Imagine Dragons bring LIVE music back to Canadian Tire Centre and it was spectacular

Last night live music returned to Ottawa’s Canadian Tire Centre for the first time in over 2 years and it was nothing short of spectacular.

Going into the show I was a fair-weather fan of Imagine Dragons being familiar with their biggest hits and that’s about it. We had covered Imagine Dragons about 4 years ago when they paid a visit to Toronto and I was told then that the best way to experience this band was live so, needless to say, when the Mercury Tour dates included a stop in Ottawa I was excited.

Toronto rising alt-pop artist Aviv kicked off the night. At first I brushed her off as forgettable, her show started out with little fanfare…if you were having a conversation you’d likely have missed that she had even taken to the stage. But slowly over the course of her set, which included mostly songs off of her new EP Drowning The Culture, something clicked and she began to grow on the crowd…myself included. The turning point in her set, for me anyway, was when she stripped away everything but her guitar for “Front Lawn”, one of two songs that weren’t on her new EP.  At one point she had everyone turn on the flashlights on their phones…it’s been so long since I’ve seen an arena lit up by cell phone lights it was a truly magical moment.

Aviv brought a level of energy to the stage that is rare for an opening act….although I’m not a huge modern pop fan by any definition of the term so maybe I haven’t seen the right acts. With Aviv her energy was contagious and it started to spread throughout the crowd. Now when I say crowd I’m talking about people of all ages, cultures and creeds all gathered under one roof united in one thing…music. Something about Aviv cracked that hard shell that has encased us for the last few years and a light emerged. These same people crouched when she said crouch and when Aviv said jump they jumped and they didn’t stop jumping until she stopped. It was beautiful to see again. I have little doubt that we’ll be seeing Aviv again, I envision a music festival like Ottawa Bluesfest with her in a late afternoon time slot. After all she’s just 16 and has plenty of time to work on her art but one thing is certain…there’s a certain magic about her that could mean huge things for her future. In meantime check her out here: https://www.itsaviv.com/

Imagine Dragons were preceded by stunning visuals on the giant screen behind the stage before Dan Reynolds rose up from the catwalk at the middle of the arena surrounded by smoke and lots and lots of confetti performing “My Life”.

As I mentioned earlier in this post, although I enjoyed Imagine Dragons’ music I only knew a few of their songs going into last night’s show. But there was a certain familiarity to the ones I didn’t know and by the end of the song I found myself singing along. This tour tapped into your senses,naturally sight and sound but also a third sense…thought.

The last two years have been brutal for so many. People have struggled healthwise, people have struggled mentally, people have struggled financially, some lost everything they spent their lives building. Last night was about healing and Imagine Dragons were the ones doing the healing. To me I’ve always felt a certain healing power from live music, the rawness, the realness, it’s something that can’t be replicated in studio. But Imagine Dragons take it to the next level because every song has a message and everything about this show was a message…a message from Dan and his band and that message was that whatever you’re going through you’re not alone and that we all experience the same things. At one point Dan directly addressed the crowd, specifically the younger ones in the crowd, and told them “in your life you will find that people can be mean, it’s ok. People will tell you how you can live, that’s ok but don’t listen to them, only you can know how you should live. Live your truth. And above all if you’re feeling down, if you’re feeling depressed/anxious..talk to your parents, talk to your friends…go to therapy. I have a therapist, I still go to therapy, it doesn’t make you weak, it doesn’t make you broken, it doesn’t make you less than anyone else, it makes you incredibly wise, preparing for your future. Be kind to yourself, love yourself, and above all your life is always worth living, we need you here, we need your beautiful spirit.” That took them into the poignant song “It’s Ok”. I mean is there a more important message we can give our kids today? Yes the last two years have been…continue to be tough…and it’s ok if you’re not ok with that. Mental health matters and pretending everything is ok when it’s not can do more harm than good.

“It’s Ok” was followed by their smash hit “Demons” another song about mental health and keeping your demons locked up inside of you and looking to someone close to help them escape their inner demons. I’ve heard these songs many times before but until last night never saw the deep meaning behind the words.

As we got closer to the end a lone spotlight shone on Dan alone on stage at the piano when the first verse of “Radioactive” rang out. It was another hauntingly beautiful moment. After the first chorus the rest of the band returned and Dan took to the catwalk as the crowd loudly sang along. To say that after two years that moment was emotional for a live music fan would be an understatement. Midway through the song guitarist Wayne Sermon rose high above the crowd as jets of smoke shot into the air around the middle of the arena.

The show continued with “The Fall”, “Walking The Wire” (during which leaflets with inspirational messages and thank yous fell from high above the crowd) and a reprise of “My Life”. There was no encore but we didn’t need one. Just being able to be present for that show was encore enough. 2+ years into a global pandemic that continues to claim lives Imagine Dragons, Mercury Tour was the booster we all needed to push through whatever is left ahead of us. Thanks Dan, I needed that more than you know!

The tour continues tomorrow in London, Ontario before returning east for shows in Quebec City, Moncton and then wraps up with a two night visit to Montreal May 3 and 4. You can check for tickets here: https://www.imaginedragonsmusic.com/tour

It felt great to be back! Already looking forward to the next show!

More Photos from Renee Doiron