Erik Kabik / ErikKabik.com
Wednesday, Feb. 25, 2015 | 11:37 a.m.
Imagine Dragons
Imagine Dragons
Imagine Dragons
ATLANTA — Wearing a grin and plain white T-shirt you’d buy three-to-a-pack at Target, Imagine Dragons frontman Dan Reynolds returned to the stage — which is to say he returned to his spot at the head of the cabin just in front of the cockpit.
Reynolds nodded at the warm reception, as this small but ebullient Destination Dragons crowd wanted more.
“I’ve always thought encores were extremely awkward. The band walks offstage, and then they have to come back onstage because everyone’s clapping,” Reynolds said. “But it’s even more uncomfortable when you have to go to your seat on an airplane and have to come back up and do it again.”
He added, “We really weren’t planning on doing (an encore), I promise. Otherwise, we wouldn’t have sat down.”
It might have been awkward, and it was an event when Imagine Dragons recalled the gigs they played before they were famous, long sets before sparse crowds at such haunts as Beauty Bar, the Pub at Monte Carlo and the tiny stage at O’Sheas.
But this was very different.
“That was a bizarre performance environment for us, and for us to say that is no small statement,” bassist Ben McKee said about an hour after the band landed here in Atlanta after its in-flight performance on Southwest Airlines. “We’ve performed with mimes, we’ve performed with cheerleaders dancing onstage with us, we’ve performed in malls and in tiki lounges. But we have never done anything like this.”
The Southwest promotional performance was an offshoot of its pop-up “Live at 35” series, during which artists are issued seats on a random flight, then as the plane reaches 35,000 feet perform.
But this was an announced appearance, as the Destination Dragons promotion was a mini-tour, taking the band to Provo, Utah (where Reynolds attended college, at BYU, and where the earliest version of the band began performing), L.A. and a roaring show at Vinyl in the Hard Rock Hotel on Monday night.
The series of club shows ends tonight in Atlanta. Performed at each stop is the band’s latest album, “Smoke + Mirrors,” which was released last week and debuts atop the Billboard 200 albums chart this week.
“This was a way to really connect with our fans on a one-on-one basis, and we’ve always been about fan interaction,” McKee said. “It’s a way to get back that feeling and re-create those moments.”
Though some moments are best to leave in the “Do Not Re-Create” file.
“I remember playing a show at Beauty Bar and leaving during the break to find people to come in and watch us play,” McKee said. “I walked in to the gyro place up the street and hustled some people to come in so we’d have an audience.”
Those days are long gone, as major corporations are now hustling the band for promotional partnerships. The Southwest campaign comes a few weeks after Target staged the band on a live commercial from Fremont East during the Grammy Awards telecast, and Target is the exclusive retail outlet selling the CD version of “Smoke + Mirrors.”
For the Destination Dragons promotion, 40 fans aboard the flight had won sweepstakes prizes through Southwest, offering a chance to take part in the entire tour and the flight from Las Vegas to Atlanta. In a piece of shrewd marketing, Southwest also is allowing passengers to play the entire “Smoke + Mirrors” album on its website on flights that offer Wi-Fi.
As for how the show played out, well, there was no smoke, no mirrors, no gigantic bass drum and no strobes. This was as stripped down a set as can be, and as Reynolds grabbed the cabin microphone, he asked, “Can you guys hear me? In the middle?” as if about to give directions on what to do in the event of an emergency.
He apologized to those who were not contest winners for being “stuck on a plane with us.” McKee cut in, telling passengers to show their dissatisfaction by pressing the flight-attendant call buttons overhead (a few passengers actually did, drawing laughter through the cabin).
The performance covered three songs, including the encore of “On Top of the World.” The band opened with its first radio hit, “It’s Time,” and covered “Radioactive,” as Daniel Platzman, the band’s percussionist and multi-instrumentalist, was hidden from view behind the wall at the plane’s entrance.
At the end of the show, and as the plane continued its path to Atlanta, guitarist Wayne Sermon was asked about those venues from the band’s infancy.
“Well, if you’re going by the smallest stage, this one wins, but not by much,” he said. “O’Sheas, maybe, was 40 percent bigger.”
But, as he said, the high-flying show was “really cool.”
“You’ve got to hand it to the crew for pulling this off. It worked, we have a PA system that worked, and someone held the announcement phone over the speaker to give us a boost,” he said. “We improvised, as we often do. It’s a once-in-a-lifetime experience, totally.”
Arguably one the coolest joints in town, the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino houses some of Vegas' best entertainment, restaurants and nightlife.
At Hard Rock, it's all about the music. From the light fixtures made out of drum cymbals and guitar shaped door handles to stage costumes and tools of the trade of legendary musicians displayed on the walls, the hotel screams rock and roll. The Hard Rock's Joint has hosted some the biggest names in music — from The Who to Bob Dylan to hometown heroes, The Killers.
Aside from the music venues, the pool at the Hard Rock is one of its biggest attractions. Spread out over 4.7 acres, the pool area features swim-up blackjack, a bar and grill, private cabanas, a bevy of secluded nooks, a waterfall and an extensive live music venue with a dance floor. During the summer, the pool transforms into the Rehab club on Sunday afternoons.The resident nightclub Body English fuses European elegance with a rock star bachelor pad and it often a hot spot for visiting celebs and popular DJs. Vintage rock memorabilia lines the walls at Wasted Space, Hard Rock's anti-club.
Restaurants at Hard Rock are just as hip as the rest of the casino. Pink Taco serves up Mexican dishes, as well as a Central American and Caribbean menu. Nobu, one of five worldwide Japanese-specialty restaurants from famed Nobu Matsuhisa, satisfies a different taste. For round-the-clock cuisine, Mr. Lucky's 24/7, is sure to ease your appetite even after a Vegas-all-nighter.
Vinyl, which opened in August 2012, is the intimate live entertainment venue at the Hard Rock Hotel & Casino, featuring a diversity of genres, including rock 'n' roll, jazz, blues, pop and even country.
The multifunctional room provides an intimate setting that puts the audience within an arm's reach of the performers.
The space, which is just under 7,000 square feet, can accommodate 650 guests. With a speakeasy atmosphere, Vinyl has an industrial look from its Chicago-common brick and cinderblock, distressed wood floors and an exposed, sky-high ceiling.
An elevated VIP section houses leather banquette seating and offers guests their own wait staff and an exclusive bar. The perimeter features a bar where guests can watch all the action. A state-of-the-art entertainment system offers high-definition screens on both sides of the main stage.
Follow John Katsilometes on Twitter at Twitter.com/JohnnyKats. Also, follow “Kats With the Dish” at Twitter.com/KatsWiththeDish.
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