Imagine Dragons Brings Energy and Clean Acoustics to TC Summer Fest

Last updated on July 22nd, 2023 at 12:51 pm

Standing in the crowd at night two of TC Summer Fest, I noticed this little girl standing on a chair in front of me. A guy turns to me and says this is her first concert.

I said, “Wow you’re a cool dad to take her to this kind of show.” This little girl was nine and was loving every moment of it. It really hit me.

We all remember our first concerts. Mine was in a sweaty theater watching Reel Big Fish and Sugarcult at the age of twelve.

Looking around there were a ton of kids at this show. Man! My parents shorted me on the concert front. They, young concertgoers, were gonna remember this night forever, especially in the venue of Target Field. It gives every concertgoer some of the purist listening.

Talk, Em Beihold, and Chelsea Cutler opened the Saturday show to a sparse crowd. They offered a variety of crowd-friendly pop hits which made for an easy afternoon of listening.

Then viral comedian turned-musician Oliver Tree hit the stage.

Oliver Tree filled in for AJR at the last second due to a personal family matter. The whole band started by pretending to play violins and then the crowd was introduced to the large pants, small sunglasses wig-wearing artist.

Offering entraining skits on the side screens was about the only thing bearable during his performance. Otherwise, the music was subpar, but it was a refreshing change from the other PG artists on the bill. His continued claims of being from Minneapolis grew old quickly, as he is from Santa Cruz, California.

Oliver Tree tries very hard to be “funny” and overdoes it with the sheer ridiculousness of his performance. He’d have better luck focusing on improving his music and letting his video skits and pants do the talking.

As it grew darker, the stadium filled more and Imagine Dragons blew onto the stage with unrelenting energy. They jumped right into it with “My Life,” “Believer,” and “I’m So Sorry” as Dan Reynolds, leader singer, crawled around on the stage like Spider-Man and smoke and lights blasted at every chorus crescendo.

The nonstop hits continued until “Birds,” at which point someone Reynolds a birthday hat (his birthday was Friday), and the crowd sang an impromptu “Happy Birthday.”

Reynolds was clearly grateful. He continued his high-energy performance, working up a sweat amidst his energy. Pleas from men and women in the crowd for him to remove his shirt echoed all night throughout the crowd.

The show got serious during “Demons.” Reynolds continued to speak about the importance of mental health awareness. Playing the song on the piano triggered a cell phone lighting ceremony for everyone in Target Field. Life got real for a minute because we can all relate to our inner demons.

The band quickly lightened up the mood with “On Top of the World” during which balloons were released to the crown to help us forget about our demons. The 90-minute show then closed with “Walking the Wire” (there was no encore break). 

All in all, Imagine Dragons put on one of the best live shows I have watched in recent memory and the venue made it even better. Once the young concert-goers have to start paying for their own tickets, they will be in for a rude awakening.