They’re hot, sometimes “Radioactive,” and the Imagine Dragons will breathe fire on Lake Tahoe Saturday night.
“They’re one of the hottest rock groups today,” said John Packer, director of entertainment for Harrah’s and Harveys, when he announced the Dragons’ impending arrival this spring.
As the suns sets on Lake Tahoe, the Dragons will impart their wisdom on a crowd that baked the day away across the street at the Edgewood Tahoe golf course during the American Century Championship. The show starts at 8:30 p.m. at Harveys Outdoor Arena, with tickets ranging from $89.50 to $179.50.
Imagine Dragons will bring some firepower to the stage. Based in Las Vegas, the alt-rock group’s debut 2012 album, “Night Visions,” earned the Billboard Music Award for Top Rock Album and the record was certified double-platinum.
The single “Radioactive” exploded off the charts, earning a Grammy in 2014 for Best Rock Performance. Often over-played on the radio, “Radioactive” is a serious, somber and sobering song:
“I’m waking up to ash and dust/I wipe my brow and I sweat my rust/I’m breathing the chemicals/…I’m waking up, I feel it in my bones/…Welcome to the new age/…. I’m radioactive, radioactive.”
“Night Visions” produced a long line other hits, including “Demons,” “Bleeding Out,” “It’s Time,” “On Top of the World” and “Nothing Left To Say.”
So what do they have to say for themselves lately? Imagine Dragons released a second album, “Smoke + Mirrors,” in February and has unleashed the music in a nationwide tour.
“Shots” is a relationship piece. Front-man Dan Reynolds is apologetic as he sings:
“I’m sorry for everything oh everything/I’ve done from the second that I was born it seems I had a loaded gun/And then I shot shot shot a hole through everything I love…”
Expect Reynolds to be front-and-center and to carry the load. At recent concerts, he was planted on a diamond-shaped portion of the stage, set off from bandmates by a catwalk. Reynolds, who turned 28 Tuesday, enjoys the spotlight. Last month, he told a crowd in New Jersey, “We don’t have high expectations for tonight. We just hope it is the best night of your entire life,” North Jersey.com reported.
“This is my word, this is my way/ Show me a sign, sweep me away/This is my word: heartbreaker, gatekeeper/I’m feeling far away, I’m feeling right there/…All I believe, is it a dream?/That comes crashing down on me?/All that I own/Is it just smoke and mirrors?”
Where there’s smoke, there’s fire. Expect both on Saturday night.
· Lake Tahoe Summer Concert Series
Harveys Outdoor Arena
- July 18 (8:30 p.m.) Imagine Dragons $89.50 to $179.50*
- July 21 (7 p.m.) Train, The Fray, Matt Nathanson $49.50 to $99.50*
- July 22 (8 p.m.) Kenny Chesney (opener: Chase Rice) $79.50 to $149.50*
- Aug. 7 (8 p.m.) Jackson Browne $39.50 to $89.50*
- Aug. 8 (8 p.m.) An Evening with Elton John $99.50 to $255.50*
- Aug. 13 (6:30 p.m.) Slightly Stoopid (openers: Dirty Heads, Stick Figure) $37.50
- Aug. 23 (6:30 p.m.) Dierks Bentley (openers: Kip Moore, Maddie & Tae, Canaan Smith) $59.50 to $99.50*
- Sept. 5 (7:30 p.m.) Sammy Hagar and the Circle featuring Michael Anthony, Jason Bonham & Vic Johnson $69.50* and $75* (door)
- Sept. 9 (7 p.m.) Dave Matthews Band $85*
- Slightly Stoopid, Sammy Hagar and Dave Matthews are GA shows with limited bleacher seating available. Bleacher seating for Dave Matthews is reserved at the same price as GA.
- * Prices listed include Nevada Live Entertainment Tax (LET). Ticketmaster fees will be applied. Tickets sold only thru Ticketmaster Outlets, www.ticketmaster.com or www.apeconcerts.com.