Imagine Dragons: A Good Bet

By Drew Kennedy

Mar 10 2010

Imagine Dragons will perform during BMI’s official SXSW showcase at Maggie Mae’s (323 East 6th St, Austin, TX) on Thursday, March 18. Imagine Dragons will take the stage at 10:30 p.m.

The landscape of Las Vegas is a fairly accurate visual depiction of all things trending. Its trademark neon glow has been remade a handful of times to reflect the changing currents of America’s idea of style, with a little bit of sin on the side. The old marquees go down in a cloud of dust, and new, more modern representations are erected in their place. The changes don’t really change anything about Vegas, other than perhaps a splash of new makeup applied to the face of what many consider to be the pulse of fun coursing through our national veins.

Imagine Dragons, who call Vegas home, know this better than anyone. If the bright lights and big bets of Sin City were to be encapsulated in musical form, it would sound like this band—bold and unapologetic on the inside, with a tinge of the old sparkle hanging around on the fringes. They’re relatively new—vintage 2008—but Imagine Dragons carry themselves on stage with the distinct traits of a band that long ago mastered the art of Vegas: entertainment.

Case in point: “Selene,” from their highly anticipated sophomore release, rollicks with the strut of a newly arrived dreamer, intoxicated by his surroundings as he makes his way down the famed Strip for the first time. Yet there’s enough of a vintage polish to the track that ensures familiarity.

Imagine Dragon gets it: Just like there’s enough room for the flashy, brand-new-feel of the Wynn and the vintage glitter of Freemont Street, there’s plenty of space for the band’s inspired glam-meets-grunge update.

And that’s something worth betting on.

View the full BMI at SXSW schedule.