Imagine Dragons

The Viper Room, The Sunset Strip

West Hollywood, California

May 16, 2011

By Victoria Joyce
(SugarBuzz Hollywood)

SugarBuzz Magazine

OK, it’s raining and it’s a Monday. Something gets me to the Viper. I say hi to Joseph at the door (leader of Lady Sinatra), walk in get the back of my wrist stamped by the usually cool and collected ticket lady – but tonight she’s gasping for air – “Oh My God! Imagine Dragons! Oh My God!” and pointing upstairs like her life depended on it.

Must be a pretty good band playing tonight.

When was the last time you heard a rock song with “America” in the lyrics? Springsteen? Brian Wilson? U2 for Christ’s sake? Yeah, that’s where these songs go. The Viper Room was packed for Imagine Dragons. And, yeah, “Oh My God, Imagine Dragons, Oh My God” says it all.

And they are: Dan Reynolds, who sings his brains out, Ben McKee boiling the bottom notes, Brittany Tolman striking the keys, D. Wayne Sermon on gee-tar, and Andrew Tolman works out his unhappy childhood frustrations by hitting drums with sticks.

Lead Singer, Dan Reynolds, with his big-time, show tunes, perfect pitch delivery, is all over the stage, eyes closed and holding the mic with both hands, writhing and barely in control as if the songs are singing him and not the other way around. Like Iggy Pop fathered a child with one of those kids on Glee.

Natives of Las Vegas, Imagine Dragons is further bouffed out with male and female background vocals in honey sweet harmony and the guitars dialed down just a smidge into an old fashioned “wall of sound.” The result is a massive human message of a celestial and dangerous nature. You are scared and inspired at the same time. Imagine Dragons brings back corny Rock Drama like Fleetwood Mac meets the Waitresses, 70s classic evolving into 80s punk.

This guy Reynolds really gets into it, pointing out his wife and parents from the stage. “You guys are ALL family.” Ordinarily this would be a preposterous thing for a rocker to say from any stage on the Sunset Strip. But not here, not him and not tonight. It’s all from the heart, for real. Gee, I’m getting all misty.

Plinky, planky, toy piano type keyboards from Brittany Tolman lends a honky-tonk, little kid touch with one song and an oozing dreamy synth sound to the next. Multi-tasker or what? Backed with rapid fire drum beats, these songs explode. An irresistible force meeting an unmovable object. Something’s got to give.

Post set, out front while we grab a smoke on the sidewalk, sweaty singer Dan is hugging everyone and thanking everybody for coming to the gig. We give him our two cents on the spot. Our old friend and Club Kid, Zoe told us that Dan just married Aja from Nico Vega – so, in all likelihood Imagine Dragons will be moving here and will become an LA band. Yay.

Imagine Dragons has 10 of their excellent songs on their Facebook page. And you can download the amazing “America” for free.

ReTweet: OMG, iDragons, OMG.

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SugarBuzz Magazine