The Show
The historic Wilshire Ebell Theatre in Los Angeles hosted an explosive performance by Imagine Dragons for their episode of Live from the Artists Den. Powered by the intense and athletic stage presence of lead singer Dan Reynolds, the Las Vegas-based band tore through a set full of its dance-inflected, percussion-heavy rock anthems, including the smash singles “It’s Time” and “Radioactive.”
The Las Vegas-based band tore through a set full of its dance-inflected, percussion-heavy rock anthems.
Imagine Dragons
Imagine Dragons formed after lead singer Dan Reynolds and guitarist Wayne “Wing” Sermon met in Provo, Utah in 2008. Bassist Ben McKee and drummer Dan Platzman joined shortly thereafter, and the band moved to Reynold’s native Las Vegas, where it recorded and released three EPs – Imagine Dragons, Hell and Silence, and It’s Time – before signing to Interscope Records in 2011. The band’s major label debut, an EP titled Continued Silence, was released in early 2012, and included the band’s first Top 40 single, “It’s Time.” The band’s first full-length album, Night Visions followed later that year. The album topped the Billboard Alternative and Rock charts, prompting Billboard to list Imagine Dragons as one of “2012’s Brightest New Stars” and Amazon.com to call the band its “Favorite Rock Artist of 2012.” The hit single, “Radioactive,” shot into the top ten of the Billboard 100 and was dubbed “the biggest rock hit of the year” by Rolling Stone. The band has produced three more albums since 2012’s Night Visions including Smoke + Mirrors, Evolve and Origins.
The Venue
The Ebell of Los Angeles was founded in 1894 as an educational and philanthropic organization, based on the principles of Adrian Ebell, a 19th century pioneer in women’s education. The Ebell complex includes the society’s Italian-style clubhouse and a theater, originally known as the Windsor Square Playhouse. Both were designed by architect Sumner P. Hunt of Hunt & Silas Reese Burns and opened to the public in 1927. The theater, now known as the Wilshire Ebell Theatre, is one of Los Angeles’ only Broadway-style theaters and was also the site of Amelia Earhart’s last public appearance and the place where Judy Garland was discovered while performing as Baby Frances Gumm in the 1930s. Photography courtesy of Colin Young-Wolff for Artists Den Entertainment.
