American pop rock band Imagine Dragons have returned to the stage to promote their fifth studio album, “Mercury – Act 1,” through a five-month international tour. Their tour began on Feb. 6 in Miami and will end on July 16 in Paris. The group performed in Long Island’s own UBS Arena on Monday, Feb. 14.
This new tour is the band’s first time back performing live since their “Evolve” tour in 2017. Though they released their fourth album, “Origins,” at the end of 2018, there were no official tour dates in place for it, and then the pandemic hit. Lead singer Dan Reynolds opened the set list by announcing to the audience how much the band has missed this. “I want to thank you for coming here today. I want you to feel the energy that we feel. Look around you and enjoy because we’re back together and it’s all going to be okay,” he said.
In fact, the lockdowns elicited the longest break the band had ever taken since their formation in 2008. Previously, they were on a constant cycle of writing, producing and touring for over 10 years. It was clear as soon as the show began that this has affected the band in no small way. In addition to the challenges that are to be expected with such an extreme lifestyle change, Reynolds reveals that he faced personal difficulties as well. His sister-in-law, Alicia Reynolds, had been battling lymphoma for almost a year before passing away. Reynolds was very open with the thousands of people watching him as he began to cry while explaining how much music has saved him. He then visibly switched paths and channeled his sadness into an impassioned growl as the band performed “Wrecked,” the first single released from the album, in her honor. “Wishing you were around but now it’s too late / My mind is a place that I can’t escape your ghost / Sometimes I wish that I could wish it all away / One more rainy day without you,” Reynolds sang.
Imagine Dragons tackled several different emotions throughout the two-hour long performance. They did not shy away from performing their most popular hits from throughout the years, such as “Radioactive” or “Believer,” often adding visual effects such as raising platforms and explosions of light. Because this particular show took place on Valentine’s Day, Reynolds dedicated the band’s hit “Next to Me” to his wife in the audience surrounded by soft pink and purple lights while the rest of the band came to the front to sit and perform in a small circle. While still in the intimate, acoustic setup, the typical rock tone is traded for a more traditionally indie or folk sound, much like some of the band’s first songs. Reynolds and his bandmates sang a cover of Bob Marley’s “Three Little Birds (Everything’s Gonna Be Alright)” while assuring fans that they would make it through the hardships of both the pandemic and their daily lives, echoing Reynolds’ opening speech.
Typically, these attempts to connect to audiences feel out of touch from performers in much more privileged positions than their audiences ever will be. Reynolds’ absolute honesty and commitment to neither over or under-perform evoked a sentimentality that forced even the most stubborn watchers to pull out their phone’s flashlights and wave it along with him. Grandparents joined toddlers in standing up for the band’s final performances and were showered by a rainfall of flower petals and confetti.
“Mercury – Act 1” is evidence of yet another era of Imagine Dragons’ mainstream success over the past decade. Though the music is undoubtedly good, the live performances during this tour prove exactly what makes them so intentionally approachable.
