Two years ago, Imagine Dragons was playing in Chicago as an opening act at Riot Fest in front of a crowd of 150 people. Last Thursday, the group was performing in front of a sold out crowd at the Allstate Arena in Rosemont. If that doesn’t scream success, I’m not sure what else does. When I go to concerts, the lighting isn’t usually something that I spend a lot of time focusing on. However, this show was totally an exception. The light show was so well done and choreographed with the music that it was more than just lighting, it was a work of art. It made the energy levels — which were already through the roof of the arena — so much higher.

The group was able to kick it back to some older songs such as “Hear Me” (2010) intertwined with their more recent well known hits. Of course they played their best known songs, “Radioactive,” “It’s Time,” and “Demons” throughout the set as well.

They had a total plot twist in the middle of the concert saying that they were going to play a classic rock song and started listing off their favorite bands such as The Beatles and Led Zepplin. Then they started playing the first few notes on the bass from Rush’s “Tom Sawyer” and I began to feel anxious. Although it’s just a cover, I’ve always thought it would be nearly impossible to match Geddy Lee’s unique voice and Neil Peart’s out of this world drumming. They truly shocked me when lead singer Dan Reynolds was able to hit many of the higher notes that Lee usually has in his songs and drummer Daniel Platzman was able to keep up with Peart’s fast pace. The real show stopper was the guitarist, Wayne Sermon. Although no one can match the guitar playing of Rush’s Alex Lifeson, Sermon came pretty close to the point where I had to remember it was him playing and not Lifeson himself.

Towards the middle of the show, they dedicated their song “30 Lives” to a 17 year old fan, Tyler Robinson, who lost his battle to cancer last year. As the band played, the arena went up in lights off of lighters and cellphones that people were raising in honor of Tyler. The sight was absolutely breathtaking as the group involved the audience to remember their beloved fan.

With their strong connection with the audience, Imagine Dragons made me feel happy with their upbeat music, nostalgic with their Rush cover, and hopeful with the crowds ability to give a solemn dedication to Tyler. I definitely would see their show again when they come back around.