IMAGINE DRAGONS @ ERWIN CENTER (SHOW REVIEW)

It’s not surprising to hear that Imagine Dragons, one of the top grossing live acts of 2013, hail from the entertainment mecca of the world, Las Vegas. As Rolling Stone’s “Breakthrough Band of 2013,” Imagine Dragons have blazed a trail to the top of the charts, not just with great songwriting and musicianship, but with the professional showmanship of a band that understands what it takes to make a live performance memorable.

The five-piece indie band from Auckland, New Zealand called the Naked and Famous took the stage after a set from Nico Vega. These Kiwis are no stranger to Austin and have played SXSW quite often while headlining and selling out their own shows at smaller venues like the Mohawk and Stubbs. Making the jump from mid-market venues to arenas like the Erwin Center couldn’t have gone any smoother for these electro-popsters, as their larger than life songs galvanized the Austin audience into a dancing frenzy. Mega hits like “Punching In A Dream,” “Hearts Like Ours” and “Young Blood” played out magnificently in the arena setting and, judging by their effectiveness in reaching the large audience, it won’t be long before the Naked and Famous are headlining their own arena tour.

Alisa Xayalith of The Naked and Famous

With only Imagine Dragons left to play, it soon became apparent that it wasn’t just indie rock fans and college kids comprising the crowd, but rather a large demographic of teeny boppers and tweens, mainly female, that would squeal with pleasure as the lights dimmed and Imagine Dragons took the stage.

To say frontman Dan Reynolds brings a healthy degree of energy to his performance would be the understatement of the century. Frenetically jerking his body in an odd resemblance to Justin Timberlake in a state of seizing, Dan ran close to a half-marathon as dashed back and forth across the long stage.

Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons

The band opened up with a throttling trio of songs, “Fallen,” “Tiptoe” and “It’s Time,” that would set the stage for the spectacle that would follow. Dan Reynolds and the rest of Imagine Dragons are a personification of Vegas, through and through. From each member banging on their own individual timpani on certain songs to the individual solos that each band member played at varying times during the set, their showmanship is tight, professional and holds an understandably wide appeal.

The highlight of the show that came as a shock in the latter half of the set was when Reynolds announced how Imagine Dragons had an affinity for classic rock – the band Rush in particular – before launching into an intensely explosive cover of “Tom Sawyer” by the Canadian rock legends, which was admirable to say the least. To add to the emotional intensity of the show, Reynolds dedicated a song to a friend of his named Tyler Robinson who succumbed to cancer a few months ago. The lights in the arena went dark for the song and audience members pulled out plastic white lights that had been given at the entrance to illuminate the stadium with thousands of tiny lights.

With the crowd completely entranced by the band, the Vegas showstoppers proceeded to bring down the house with their megahits “Demons” and “Radioactive,” which had the whole arena singing along. The band knew exactly what they were doing, from their setlist down to their mind-numbing laser shows, and with their deadly mix of hit-making ability and showmanship, I can comfortably say this won’t be Imagine Dragon’s last arena tour. -Lee Ackerley