My Valentine's Day was EPIC. I spent it photographing the Imagine Dragons concert at the newly renovated Forum in Los Angeles (technically Inglewood neighborhood). I was up against the stage in this giant arena. Not only are Imagine Dragons insanely talented, but their music is inspirational, emotional and uplifting (as well as danceable). Definitely a refreshing sound in the music world.
Here's the text of the reporting I did for Neon Tommy, USC's digital journalism outlet:
To quote Imagine Dragons, "the last year has been a wild ride".
The Grammy award-winning band took the stage at the newly renovated Forum in Inglewood, California on Friday.
The band came out with lots of energy and the crowd went wild. The
musical performance was stellar, and it was accompanied with a lights
and multimedia display. The band was humble and appreciative of the
crowd's support; this was stated directly by frontman Dan Reynolds as he
thanked Los Angeles for always being a home to him.
The Las Vegas native repeatedly gazed out at the audience in what appeared to be gratitude and disbelief. Dan's reaction to the crowd and reception of praise made my night.
The band maintained its energy throughout the night. Reynolds made
repeat visits to the crowd on both sides of the stage and hopped down
into the pit during "It's Time". Balloons filled with confetti were
thrown into the crowd during "On Top of the World", which were
subsequently popped by Reynolds or audience members. They closed the
show with Radioactive.
The Naked and Famous opened for Imagine Dragons. Alisa Xayalith's
vocals were spot-on, as were Thom Powers' as well as his guitar playing.
Nico Vega opened before The Naked and Famous.
Imagine Dragons formed five years ago in Las Vegas, Nevada. They put
out two EPs before their current album, which has skyrocketed on the
charts in the past year and given them rise to their current fame.
During Friday night's show, they played a song, "Cha Ching," that they
wrote during their first year together as a band.
I have photos of Nico Vega and The Naked and Famous as well. Stay Tuned!
Photographically yours,
Kylie