Imagine Dragons at the South Side Ballroom in Dallas, Texas

Friday, September 27th, Imagine Dragons played night one of a sold out two night run at Dallas’ South Side Ballroom.

This was my third time to be able to see this band. They have been touring their hearts out all over the world for about 10 straight months now and they still continue to give their die hard fans every ounce of their hearts on stage. When I arrived at the venue 2 hours before show started, there was a line blocks long down the street.  I didn’t find out how early the front row fans had to get there, but bravo for their dedication. This venue is standing room only, so by the time these guys took the stage the front area was a sweaty, jammed packed singing and cheering entity.

This is still part of their Night Visions tour, so if you caught them at the House of Blues in Dallas last time, the stage setup was basically the same.  Tree cutouts and and lots of colored lights were arranged all over the stage, there were some additional LED screens as the backdrop that proved imagery and close up camera views of stage activity, but for me it is the variety of drums setup all over the stage and lead singer Dan Reynolds magnetic stage presence that is what really provides the centerpiece of all their shows.  Their 14 song set saw him cover every single inch of the stage.  He loves to stand on top of the front of the stage and raise his arms to the audience.  I think that half of his energy comes directly from feeding off the crowds reactions. Guitarist Wayne Sermon will look up and give you a beautiful smile in between songs, but in the moment of playing, he tends to tuck his head down and play intensely in his own little world.  Bassist Ben McKee, and drummer Daniel Platzman both play with full energy and commitment it is a wonder they are still standing by the end of the show.

Of course the popularity of their album Night Visions is completely evident when you can hear the crowd singing along to every word of every song.  They did mix it up with a cover or two in the middle including Cold War Kids’ “Hang Me Up to Dry.”  By the time they finished the set with the radio staple “Radioactive” the red flamed screens highlighted Reynolds as he used their signature giant drums that sits patiently on the stage waiting for that song.  Large balloons filled with confetti bounced all over the crowd until they finally broke them.

Overall this was yet another amazing performance from this great band.  They are currently touring out of the country yet again, but I have heard rumors that they may be returning to the DFW area yet again, so make sure to keep tabs on their tour updates, because this is a show you should add to your bucket list.

Article and photos by Reanna Streater