Fleet Week was sleek at Radio City concert

Imagine Dragons kicked off the summer in full swing during their fleet week performance at Radio City Music Hall. Back on Saturday May 25, Imagine Dragons headlined Side by Side: A Celebration of Service. The annual event, created by Northwell Health, brings attention to Northwell’s commitment to veterans, and celebrates their service by providing a two-day event to honor military members and families.

During fleet week this year, approximately 2,600 service members arrived in New York City. And Northwell Health provided free tickets to hundreds of the veterans and members of the military. In fact, the vets received the best seats in the house, as the floor consisted primarily of service personnel.

Imagine Dragons, whose commercial-sounding music is tactfully woven in meaning, were the perfect act to headline the event. As their popularity grew exponentially this decade, the Grammy award-winning band has made it their mission to give back. Charitable contributions include raising money for music education, anti-violence, amnesty, and a plethora of pro-LGBT causes. Frontman Dan Reynolds produced the Emmy-nominated HBO documentary Believer. The documentary exposes how the Mormon Church treats its LGBT members. Reynolds also participates with organizing the annual LoveLoud Festival, a star-studded music festival which fights against teen suicide and aids organizations such as The Trevor Project and GLAAD.

Imagine Dragons opened up the late spring show with their hit “Believer.” It is one of the best-selling songs of 2017. Then they moved on to their major label debut “It’s Time.” The setlist was chock full of hits and featured seventeen tracks total. It was impressive in length given that this was a charitable event.

All of Imagine Dragons four studio albums have charted at either #1, or #2 on the charts, and one does not realize the impact they have had on pop culture until you attend an Imagine Dragons concert.

As the band transitioned from “Whatever It Takes,” to “Thunder,” to “Demons,” it became evident that the reason Imagine Dragons has such an impact on the music industry is because of the depth of their lyrics coupled with Dan Reynolds’ powerhouse vocals. Before each track, Reynolds would divulge into the meaning of each song. Including his inspiration for writing it, and openly discussed every topic from depression, to suicide, to abuse to parenthood, to candidly citing himself as to blame for his wife leaving him last year. The family did reunite this year.

In being vulnerable with their fanbase, Imagine Dragons makes it safe for their fans to recognize when they are not okay. And moreover, the fans know to seek treatment if need be.

The band closed out their show with the motivational “On Top of the World” followed by an encore of “Radioactive.” Rest assured that if there is one act worth seeing live, even if you are not familiar with their entire catalog, it is Imagine Dragons.

Watch Imagine Dragons close out the charitable cause with their mega hit “Radioactive.”

Watch a full playlist of performances here: https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PL47c9ffLBOExr7a9JLUNHoWrQlsELWS9j