Imagine Dragons grew up listening to alternative and classic rock, which definitely comes through in their pop-rock sound. But guitarist Wayne Sermon told us that he and his bandmates also get down to hip-hop, world music, and Simon and Garfunkel. "Our music is a tribute to what we listened to and played in Las Vegas," he said.
The foursome is on the road from Sin City on their Night Visions Tour, which'll take them to the Sunset Cove Amphitheater stage in Boca Raton this weekend. We got deep with Sermon, asking him the real stuff of life, like if he were a dragon, what kind of dragon would he be? And he told us how Sesame Street and Labyrinth came together in one of their videos.
New Times: What was the concept behind the "Radioactive" music video?
Wayne Sermon: People don't understand what we wanted in the video. We had 20 to 30 scripts for that song. The scripts were post-apocalyptic -- what you would expect for the song. We grew up watching Labyrinth with David Bowie and Sesame Street. We thought, "What if Muppets get in a cage fighting rink?"
Who doesn't think about Muppets fighting?
Oh, everyone does!
So you guys released your third music video.
It's our third single, "Demons." It started within our own mind. We pulled a script together of what we wanted. We are hands on, and it's an emotional song. We wanted to capture that, and there is live concert footage from our hometown. We wanted to show what our lives are like and tell a story in between.
So, who is your favorite famous dragon, and why?
The dog looking dragon in Never Ending Story. I don't remember the name, because it's a classic movie from childhood. Definitely my favorite.
If you were a dragon, what would you look like and what powers would you have?
Well, flying is a given. It's an ultimate. Most dragons have that. Fire-breathing, it's a great skill, like if you're out camping and you're cold and need to start a fire. It's practical and great for intimidation. Besides that, living forever or for a ridiculously long time.
I would be mostly black with little hints of gold here and there, little accents. I think that would look pretty majestic. Black and gold always look majestic.
What name would you have?
Hmmm... Wing.
Have you ever been asked this before?
No, you're the first! I've never been asked that before, congrats.
Which bands would you want to open for?
There are definitely lots of bands that we idolize. U2 is probably the ultimate rock band and the ultimate arena band, and their shows are amazing. Who wouldn't want to play for a thousand people a night? I also want to meet The Edge for selfish reasons.
How is this tour different than any tour you have done before?
Definitely each tour we do, we want to up our game. We had our first rehearsal for our tour yesterday. There's going to be new things, different elements. There will be a 300 pound Taiko drum. It's 5 x 3, and Dan (Reynolds, singer) hits a lot of drums, brings lots of energy on stage, has a good crowd. This is our biggest show and production we have ever done and size. Going all out.
Imagine Dragons. 7:30 p.m., Friday, May 10, at Sunset Cove Amphitheater, 12551 Glades Road, Boca Raton. Visit imaginedradonsmusic.com.
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