The lights went down at Phillips Arena last Wednesday evening as a packed, youthful crowd waited, rather impatiently, for the heart-pounding anthems of one of the biggest new pop-rock bands of the year: Imagine Dragons. But first, the crowd received an unexpectedly awesome performance from the lesser-known dreamy alt-pop group, The Naked and Famous.
Following the intense bluesy rock sounds of Nico Vega, The Naked and Famous walked out onto a bare, hazy stage. They began with the opening track from their newest album, In Rolling Waves, “A Stillness.” Dizzying strobes hit the audience like lightning, sporadically energizing the set from the very beginning. The electro-synth jam encompasses many styles and even crosses genres, demonstrating their musical agility. The simplicity of the acoustic chords from guitarist/vocalist Thom Powers against the mostly electronic nature of the song creates a concerted sound unique to The Naked and Famous.
The New Zealand quintet formed back in 2008, and its curious name was chosen in farce of celebrity status, inspired by lyrics from English rapper Tricky. The band’s first full-length studio album, Passive Me, Aggressive You, was released in 2010 and debuted at No. 1 in New Zealand. Just months later, the album made waves (no pun intended) in the United States, receiving critical praise and spots on popular television shows, movie soundtracks and commercials.
It’s difficult to define or place The Naked and Famous in a particular genre. This works to their advantage when it comes to recruiting fans, whose tastes can range from bubble-gum pop to psychedelic indie to electronic dub step. The singles “Young Blood” and “Punching in a Dream” both made their way onto the radio circuits of an array of stations, and though you may not know the songs by name, with consistent airplay and developing exposure in pop culture, the songs are sure to have found their way into your ears.
The Naked and Famous is a band whose music begs to be blasted at full volume. There’s just something about the sound that this band creates that wants to be big and loud, which is what makes large arenas the ideal place to listen to them. When the melodic electro-riff of “Punching in a Dream” began, the crowd went wild. It was evident from the start that the song would be miles better live. You could feel the roaring bass in your chest as the vibrations echoed through the arena. The hypnotic synths were just loud enough to shatter all excess noise, but not loud enough to cloud lead vocalist Alisa Xayalith’s powerhouse vocals. There was a compulsive energy in the air, made evident by both the mosh pit that formed in the General Admission area and by the shrilling lyric shouting of true fans.
The Naked and Famous were able to keep the crowd engaged and lively throughout their 45-minute set. Highlights included the instrumental power of the booming new electro-synth ballad “Rolling Waves” and the rhythmic complexities of one of my old favorites, “All of This.” However, for this show, it is truly difficult to analyze track by track. The Naked and Famous are able to create a steady flow of related sound, which at times can seem monotonous. However, musical artists attempt to cultivate such unity for decades, and this band has accomplished a sense of live accord in just a couple of years on the road.
With deliberate pauses and alt-rock jam sessions between songs, The Naked and Famous never ceased to amaze. The way things are going, by 2016, they could be headlining this same venue. After all, just last year the Vegas alt-rock band, Imagine Dragons, was playing small theaters like the Tabernacle and couldn’t dream of selling out an 18,000 person arena. But last Wednesday, they did.
Imagine Dragons has skyrocketed to fame over the last couple of years, mostly on the heels of the success of their explosive yet incredibly overplayed single “Radioactive.” The band made all the right moves following its surprise repeated exposure. After reworking and releasing their album Night Visions and gaining exposure through performances on Leno and Kimmel, Imagine Dragons quickly hit the road again, bringing drum-thumping energy (literally), raw emotion and pure joy to every city on the tour. By the end of 2013, Rolling Stone called them “the biggest rock hit of the year.”
After patiently waiting about 40 minutes for the crew to set up, the crowd was certainly ready when lead vocalist and multi-instrumentalist Dan Reynolds, emerged from the shadows of the stage. Over the roaring screams of teenage girls, the quiet bass line of “Fallen” began, an oddly mild choice for an opener. After a weak start, the band gained some momentum a few songs later with crowd-favorite, “It’s Time.” The contagious drum-clap beats, soaring vocals and inspirational lyrics create a classic pop power song that is unstoppable in a live atmosphere. The lyrics literally echoed back at Reynolds as he sang. Shortly after that moment, Reynolds said, “We’re trading energy and all our problems are small in retrospective.”
The night continued in a similar fashion, as Imagine Dragons played passionate, energetic, albeit somewhat predictable pop-rock gold. As with any new artist, some things they did worked well, and some did not. For “Rocks,” the African percussion influences and spirited vocal harmonies came together to craft my favorite part of the whole concert. It’s tracks like these that differentiate Imagine Dragons from other generic pop acts, adding percussive energy, youth and effortless vocal clarity. The band also chose to allot time for each band member to have a minute or two in the spotlight. Of all the solos, the one that really thrilled the crowd was astoundingly by the bassist, Ben McKee. Never before had I heard a bass solo that got the whole crowd on their feet, clapping along to the bare, but booming bass line.
Newer songs such as “30 Lives” and “Cha-Ching” fell short in comparison to the rest, and the group’s choice to cover a Rush song was baffling. Still, Imagine Dragons has done in one year what most bands are never able to accomplish: They have secured a spot in the world of new-age pop rock music. In fact, they’re defining it.
The band plans to record their follow-up to Night Visions when the European leg of their tour concludes at the end of the summer.
Both The Naked and Famous and Imagine Dragons were able to create an exciting, high-energy show, sure to please fans of both groups. However, The Naked and Famous were more successful in establishing who they are as a group and staying true to that repute throughout the performance. As the two groups expand their repertoires and gain touring experience, I am confident that their live performances and overall musical identities will continue to form and grow.
– By Jason Charles
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