NYS Music 20​18

Blog

  • Rochester’s Party in the Park 2018 Series in Full Swing

    Nothing says summer in the ROC like Party In The Park 2018. Now in it’s 22nd year, this concert series brings some of the hottest acts around to play in the heart of the city. Dr. Martin Luther King Park will be host to the likes of Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, The Original Wailers, Hayley Jane and The Primates, G. Love & Special Sauce, Devon Allman Project, Almost Queen, and Big Eyed Phish. General admission is $5, with children under 12 free. VIP packages are also available. Go to the City of Rochester website for more information.

    Giant Panda Guerrilla Dub Squad

    July 5 – Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Uma Galera, Ely Flynn and The Everymen
    July 12 – G. Love & Special Sauce with special guests Chuck Prophet and the Mission Express, Ron Artis II
    July 19 – The Original Wailers with special guests Ginkgoa, Grupo NextLevel
    July 26 – Devon Allman Project with special guest Duane Betts, Tommy Burnett Band, Hayley Jane and The Primates
    Aug. 2 – Almost Queen, Big Eyed Phish

  • The Crossings of Colonie’s Summer Concert Series Lineup Unveiled

    Every Thursday this summer from July 5 – Aug. 30, The Crossings of Colonie brings its live concert series to the Capital Region from 6 – 8 p.m. rain or shine at the Crossings Park Gazebo.

    A wide variety of different music can be found each week during the series from some of the area’s top local artists, including the Audiostars, Skeeter Creek, and the Georgie Wonder’s Big Band.

    Fans are encouraged to bring their lawn chairs, blankets, and picnic set ups to the show. All shows are free to the public. The Crossings is located at 580 Albany Shaker Road in Loudonville.

    Concerts at The Crossings Lineup:

    July 5 – Body and Soul
    July 12 – NY Players
    July 19 – Audiostars
    July 26 – Skeeter Creek
    Aug. 2 – Lustre Kings
    Aug. 9 – Georgie Wonders Big Band
    Aug. 16 – Hair of the Dog
    Aug. 23 – The Pipe Kings
    Aug 30 – Sorrow Estate/Rich Ortiz

  • Victor Wainwright Brings the Train to Funk ‘n Waffles

    Attention, passengers. This is your conductor speaking. Victor Wainwright and The Train is about to leave the station. Please stand clear of the Boogie Woogie and enjoy the ride.

    Victor Wainwright

    “The blues was bleeding the same blood as me. The blues didn’t have to explain the mystery of pain that I felt; it was there in the songs and voices of singers like Lonnie Johnson and Blind Lemon Jefferson, in the cries of their guitars.”

    ― B.B. King, Blues All Around Me: The Autobiography of B.B. King

    Four-time BMA Pinetop Perkins Piano Player of the Year winner (‘13,’14,’17,‘18) and BMA BB King Entertainer & Band of the Year recipient (‘16), Victor Wainwright sets out on his new endeavor, Victor Wainwright and the Train. The 12-track, band-titled album not only pays homage to the Blues, but also is a full-fledged attack on the music industry – a rebirth of the genre.

    Wainwright is an entertainer – period. “Musicality and the songs themself are second,” said Wainwright. Growing up, Victor idolized BB King. “Seeing King for the first time changed my life! When I watched him, right away I could put my finger on exactly what IT was.” Sheer musical talent and technical skills on stage can only be admired by musicians and artist alike. For the lay listener it is about seeing a great show. They want to be entertained.

    “Artists need to take up the mantle and use Blues as a tool to see past the 1-4-5 (a rudimental chord progression) of a guy sitting on a porch, singing about his dog,” said Wainwright. “I want to invite people in and get them to be apart of this community. It needs younger people to keep it alive.”

    As the highly anticipated Funk ‘n Waffles shows in Syracuse and Rochester approach later this week, diehards and Blues-fans-to-be will have their hands full. The steam train will take flight at Funk ‘n Waffles Downtown in Syracuse, Friday July 6. Showtime *8 pm (corrected from 6pm). And carry on Saturday July 7 at Funk ‘n Waffles Music Hall in Rochester, NY, beginning at 8 pm also. Tickets: $15. (advance), $20. (door). Info: (585) 448-0354 or visit https://www.funknwaffles.com/

    Victor Wainwright

    “Musically people haven’t seen anything like this before. It touches on new and exciting, while being familiar and honoring the Blues,” said Wainwright. Victor hinted at a few surprises that will be in store for these gigs including more original music, familiar tunes from your childhood and songs outside the normal Blues repertoire. In addition, Doug Woolverton, who played on the record, will be joining the Train for these Funk ‘n Waffles dates. “Laughter is a huge part of our show. When people are laughing with you, in combination with slow songs, sung from the heart – it becomes a super powerful combo!”

    The record is a testament, backing the mountain of Wainwright’s accomplishments. It is a stout stew of Boogie Woogie, Blues, Rock ’n Roll, wailing horns and free-flowing expression from the drums, keys and bass. The opening track, “Healing” leaves no time for thought. In-your-face stride piano reverberates, before the track takes off in up-tempo eighth-notes topped with Wainwrights soaring voice. The Train is alive.

    Not only did Wainwright compose all of the record, but also produced it himself, with the help of Dave Gross in New Jersey. “What I tried to convey is power. Not in a Marvel comic book sense, but in the form of passion,” said Wainwright. “Exactly like a steam train.” All of the overwhelming energy captured on stage is heard on tape. The band feeds off each other collectively in the studio, achieving something monumental.

    “Wiltshire Grave” has a spooky, New Orleans second-line feel, featuring Pat Harrington on guitar. The tune lingers, allowing you to digest the beauty in each instrument. The raging horns punch through making way for sweeping keyboard licks and an edgy solo guitar. The track also features off-the-cuff percussion effects such as a baseball bat and bicycle bell. All listeners are stopped dead in their tracks. Likewise, “Money” sits back in the pocket, relatable in message – warranting payment to Uncle Sam without delay. Let’s hope he can catch the up-tempo localmotive.

    Notably, the album pays a direct tribute to Wainwright’s idol, BB King, in “Thank you Lucille.” For Victor, “some things deserve to be said as directly as possible.” Upon hearing of King’s passing, Wainwright rushed to the side of the road. His world came to a complete halt. “Lucille is a deity. King talks to her like it is human. I almost felt said for her,” said Wainwright. “She will live on!”

    Victor Wainwright and the Train was released March 9, 2018 and quickly topped the National Roots Music Report charts for Blues in April. It now sits sixth in the Top 50.

  • Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival Of Music & Dance kicks off on July 19th 2018

    The annual Finger Lakes Grassroots Festival Of Music & Dance takes place July 19th- 22, 2018 in Trumansburg and takes place on four stages with approximately 75 bands each year. This year has notable acts such as Patty Griffin, Toots and the Maytals, and Valerie June.

    Patty Griffin courtesy of the Grassroots website.

    The festival is held at the Trumansburg Fairgrounds in Trumansburg which is located about 10 miles north of Ithaca on the west side of Cayuga Lake in Finger Lakes region of Central New York. The festival is also a mission-based organization which basically means, besides the music, they also try to work to nurture local artists and talent while reaching around the globe to bring world music and culture to new audiences, creating environments that inspire creativity and foster community building. A big part of this fostering and inspiring can be found in their Culture Camp which takes place the four days before the festival.

    Donna the Buffalo is known as the Grassroots host artist and will be performing as usual, closing out the festival on Sunday night. Some of the other notable artists performing are: Patty Griffin, a Grammy-Award winning artist; reggae legends, Toots & the Maytals, and Valerie June, a multi-instrumentalist encompassing a mixture of folk, blues, gospel, soul, country, Appalachian and bluegrass. The full lineup can be found here.

    The festival is full of all kinds of music from local to national and international artists but the experience isn’t limited to just that. Other offerings include camping, local food and craft vendors, children’s activities, daily yoga, healing arts and instrument workshops, visual arts exhibits, and so much more.

    For tickets and more information visit the festival’s website.

  • ¡Viva Mayhem! Takes on CFCU Summer Concert Series Again

    ¡Viva Mayhem!, commonly referred to as Viva, is an eight-piece post-wave ska band out of Ithaca, NY which are fan favorite at the CFCU Summer Concert Series that takes place at the Bernie Milton Pavilion stage in Bank Alley on the Ithaca Commons. Sean Bonney-Burrill is one of the original member and founders of the band and still an active participant when he’s not attending Berklee College of Music in Boston for Contemporary Writing and Production.

    Viva Mayhem’s drummer Sean Bonney-Burrill playing at the Ithaca Festival taken by Edna Brown Photography.

    Nora Hones: So tell me a little bit about your position in ¡Viva Mayhem! and how the band formed?

    Sean Bonney-Burrill: So my position in it is really weird because the band formed, I don’t remember exactly what year it was formed, but it was five or six years ago as Mayhem Attack Squad and at the time I was the drummer for the band. And at that point, it was just two horn players, guitar, bass, drums and vocals and it kind of went from there to what it is today. Over the years I have switched gears, switched instruments many times. I went from drums, to doing vocals, to doing both vocals and drums at one point, but I didn’t really feel like that had enough energy going on upfront. I felt like that we needed someone upfront to get the crowd excited so since we were having a hard time finding a vocalist that was sticking around in Ithaca, I decided to jump on doing the front man position for a while. Then when I went away to school, we got a new vocalist and a new drummer and I just sort of filled in on whatever instrument needed to be played when another member was out and besides that I would play aux percussion or keyboard. But right now, this summer, I am playing drums again which I haven’t done in almost five years with Viva which is really awesome.

    NH: So how long have you guys been performing at the CFCU summer concert series? Because I know this isn’t your first year.

    SBB: It’s not the first year. I think it was two years ago we started. I know we opened for SAMMUS the first year we did the concert series. It’s basically been since the series started at the Bernie Milton Pavilion after the Commons renovation ended. But we have a lot of fun each time. It seems like the CFCU concert series has been progressively growing a lot stronger each year and bringing in new and interesting bands and really getting some good talent from a bunch of different spots in New York.

    Photo courtesy of CFCU Concert Series website.

    NH: So what got you involved in it? Like did someone approach you or did you apply to be part of the concert series?

    SBB: We did let the CFCU people know about us a few years ago and then it sort of just happened organically over time. As Viva was playing more places around Ithaca and getting their name out more and more we started not as much looking for gigs but working with people to put gigs together. Like I said we opened for SAMMUS our first year that we played the CFCU concert series and that gig was an Ithaca Underground showcase which is actually what we are doing again this year as the headliner instead.

    NH: What is it about this concert series that keeps you coming back to keep performing at it?

    SBB: Well, it always pulls a really cool crowd. You see people that you wouldn’t necessarily see at other shows. It’s great that it’s free and a family event because there’s definitely some festivals around town and stuff like that, but it’s one of those few series that anyone can go and enjoy. You don’t have to pay to go there. you don’t have to be a certain age, we love that. We get to see a really diverse fan base from that. It also always feels like a really good way to connect with the community in a really cool way. It feels like a very quote unquote “Ithacan” thing to do. But besides that, like I said, they always bring in a lot of really cool talent so it’s awesome to be put in a lineup with so many other cool bands who are doing really interesting things with their music in Ithaca and the regional area around Ithaca.

    NH: So what do you think it is about you guys that makes this concert series want to keep bringing you guys back?

    SBB: I would say that the number one thing that we have going for us as a band is energy and excitement. I think that we do really good job engaging with the audience and I think the audience really enjoys engaging back. It doesn’t really feel like performer, audience, and like there’s a barrier between the two. We really want to interact and make people have a good time, get people dancing, and I think because of that people think, “Oh this band is playing on the Commons, should we go? Yeah, we always have a good time. It’s fun and dance-y.” I think that’s one of the reasons they enjoy us is because we are really excited to just go out and perform for people and show them the best time we can.

    NH: You already mentioned it a little bit while we have been talking but I was wondering, as a participant of these concert series, what do you think a concert series like this can bring to a city?

    SBB: Well one really cool thing they can do is make connections between different musicians that you wouldn’t necessarily get to see at some shows because it’s such a wide range of people coming to play these series. And I know, for myself, I love to check out all the other bands playing over the summer. And it’s a different thing than if we were just playing shows and looking for other bands that fit a similar style to us, it doesn’t necessarily work in the same way, which is really cool. Besides that, it’s a way to see people in Ithaca that you wouldn’t always see. It’s hard to have enough money to go see all the great bands in Ithaca, so being able to check out some people who you couldn’t make it to their normal shows at the concert series is really cool. It’s cool to have that showcase on a Thursday evening when there isn’t normally a lot else going on and they always have really quality acts so if you wanna go you know you’re going to have a good time.

    Photo courtesy of Viva Mayhem website.

    NH: Okay, so just to close us up, is there anything about Viva Mayhem we should keep an eye out for?

    SBB: Well on Tuesday, July 3 we will be on WVBR with Tuesdays With The Band at 6 and we will be playing some music off of our newest album, we will be playing music live in the studio and just sort of be talking about the show with the CFCU concert series on Thursday July 5. Besides that, our next big thing we are really looking forwards to is playing at Big Mean BBQ where we will be playing with a huge, awesome lineup of regional musicians like Big Mean Sound Machine, Giant Panda Guerilla Dub Squad, Ithaca Bottom Boys and a bunch of other really fun bands. And that will be August 24 and 25 and we are really pumped to do that right now. We have a lot of new music we are writing right now, which has started to be introduced through our last few weeks of shows, so if you come out on Thursday you will probably get to hear something by us you haven’t heard before.

    The CFCU Concert Series takes place Thursday evenings on the Ithaca Commons. The series is a free outdoor concert series which is open to the public held every Thursday evening from 6-8pm. The series started on June 21 and runs until September 6 (with the July 18 concert moving to Wednesday evening and a special Saturday afternoon show on August 18 at 1 pm.)

    July 5 – Viva Mayhem (Ska)
    July 12 – Maggie Koerner (Soul/Rock)
    July 18* – Taj Weekes & Adowa (Reggae/Afro Folk)
    July 26 – Searson (Canadian Celtic Pop)
    Aug. 2 – Fall Creek Brass Band (Brass Funk)
    Aug. 9 – Stone Cold Miracle (Soul)
    Aug. 16 – The Hilltoppers (Bluegrass)
    Aug. 18* – East Hill Classic Jazz Band (Jazz)
    Aug. 23 – The Blind Spots (Moxy Rock)
    Aug. 30 – Kwame Binea Shakedown (Roots Rock)
    Sept. 6 – Gunpoets (Hip-Hop)
    *Denotes non-Thursday shows. Taj Weekes is performing on a Wednesday evening and East Hill Classic Jazz Band is performing on a Saturday at 1 p.m.

    For more information on ¡Viva Mayhem! Visit their website.

    For more information on the CFCU Concert Series visit their website.

  • NYS Music Presents: Live Shows to Fill Your July

    There’s nothing like a great concert to brighten summer days even more.  Here to make it all the more easy for you, NYS Music is bringing you our run down of all the can’t-miss action throughout New York State’s music scene throughout July.

    Rochester – Funk ‘N Waffles

     July 6th – You will not want to miss Andy Frasco’s “party blues with a touch of barefoot boogie,” style as him and his band bring feel good music to Funk ‘N Waffles with The UN.  Click the link for more event and ticket details. Event link.

    July 7th – The night following their Syracuse show, Victor Wainwright and The Train will be bringing another show sure to make you smile to Rochester. Event link.

    July 10th – Syracuse native, Funk ‘N Waffles house band, Pearly Baker’s Best, will be moving over to Rochester for the night to perform their tribute to the Grateful Dead with David Gans. Event link.

    July 12 – Adam Ezra Group, a personal favorite of mine, will be bringing their roots rock to Rochester and it is sure to be a show you do not want to miss! Event link.

    July 13th – The Gerry Jarcia String Band will be making a stop on their summer Powerwagon Tour and is bringing along some “post nuclear music” courtesy of the dynamic group, Electric Kif. Event link.

    July 18th – Reggae artist Alika will be playing at the Music Hall with M.A.K.U Soundsystem to celebrate of self discovery through music and, as always, bring the party with their punk, funk and rock sound. Event link.

    July 19th – Indie rock and R&B infused band, Little Bird, will be stopping by on their summer tour with the funk fusion quartet, The Phryg.  Event link.

    July 21st – It’s Cosmic Brownie’s 1 year anniversary and they want Rochester to join in on the celebration! To commemorate the occasion, the alternative hip-hop duo will be playing with electronic drummer and producer, Hybrid Beats, as well as Level 7. Event link.

    July 25th – Calliope Musicals will be making the long and treacherous trek from space (or Austin, Texas) with special guests Stationary Escape Pod for an energetic and alluring night of music. Event link.

    July 31st – Amoramora guarantees that every show is sure to, “blast you off into a cosmic dance party,” so don’t miss this golden opportunity to witness their rock ‘n’ roll with special guest Walrus Junction.  Event link.

    Syracuse – Funk ‘N Waffles

    July 6th – The award-winning blues, soul and rock songwriter, Victor Wainwright, will be stopping in Syracuse on the album release tour of his band Victor Wainwright and The Train accompanied by Doug Woolverton on Trumpet.  Event link.

    July 9th – Dead Nights are the best nights, especially when they are brought to you by Pearly Baker’s Best. Event link.

    July 11th – Before the always-traveling group hits Rochester, Adam Ezra Group will be performing with New York native group, The Sea the Sea.  This powerhouse pairing is sure to make for an incredible night of music you can’t miss. Event link.

    July 14th – Upstate New York has the privilege of being graced with another stop on Gerry Jarcia’s Powerwagon Tour.  Once again, the string band will be joined by Electric Kif. Event link.

    July 18th – The night before their Rochester show, Little Bird will be playing Funk ‘N Waffles with lively afro-beat and reggae group Akuma Roots.  Event link.

    July 19th – Chris Eves and the New Normal, rock, funk, blues and jam band, will be performing with special guest, The Melting Nomads, who will be supplying dirty funky fusion. Event link.

    July 21st – It’s sure to be a jam-packed night full of electrifying performances as the Barroom Philosophers, Ponder, General B and The Wiz take on Funk ‘N Waffles for the night.  Event link.

    July 26th – For all alternative music fans, Calliope Musicals with Philadelphia-native band, Pet Cheetah, is sure to be a show to remember. Event link.

    July 27th – Andy Frasco & The UN will be kicking off a vibrant month of music at Funk ‘N Waffles in Rochester and will be closing it out at Syracuse. Make sure to come out for the good vibes and great music. Event link.

    Lake George

    July 13th – A lot of exciting things are happening with one of our favorite Upstate New York-local bands, Formula 5, and included on this list is the fact that they will be hosting the second annual Rock the Dock Festival in Lake George.  The festival will be held on the dock of the Lake George Steamboat Company and will host a multitude of other great acts including Soule Monde, Strange Machines and Let’s Be Leonard.  On your way to the event, make sure you grab a Formula 5 flavored shake at Ben & Jerry’s! Event link.

    Saranac Lake – The Waterhole

    The historic Waterhole in Saranac Lake welcomes West End Blend for ‘The Blender’ – a two night affair with Bella’s Bartok as special guest on Friday, July 13, and a tribute to Prince with WEB on Saturday, July 14. Two day passes cost $24, or $15 each day at the door. On Saturday afternoon enjoy a FREE show with “Blender on the Patio” will go from 5pm to 10pm featuring Jiggawaltz, Adrian Aardvark and Arthur Buezo.

    Buffalo – Nietzsche’s 

    The Jazz Happy Hour that got you through every Monday in June is continuing on through July at Nietzche’s in Buffalo with another incredible lineup of artists.

    July 2nd – Frontstreet Men will be bringing a high energy set full of covers of some classics as well as their own bluesy, funky originals.  Event link.

    July 9th – No strangers to jazz at Nietzche’s, Jared Tinkham Trio will be taking over happy hour on the 9th.  Event link.

    July 16th – Buffalo-based and renowned jazz improvisation artist, Donny Frauenhofer, will be performing on the 16th. Event link.

    July 23rd – Head out on the 23rd to enjoy some smooth sounds from the Brendan Lonighan Octet. Event link.

    July 30th – To close out yet another month of the happiest hours in Upstate New York, Buffalo Infringement Festival Presents Curtis Lovell. Event link.

  • Photo Gallery: Lettuce at Blue Note Jazz Festival

    The Blue Note Jazz Club hosted Lettuce for an extraordinary 5-night residency for the tail-end of the Blue Note Jazz Festival.  Photos from June 29 10:30pm set are below!

  • City of Rome Announces Summer Concert Series

    School’s out and summer is in full effect. With summer, comes live concert series throughout New York.

    The city of Rome’s Griffo Green at City Hall will play host to the city’s annual summer concert series. Each Monday evening, beginning July 9, many of Rome’s most talented musicians will be showcased on the green outside of Rome’s City Hall. All shows are free and run from 6-8 p.m.

    The series kicks off July 9 with a double shot of rock. Baddogg and 24/7 team up for opening night on the green. Both bands feature members with long pedigrees in the Central New York music scene. Baddogg began as a blues-based three piece and have evolved to include classic rock as well. Bassist Billy Carman performs in both bands. Carman has performed with a plethora of other CNY artists over the years as well as a stint in the band Boston. To say Carman is prolific would be an understatement.

    Local blues legend, Midnite Mike Grimaldi and his band, the Bent Blinds take the stage on July 16. Grimaldi has played with some of the legends of the blues, including B.B. King, James Cotton and Joe Bonamassa. Grimaldi is a proud hometown musician with a pure passion for performing. Listen to some of the band’s work on Soundcloud below.

    Husband and wife duo, Tammy and Andy Box, performing as the Boxed Set, bring a taste of ’70s rock to Griffo Green on July 23. The Boxed Set performs classics from Billy Joel, Fleetwood Mac and other classic ’70s artists.

    The Loco Brothers bring a fresh take on classic rock to the green July 30.

    When it comes to covering deep tracks, Caut!on is your band. Chad Plantz and Mike “The Wizard” Bell form the core of this outfit. The lineup is rounded out by bassist Billy Carman and drummer John Dugan. Arkansas native, Bell plays a mean slide guitar and Plantz can belt out classics from Warren Zevon, the Grateful Dead, Bruce Cockburn and Dave Matthews like no other.

    Mike “The Wizard” Bell of Caut!on

    For your ’60s and ’70s hits, look no further than Vinyl 45 on Aug. 13. Long time CNY band, Dubonnet will finish off the series on Aug.20.

  • Prepare yourself for Camp Bisco Color War XIII: The Over Bezerk

    With Camp Bisco less than two weeks away, it’s time to start preparing for Color War Xlll: The Over Bezerk! An homage to one of the greatest shows ever played by The Disco Biscuits and feature a remix of the classic Color Wars game that has been played for the past 12 Camp Biscos. For the 13th year of Color War, the games will be played following the rules of the only other game in existence that is as ruthless as the way Biscuits fans get down on the field.

    Known as “The game of games” on the streets of Philadelphia, this year will incorporate the rules of Chardee Macdennis from It’s Always Sunny in Philadelphia. Only the most savage players on Lot have a chance to play the most savage game ever created and offered to the masses.

    Join the Color War teams – Orange, Purple, Green and Blue on Friday, July 13 from Noon to 5pm at the Lazy River in the waterpark. Want to sign up? We got ya covered!

    Chardee Macdennis has three levels that dictate the order the games are played in, and the traditional camp games will be reworked to fit under these guidelines:

    Level 1 (Mind)- Trivia, Puzzles and Artistry

    Level 2 (Body)- Physical Challenge and Endurance

    Level 3 (Spirit)- Emotional Battery and Public Humiliation

    Color War is not just a war of games, it is a War of psychological warfare! All year long, rival teams take the time to get to know their opponents inside and out so they can use what they have learned to crush their spirits on the field. Just as in It’s Always Sunny, physical representation of the team Captains will assist in shaming the losers with the ceremonious destruction of their game pieces at the end of the game – an added bonus to the glory of winning the coveted Color War Cup!!!

  • Music as the Last Real Magic: Imagine Dragons Cast a Spell on Saratoga

    Imagine Dragons brought the sound, look, and energy of a big-time rock show to Saratoga Springs on Friday, June 29 on their EVOLVE Tour. With Grace Vanderwaal opening, the group rolled into town with high energy, showmanship, and a unifying message of music as healing.

    Grace Vanderwaal, the Upstate teenager who made it big on America’s Got Talent, opened promptly at 7pm, bopping onto the stage singing “Dancing in the Moonlight.” Families sang along with the upbeat and likable Grace, who chatted up the audience and reminded folks she was originally from the area. Playing the ukulele and dancing barefoot, she brought a wholesome and organic positive energy to the night.

    The crowd had to wait a bit for Imagine Dragon stars to take the stage but were entertained by a slowly building classical score in the backdrop as folks filed in. Then, with steam, smoke, lights and a wall of sound, musicians were lifted on a stage above the main stage as they sang the very well known “Radioactive.”

    With the energy of big-time stars and a larger venue, Imagine Dragons musicians danced, sang and transported their audience with hit after hit. Lead singer Dan Reynolds appeared shirtless, bringing screams and gasps from many in the audience as he sang and jumped across the stage. ‘High energy’ isn’t sufficient to describe the band’s excitement and mood as they welcomed their fans; dynamic and vigorous, the group members’ smiles were matched with the audiences’ powerful spirited responses.

    Reynolds thanked the audience early in the evening for joining the band, specifying that music is the last real magic that unites people. In a climate of divisiveness, the American born band was clearly making a statement about acceptance and unity at a time when racism and hatred are more pronounced than ever.

    The bands’ vivacious musicianship pounded through the night with a wall of sound paired thoughtfully with visuals to match. Reynolds acted as a conductor, engaging the audience in singing lines like “I’m never changing who I am.” Shaking his finger at the fans, squatting to get closer to the audience, and even rolling his arms toward him in a circle, he drew the magic directly from the young families, teens and older couples who screamed lyrics of hope and self-assurance.

    The love song “Next To Me” seemed to speak directly to anyone who has loved and received unconditional love regardless of errors. Reynolds spoke of lovers and loners, reminding everyone that love needs to start with themselves before it is shared with another.

    Guitarist Wayne Sermon’s riff screamed out his own intense talent during “I’ll Make it Up to You.” For a brief moment, we were back in the 1980s with guitarists whose talent could steal the entire show. Sermon’s control of his instrument and confidence in the vertical riff brought gasps from the audience; it almost didn’t belong in the pop feel of the night, except to remind us that Imagine Dragons is, in fact, a rock band.

    After a beautiful rendition of “Mouth of the River,” complete with backdrop visuals of sunset, the group moved to a second stage embedded in the audience for three acoustic songs. This set, if not moving simply due to the closeness to fans, ended with a heart rendering “I Bet My Life on You,” a song about how parents give up much for their children with little in return, and yet everything in return.

    As if all this emotion and movement wasn’t enough, the band returned to the stage for a powerfully intense version of “Demons.” With fans singing along, Reynolds spoke directly out about depression and seeking help rather than facing demons alone.

    The fevered pitch of the concert had multiple peaks, including confetti and balloon drop punctuated moments during songs about love, appreciation, and the vitality of life. Finishing with “On Top of the World” and “Believer,” fans were mesmerized.

    Imagine Dragons reminded us: music really is the last real magic in the world.

    It unifies us. It reminds us to care for ourselves. It connects us to others. It reminds us to hope. And it stays with us, even after the last note is played.

    Setlist: Radioactive, It’s Time, Whatever It Takes, Yesterday, Walking the Wire, Next to Me, Shots, I’ll Make It Up to You, Start Over, Rise Up, Gold, Don’t Know Why, Mouth of the River, Born to Be Yours, Amsterdam, I Bet My Life, Demons, Thunder, On Top of the World, Believer

Built in Breakdance