A&E

Five thoughts: Imagine Dragons at the Joint (December 11)

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Imagine Dragons headline Night 1 of 2014 Holiday Havoc at the Joint on Thursday, Dec. 11, 2014, at the Hard Rock Hotel.
Photo: Erik Kabik / ErikKabik.com
Allison Duck

1. All I wanted for Christmas were some new Imagine Dragons tracks, which didn’t seem unreasonable since sophomore album Smoke + Mirrors is wrapped and ready for a February 17 release. Maybe I was on the naughty list, because the only new track they played was the previously released “I Bet My Life.” It seemed strange that they chose not to debut more, especially given the warm embrace of the hometown crowd.

2014 Holiday Havoc: Imagine Dragons

2. During “I Bet My Life,” singer Dan Reynolds looked out over the crowd like he was king of his domain. His pause to take it all in underscored the emotional significance of the new song, which he has said is about his relationship with his parents.

3. Though we didn’t get any previously unreleased tracks, Imagine Dragons did improv their way through some holiday songs. They randomly launched into “O Christmas Tree” between songs, then transitioned into “Jingle Bell Rock” and eventually “The Lion Sleeps Tonight.” Later, during the encore, they did a touch of “Carol of the Bells” (reinvented as a rock song by Trans-Siberian Orchestra). Why not? ’Tis the season.

4. On Thursday Reynolds took every chance he could to thank fans and express his love for his hometown. He let the crowd know he had bought his first home in Vegas, where the band recorded its upcoming new album, and made it clear Imagine Dragons wouldn’t forget the city that supported them as they rose to international prominence. “We hope to continue to be a part of this city till the day we die … We hope to record there for the rest of our lives!”

5. Overall, the show wasn’t quite on the level of the band’s previous Joint performance, which was a homecoming of sorts, one of their first big local gigs since their debut album, Night Visions, took off. There were no rope-swinging escapades over the crowd, and I don’t think they even touched the giant drum hiding in the corner, usually used during “Radioactive.” Though there were several intense group-drumming sessions, nothing can compare to the energy of that previous show.

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