Getting your Trinity Audio player ready...

Live at KROQ

Helpful Honda Sound Space

July 4, 2024 Review by Shane Pase

Seeing a hugely-popular band in a small venue is always special. Seeing Imagine Dragons in the KROQ Helpful Honda Sound Space was incredible!

The show emcee was the always charismatic KROQ DJ, Megan Holiday. Holiday took the stage to a huge round of cheers from the crowd. She said we were in for something very special, and she was not wrong. After she gave a bit of history on the band and what we could expect from the show, she brought out Dan Reynolds, Daniel Sermon, and Ben McKee, and the crowd went crazy.

The band soaked it all in as they took their seats in preparation for a short interview. Holiday introduced each of the guys and briefly reminisced about the first time she met them following the release of the band’s 2011 debut single, “It’s Time.” Holiday stated KROQ senior VP of programming, Kevin Weatherly, confirmed KROQ was in fact the first station to play the song.

The band and Holiday chatted about the impact that song had on them as people and as a band. Reynolds and Sermon recalled the first time they heard the song on KROQ, they were in a van driving into LA. They said they were overly excited and freaking out, and driving faster to get a stronger signal. They laughed about possibly driving well over the speed limit, trying to get the song to come in clear.

It was a life changing moment for them as a band, and how those few minutes changed everything for them. Holiday then interjected it was like their “That Thing You Do” moment. They all laughed and agreed it was exactly that.

They talked about the new album, “Loom” (released today, June 28). The band members expressed their excitement over the new material and how long they have been working on the songs. Reynolds said several songs were ones they had been holding onto, desperately wanting to release. Holiday asked how they landed on the title “Loom” as it could mean something negative or positive.

Sermon agreed and said the title really held the openness for both possibilities; it is a title that holds both good and bad, positive and negative. Sermon said it was really up to the fans to decide for themselves and that it could have a different meaning for everyone.

Reynolds mentioned that the album was one of the most up-tempo they have ever done. He said it was made up of soulful songs, songs that had significant meaning, and songs like “Take Me to the Beach” were just lighthearted and fun. He added the album had a lot of meaning to him personally, and they were incredibly excited it was about to drop.

Wrapping up the interview, Holiday prepped the crowd for the incredible performance that was about to begin. A few minutes later, the band took the stage and played a stripped-down set with a minimalist drum kit, pair of keyboards, McKee on bass, and Sermon on acoustic guitar. As Reynolds took the mic, the small crowd went crazy.

Reynolds introduced the first song, “Fire in the Hills,” saying they had not performed it live before, and they would “see how this goes.” It was a beautiful song, full of emotions, and I cannot wait until the album release to hear the fully-produced song.

Next up, they went into a beautiful and soul-stirring rendition of “Next to Me.” This was a real crowd favorite and had hands in the air and the crowd swaying. After was another new song, which Reynolds said was called “Take me to the Beach.”

Reynolds said it was favorite of his and that it had a part that he wanted the crowd to sing along with. He worked the crowd for several minutes, teased them about the exact sound they needed to have, and then launched into the song. It was an incredible song and a fun sing-along. He confessed it was the first time they had played it live and he was thrilled how it worked out.

A funny moment occurred while Reynolds was chatting with the crowd. A fan handed him three bracelets and told him it was for the band.

Reynolds then gave Sermon and McKee a bracelet and quipped that he got left out and liked his bracelets better anyway.

As the crowd laughed good-naturedly, bracelet-giving fan explained there were three of them and one of them was actually for Reynolds. Reynolds laughed and apologized for the joke remark.

Reynolds then talked about how much he loved stripping the music down to the raw state they were performing it in that day. He said this was actually how they wrote and recorded their music, stating that it started with a single guitar or piano, some ideas of melodies, and some raw lyrics, and they would take it from there.

Reynolds then introduced the song that started it all, “It’s Time.” The crowd once again went crazy, and the entire place sang along. Reynolds appeared moved by the moment, had a huge smile, and held the mic out to the crowd several times to hear them sing.

The guys played their first single, “Eye’s Closed,” which received a big crowd response. The song was as fantastic stripped down as it was in the full-recorded version; it was really haunting live.

Wrapping the show up was the hit song “Believer.” The crowd went absolutely nuts when Reynolds introduced the song. The crowd sang along with every word, and we sang very loud. At the end of the song, the guys took a bow, signed a few autographs, and waved goodbye.

There is nothing better than seeing someone as big as Imagine Dragons in such a small and intimate space as the KROQ Helpful Honda Sound Space. I cannot wait to go back, I cannot wait for “Loom” to drop, and I cannot wait to see Imagine Dragons live at the sold out Hollywood Bowl show.

SHOW PHOTO GALLERY

Courtesy of KROQ by Sklar Barberio

@skylerbarberio 

<<Swipe To View Photo Gallery>>

TO FOLLOW

TO VIEW THE EVENT

SID 240706 | TRACI TURNER | EDITOR