Imagine Dragons slay Vancouver (PHOTOS)

Grammy Award-winning rock band Imagine Dragons charmed the hell out of Rogers Arena Thursday night with their Smoke + Mirrors Tour.

Thousands of fans packed the venue, some of whom lined up four hours before the concert’s scheduled start time to secure a decent spot near the stage. L

ead singer Dan Reynolds could feel the love in the air and said “Vancouver is really bringing something out of us tonight. I don’t know if it’s good or bad.”

It was all good. Really good, in fact.

Just a few years ago, Imagine Dragons were pegged to be the next big thing – their debut album Night Visions sold seven million copies worldwide and “Radioactive” was a massive radio hit, but 2014’s Smoke + Mirrors didn’t fare nearly as well despite great reviews from critics. Loyal fans stuck with the band, and those lucky enough to attend last night’s show were treated to an awesome spectacle of big hits and deep album cuts.

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The 90-minute show was evenly split between the band’s first two albums with a lovely cover of Alphaville’s “Forever Young” sandwiched in between.

Casual fans (like me) who were expecting a slick show chockfull of radio-ready summer anthems were pleasantly surprised with a good ol’ fashioned rock concert. Even the jaded dude behind me was impressed – “shit, this is really rock n’ roll,” he said when the band were halfway-thru a fiery rendition of “I’m So Sorry”.

At one point, singer Reynolds led the crowd in a chorus of “whoa” that pushed the limits of even his most talented fans, who struggled to reach the same notes as the charismatic frontman. “I can really take advantage of you right now,” Reynolds threatened, to big cheers.

Things got serious for a moment when Reynolds explained the inspiration behind “Release”:

I’ve struggled with depression for many years now, and it’s no secret to me or my family. And I share that with you because it’s important to me that you know that I really, truly believe that even if you have depression, it won’t stop you from doing the things that you love in life.

It can’t stop you from achieving all your dreams. And I just wanna say that you’re not alone in that. For those that are going through it themselves, I promise you – somedays are much better than others, and life is always worth living. Always, always.

The Las Vegas rockers finished the show with a one-two punch of singles “I Bet My Life” and “Radioactive” before closing with encore “The Fall.”

“Thank you for coming out and supporting live music,” Reynolds said before leaving. “We want to see you as much as possible, and we’ll probably be back here next the way that things have been going.”

Here’s hoping.