Imagine Dragons return to Kyiv

Imagine Dragons return to Olimpiyskiy NSC with a new album

Imagine Dragons became the first foreign band who did it in Ukraine – they were able to force people to wait in the electronic queue for tickets, and gather 50 thousand people at their concert. And now they will do it again in the same place, four years later after an incredible triumph.

June 3, 2022, Olimpiyskiy NSC

In September 2021, Imagine Dragons released their fifth studio album, "Mercury - Act 1", the first one after a three-year break. Rick Rubin took over the production by himself, he led the band on a completely different path. Instead of a standard set of pop songs, he forced the band to rethink their values.

Frontman of the band, Dan Reynolds, said that the producer was able to convey the idea to him that growth - musical and semantic - it's very important not only for music, but also for their fans. Therefore, it was important to move from just writing hits to cohesive, conceptual work.

"Our fans want to not only grow up with me, but they also expect the same from me. Rick reminded me to not worry when you try to do something uncomfortable, unusual for others. I only make things worse when I try to repeat the past success. Sincerity and openness -  it’s what they really expect from us", - says Reynolds.

Rubin established the rule for working in the studio with him - honesty and only honesty, no matter how painful it may be. Hence the name of the album, which comes from the word "mercurial", which means unstable. Thus, Imagine Dragons reflects two things - the lack of belonging to the genre, and the many years of Reynold's struggle with his mental problems.

“The meaning of art is to share all the moments - both light and dark. I believe that if I speak openly about my struggle, it will help someone else. Yes, Mercury is about loneliness, search, struggle with myself. But at the same time, it's a light, musically diverse album that ends on a good note. A note of a happy and stable future".

The ability to speak about personal problems to a wide audience, and the multi-genre nature of "Mercury - Act 1" were highly appreciated. The album easily hit the Top-10 of many charts around the world, and the tracks "Follow You" and "Monday" claim the status of new hits and permanent residents of "Dragons" setlists. And Kyiv will be one of the first to hear it.