Imagine Dragons are real

MANILA, Philippines - Imagine this: Imagine Dragons releasing a song inspired by their first time in the Philippines. It might just happen as the guys of the Las Vegas-based rock band revealed that they were writing demos during their short stay in Manila.

“I’ve actually been writing a demo in my hotel room today. I know Dan (Reynolds) has been, too,” guitarist Wayne Sermon told reporters in a roundtable interview prior to the Manila leg of their Smoke + Mirrors tour at the Mall of Asia (MOA) Arena last Thursday. 

Dan Reynolds is the vocalist and lead songwriter of the band. Other members are drummer Daniel Platzman and bassist Ben McKee. 

In a previous (phone) interview with The STAR, Dan said that he’d rather write than go on a night-out after a gig. “I write every night. I’m not much of a party animal. I don’t really go out. After a show finishes, I typically go to my hotel room and just write new music. It’s like my journal entry, you know how people sit down at night and write a journal about their day. Instead of writing in a journal, I sing it with my computer, and so, I’m always creative. I just love it! It’s part of my life and that’s how I keep breathing. If I don’t do it, I fall apart.”

Being “always creative” despite a relentless tour schedule has served them well. Their two studio albums Night Visions (2013) and Smoke + Mirrors (2015) both landed on the top-tier of the Billboard 200 charts, so much so Imagine Dragons has been dubbed as the band that’s keeping rock alive in the pop-saturated music business. For Dan, however, “I mean, it’s really nice, but I feel that there are lots of bands keeping the rock scene alive like Foo Fighters. We just love rock music, but I wouldn’t say we are the flag-bearers.”

Nevertheless, what’s keeping Imagine Dragons grounded and real is the band’s backstory. They’ve been together for seven years, but the first three to four years were tough. They used to play in small bars with only five people, all friends, in the audience, in marathon gigs at casinos for $300, in weddings and mall openings where stores would shut their windows because they were too loud. Having experienced all that, they said, made them appreciate more whatever they have now. Had they gone directly to being a success, “then we would probably be feeling entitled to all the nice things and (would have) developed an attitude,” Wayne reckoned.

It also helped to consciously not let fame go to their heads. Drummer Daniel said, “I don’t think we have wrapped our heads around it. It’s probably good that we haven’t. I kind of purposely put blinders on, like a horse in the city, they always have these blinders on so they don’t get freaked out by cars whizzing by. I don’t know, if I was actually asked to look at our schedule, all the things that we are going to do and all the things we have done, I would probably be overwhelmed. So, I think it’s probably good that we haven’t wrapped our heads around it.”

The positives as well as the negatives of fame are nonetheless expressed in the band’s sophomore album. Wayne said, “The road life is really high highs and really low lows. The most fun we have had is when we’re on the road, doing what we love doing. It’s one of the best jobs in the world, right? But it’s really low lows as well. I think this record documents the great parts as well as those parts where we’re like, I don’t know, things kinda change when you have success, things change in your life... A lot of the songs are based on not being sure whom you can trust, like Gold, Smoke + Mirrors are very much like, OK, we’re still the same, but things are changing and people around us are acting different.”

To fans, Imagine Dragons has deftly reconciled lyrics about struggling with inner demons, dark moments or deep regrets, with anthemic or strangely uplifting tunes perfect for chorus singing and some dancing in stadiums or arenas. Daniel said, “We just trust our instincts, we try not to be cerebral about it (the songwriting). It’s not really a formula. We’re not purposely doing that.”

Wayne also said, “That’s how it kind of works: A lot of great things happen to us, but for some reason, writing about the things that aren’t so great are more therapeutic. We’re still writing about things that are great, like On Top of the World is maybe the happiest song I’ve ever heard in my life. We still sound like that but for us, it’s more therapeutic sometimes to write when you’re not feeling so great. It actually makes you feel better to express that, especially for Dan lyrically.”

Dan makes it no secret that he has bouts of depression; you read about it in interviews, you understand it from the lyrics of the songs. When asked why he is open about it, he told The STAR, “I hope that people will just know that they are not alone, you know. And that no matter who you are, if you’re successful or not or anything, depression is a real disease, and many people deal with it. You don’t have to feel ashamed about it, or feel like you need to hide it because it’s real. They don’t have to feel like it’s fake either. There are people who say, depression is not real, be happy, it’s a choice, that’s not true, people should (validate) it, that they’re not alone feeling that way, that it’s okay, just keep on living and know that there are people like them.”

Imagine Dragons’ set list includes Shots, I Bet My Life, Polaroid from Smoke + Mirrors, a cover of Forever Young, and hits from the first album Night Visions like On Top of the World, It’s Time, Demons and the 2013 Rock Song of the Year Radioactive

When Dan goes through these episodes, his band members become like brothers. Wayne said, “That’s what makes our band work --— that we can lean on each other a bit. If someone’s having a particularly hard day, at least one or two of the guys are not having such a bad day so they can help. It’s sort of like a band-of-brothers situation.”

Daniel added, “We spend so much time together that it’s like we have a sixth sense. When something’s off with somebody, obviously, the last thing he wants is someone telling him, you look like you’re having a bad day. So, I don’t know, we kind of pick and choose and support each other the best we can. Honestly, the best thing about getting on the stage and in front of the crowd is it’s a great emotional release. Usually, that will help out. And when you can channel that negativity onstage and turn it into energy, it’s really helpful.”

Meanwhile, the band got a taste of the local culture during the brief Manila visit. They were so fascinated by the jeepney, and they ate balut. “It was a little intimidating (to eat) but it was great, as long as you don’t look at it in the eye.”

They were also welcomed by the traffic. “It’s a typical Manila thing right? We’ve seen L.A. traffic, Atlanta traffic. Manila traffic could be the worst (laughs), it could be up there.”

During the concert, which was heavy on percussions, grooves, hits and lights, Dan got a little more personal as he shared his Pinoy connection. “Two of my brothers lived here (serving in the Mormon mission). They fell in love with the people here, and they talked about you ever since I was very little, maybe 12 years old.

“Also in middle school, my best friend in the entire world was Filipino, he just moved in from the Philippines to the States. His name is Richard Arias and he’s someone I think of all the time, and someone from whom I learned quickly that the Filipino people are some of the most wonderful people as he was very laidback, very happy every single day I knew him. I know we’ve been here for one day, but the way we’ve been treated by the people here has spoken so much to us. This maybe our first time here, but we will be here time and time again.”