a three-minute song into a seven-minute performance, the crowd rocked out as Sermon shredded his guitar solo and all four members did a drum solo together on transparent floor toms, closing the night with deafening applause.
Imagine Dragons haven't lost their energy, and it seems like as long as they are physically able to -- they never will.
