On top of the world

Last night I went to this pretty tiny music venue, the kind you find in all college towns, to see a band called Imagine Dragons. They're from Vegas but for years have been playing shows in Provo; they've been playing here since at least 2009. It was the first place they kind of got big, so there's basically a cult following. All the shows they play sell out. And for good reason.

Imagine Dragons is hard to describe. I don't know exactly what genre they fall into. I suppose rock but they're also kind of indie, plus there's some synth involved so it gets kind of electronica sounding at times. I suppose the easiest way to describe it is just alternative but that does not do them justice whatsoever. Basically, it's awesome. Their song Radioactive kind of shows the intense stuff they do. But On Top of the World is way more chill and just happy sounding. And then there's America which is just totally different from basically anything else they do.

The band's newest EP came out probably just over a month ago now. It's called Continued Silence. I'm pretty sure they played all of the songs off the EP plus a few old ones. And we got TWO encore songs, so that was fantastic. They really have a soft spot for Provo because of how supportive everyone in the city has been of them over the years. The lead singer, Dan, even said after they played one song that they can always refuse doing just one more song to places like Boston and Chicago, but they can never refuse Provo. I'm pretty sure all the songs they played I knew perfectly or most of, so that was awesome since I haven't listened to a ton of their early stuff.

Because of how small the venue is, the band is seriously just right in front of you. You can see their every facial expression perfectly even if you're in the back-middle part of the room. Everything about them is personal and the venue made it even more so. Dan said over and over again how he felt so much love that night and how even if we all go home sick, because he had a cold and then asked who else was sick a good handful of other people were too, it will be a cold made up of so much love. It was an absolute dream. Every song was filled with incredible emotion and it seriously seemed like everyone there knew all the words to every song. We were all there to support Imagine Dragons in one of the only ways we can, which is to sing at the top of our lungs and dance a little bit. It was probably the best concert experience I've ever had. It felt like the epitome of being a college student: ditching homework to go see some band in a tiny little room downtown with some amazing friends and just letting go of everything going on in life besides the music. That is exactly what it felt like. The semester has been quite busy and I have been, by and large, really responsible. It was great to let go of all the other stuff going on and just be enjoying life.

The best part of this show, however, was not just seeing the band but seeing them with my friends. Lorraine and I met up w/ two guys from our freshman year. One of them we hadn't seen in two years and the other we've only seen on campus every now and then. It was great to be around them. One of them, Will, has been a huge Imagine Dragons fan for a long time now and he was so excited, like a little kid really, that it made everything more exciting for the rest of us. He was also super sweet and let us stand in front of him so we could see better.

I remember the first Imagine Dragons song I ever heard; it's called I Need A Minute. They didn't play it last night but that was fine by me. They played basically every other song I love by them so it all evened out. Everything about the concert was perfect, I swear. There are some bands that just do not sound good live but Imagine Dragons seriously sounds better live than they do recorded.

To put it simply, it was a pleasure to pay $12 to see Imagine Dragons play. I would, and probably will, do it over and over again. They're playing in Salt Lake in May, so that's going to be wonderful.

Last YouTube video I watched: It's Time

Oh, and what made it even better was that the opening band, Chasing Kings, was actually not bad. And when no one was playing the Head and the Heart was playing over the speakers. Totally a magical night.