The America’s Cup Pavilion kicked off it’s summer concert series with a sold-out show by Imagine Dragons a mere two and a half months after their headlining show down the street at the Warfield (gallery/review).
Still on the road for their “Night Visions” tour, Imagine Dragons veered little from what they brought to San Francisco last time around. Nico Vega was back but now in the direct support slot and X Ambassadors was added to the bill as the show opener. The elaborate night/forest-themed staging also returned but was far less cramped on the larger Pavilion stage, making it much easier to appreciate the spectacle. The good news is that if you were not one of the lucky few who scored tickets in the 30-ish seconds it took to sell-out the Warfield, here was your second chance.
The show was not without its surprises, however. Mid-way through the set during “Radioactive,” Reynolds was hoisted 30 feet or so above the stage by wires to play a large bass drum that had been suspended from the rafters before taking a face-first decent to the front of the stage where he floated for a bit before finally touching down. The band also switched-up the setlist a bit with addition of a cover of Ben E. King’s “Stand By Me.”
With room for 3-4 times the Warfield crowd, the audience was considerably more diverse … not only a testament to the skyrocketing popularity that the band is experiencing, but also the broad appeal that this band offers. That said, the front row was appropriately populated with rabid teenagers whom frontman Dan Reynolds must be used to seeing by now because he said ‘hello’ to several by name during the set.
The America’s Cup Pavilion proved to be a great place for a show. A large faux-turf floor and aluminum bleachers provided views of the bay, Coit Tower and the downtown skyline. The massive stage was well-lit and the sound was good … so good in fact, that the sidewalk outside the venue was lined with people stopping for a listen. I’m sure that when the time comes to tear it all down in the Fall, it will be with some disappointment … except from maybe the neighbors.
Supporting acts: Nico Vega, X Ambassadors
Setlist:
- Round and Round
- Amsterdam
- Tiptoe
- Hear Me
- Cha-Ching (Till We Grow Older)
- Rocks
- Radioactive
- Thirty Lives
- Bleeding Out
- Demons
- Stand By Me
- Underdog
- On Top of the World
- It’s Time
–Encore–
- Nothing Left To Say
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