American pop giants Imagine Dragons showed the love to a crowd of more than 62,000 adoring fans at Tel Aviv’s Hayarkon Park on Tuesday night.
Lead singer Dan Reynolds went down into the crowd three times during the show. He hugged a young fan and accepted a white-beaded friendship bracelet from a pre-teen fan in the audience and wore it for the rest of the show.
“How are you, Tel Aviv?” Reynolds asked in a dialogue with the crowd that lasted the entire night. “Are you ready to let go? Tonight is just for me and you.”
After opening with “My Life,” the band went from one hit song to another, delivering a stirring rendition of their most popular song “Believer” and then one of their first hits, “It’s Time.” Guitarist Wayne Sermon played an impressive solo on a blue, white, and pink electric guitar.
“We love you,” Reynolds told the crowd. “This is never normal to us. My heart is full. Thank you for coming and singing with us tonight. Some of you have listened to us for over 10 years. Without you, we are nothing!”
Reynolds repeatedly encouraged his fans in the audience to sing the songs they knew by heart and told everyone how meaningful that was to him. He introduced his songs and explained why each and every song was meaningful to him. He dedicated a song to his parents, receiving enormous applause when he revealed that they were in the crowd.
When introducing the song “Thunder,” Reynolds said “this song is for all the young ones here tonight.”
Making a 10-year-old fan's night
He then looked at a 10-year-old girl in the front row and said “I see you.” He asked if this was her first concert, said he was impressed that she had made it to the front row, and asked if he should play her a song “just for you.”
“You can do anything,” Reynolds said. “You can achieve anything. Don’t let anybody tell you otherwise.”
THE MUSCULAR Reynolds was shirtless by the third song into the show.
The love fest between Reynolds and the crowd was a stark contrast to the calls on Imagine Dragons to cancel their first-ever show in the Jewish state from the anti-Israel groups Adalah, Jewish Voices for Peace, and the US Campaign for Palestinian Rights.
“Performing in Tel Aviv at this time in particular would signal to Palestinians that their freedom and human rights do not matter,” wrote a group of anti-Israel entertainment figures led by Roger Waters. “It would also undermine Israelis working to end oppression and uphold equal rights for all.”
Reynolds did not address his critics or engage in any politics.
But when introducing his 2021 hit “Enemy,” he said “Don’t let your enemies take you down. You are strong. You should be determined and go for your dreams.”
Imagine Dragons has also been urged to cancel their show next week in Baku by Armenian activists. But the band is expected to perform in the capital of Azerbaijan nonetheless.
“I don’t have the answers,” Reynolds told the crowd in Tel Aviv. “All across the globe, we can question together.”
Highlights of the show included the songs “Follow You” and “Next To Me” which have especially meaningful lyrics.
When introducing his 2017 hit “Demons,” Reynolds delivered a sermon about mental health, revealing that he has gone to a therapist for many years.
“To anyone depressed: you are not alone,” he said. “Please do not keep it to yourself. Do not sit in your sorrow alone. Your life is always worth living!”
Confetti was repeatedly shot at the crowd during high points in the show.
The concert ended with the 2017 hit “Radioactive” and “Walking the Wire,” a reprise of the song “My Life” that started the show.
The crowd left ecstatically happy, hoping that Imagine Dragons will bring their fire back to Tel Aviv again soon.