Imagine Dragons at Merriweather Post Pavilion, Columbia, MD – September 20, 2013

Photographs and Review by Christa Rae Settle.

Imagine Dragons is one of the best live bands. Ever. No exaggeration. The energy that this rock band has is revered. This is the second time we covered Imagine Dragons on our blog and there are not many live shows that compare to Imagine Dragons live. Not only is their music catchy, but their lyrics inspire all of their fans and listeners and it unites us all. Usually at concerts attendees are on their cell phones, most taking photos and videos for Instagram, but some are just texting away not watching the show they paid to see. At Imagine Dragons concerts, I see very few people with cell phones in the air. Instead, it’s just their hands, swaying to the music, mirroring what lead singer Dan Reynolds does with his hands.

All of the band members interact well with the crowd, especially Dan. The way he looks at the crowd as they sing with him is so moving – it’s as if the crowd is fueling his energy on stage. The most powerful part of the show was when the sold out crowd at Merriweather Post Pavilion all took a deep breath during that part of the song “Radioactive” and then exhaled it loudly all together at the same time.

Imagine Dragons set contained all of their top songs on their Night Visions album as well as “30 Lives” which originally released on their Imagine Dragons iTunes Session EP in May 2013.

Imagine Dragons setlist:

1. Intro
2. Round And Round
3. Amsterdam
4. Tip Toe
5. Hear Me
6. Cha-Ching
7. Rocks
8. It’s Time
9. 30 Lives
10. Demons
11. Underdog
12. On Top Of The World
13. Radioactive
14. Nothing Left To Say

The Neighbourhood

Indie rock band The Neighbourhood took the stage prior to Imagine Dragons. This band is climbing the charts with their hit “Sweather Weather” especially now that the song is so relevant in the fall season. The Neighborhood’s music has a very prominent moody electronic rock sound, very similar to the style of Lana Del Rey. However, their sound performance wise was a little disappointing in comparison to their recorded sound. It did not sound or feel as put together, it was a little rough. The constant “I LOVE YOU” voice recording that played over the speakers constantly as a reminder of their full length album title was a bit much. Although it probably wasn’t their best set, they still performed to please their fans in the crowd and the attendees loved their set, which is what really makes the music business go round. The Neighbourhood was formed in August 2011 of members Jesse Rutherford (vocals), Jeremy Freedman (guitar), Zach Abels (guitar), Mikey Margott (bassist) and Bryan Sammis (drums). The Neighbourhood is still climbing the charts and catching the ears of Rolling Stone very positively. They are certainly a band to watch!

The Neighbourhood setlist:

1. Sweater Weather
2. Female Robbery
3. Everybody’s Watching Me (Uh Oh)
4. Let It Go
5. W.D.Y.W.F.M?
6. Wires
7. A Little Death
8. How
9. Afraid

The Envy Corps

Alternative rock band The Envy Corps started the night out with their very atmospheric pop-ish sound. The Envy Corps is composed of Brandon Darner (guitar), Micah Natera (keyboards, guitar), Luke Pettipoole (vocals, guitar, piano) and Scott Yoshimura (drums). According to the Examiner, this band is “the best band you’ve never heard of.” Which is so true. Most attendees had not heard of this band before, but was pleasantly surprised by how great they performed. The members of this band really rock out during certain parts of each song.