Last night I went to view a screening of an Imagine Dragons concert. I'm not a big Imagine Dragons fan, in fact I wouldn't have heard of them if it wasn't for my 11 year old—he's a big fan. It was his birthday recently and we tried to buy him tickets to see them in concert, but thanks to the awful booking experience you have to suffer through to buy concert tickets these days, we weren't able to get any.
So when we found out our local cinema was screening a live concert, it seemed like a good substitute. It was also a LOT cheaper (at £15/ticket). And even with the inflated cost of the popcorn (£8.20 including M&Ms), it was quicker and cheaper than driving all the way to London.
It was called 'Imagine Dragons: Live From The Hollywood Bowl' and there was a little confusion (between my son and I as we were waiting for it to start) as to whether it would in fact be 'live' or just a recording of a past 'live' event. I can officially report it was live, but of an event that happened back in October 2024—it wasn't live last night. The event, which was a one-night-only concert, is now available for viewing in cinemas on March 26th and 29th.
I was slightly nervous before we went, I had visions of a crowded cinema where I'd need to fight off groups of knife-wielding teenagers throwing pop-corn at us. However it soon became evident that wasn't going to be a problem.
When we arrived there were only two other people in the room. After we sat down, an elderly couple sat down a few rows in front. It was at this point that I wondered if we were in the wrong place, and if Imagine Dragons were actually playing at all. It turns out, Imagine Dragons just have a really varied fan base. A couple more families, with grown up children arrived, followed by some more old folks who were shepherded in via the accessibility entrance at the back due to the mobility issues. Then a few trailers trying to get us to signup to cineworld unlimited, before the performance began.
I'm not a big fan of performances in general really. I tend to find them a little boring. Theatre isn't really my thing. So I may not be the best person to fairly review this, but I'll zip through the highlights below.
The good bits
I loved the full orchestra backing provided by The LA Film Orchestra. This really added to the atmosphere and I can imagine it would have been very impressive to see live.
I thought the songs were good. My son said they played all the best ones, and they did so with energy and obvious love for what they do. Despite this being the final date of their US tour, Dan Reynolds (the frontman), told various stories and anecdotes, each with genuine emotion spilling through. It did have the normal amount of American heart on your sleeve kind of stuff, but nothing seemed trite or insincere, and it appeared to be coming from the heart. He seemed very genuine, with a life long passion for what he did, and a great frontman.
Overall it was a great performance. If you're a fan of the band I'd say it was worth seeing for sure. It's completely family friendly and really promotes some positive messages for young people.
Did my son enjoy it? To be honest, I'm not sure. When I looked over to him he seemed mildly bored, which is kind of how I felt, but then, it's not really my kind of thing. I've hardly ever seen anything at the theatre that has held my attention. At 2hrs 15 mins, it is a long time to spend watching a band you don't really know. But was it worth it? Yes I think so. Certainly if you're a fan of the band. Plus it was fun to spend the evening with my son, and to share it with him. I think the experience did make more of an impression than just watching a regular movie. The atmosphere in the Hollywood Bowl looked electric. The fireworks in the finale alone were worth seeing. Watching it in a practically empty cinema in Weston-super-Mare didn't really have the same buzz. It's certainly not a replacement for the real concert-going experience, but it did give a taste of what a live concert is like. Next time we'll just have to be quicker buying the tickets.
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