There is nothing quite like a great concert experience. Being in attendance to watch your favorite musician perform, surrounded by like-minded fans and feeling the energy of the show and the crowd makes for an unmatched experience. That’s what Hulu’s Imagine Dragons Live in Vegas hopes to deliver.
Far from the days of playing in dive bars and casinos across the Las Vegas Strip, Imagine Dragons returns home to perform at the city’s largest stage, Allegiant Stadium, in a triumphant concert film that showcases the band’s rise to fame and the city that helped shape their sound.
While this is obviously different from your typical film or documentary and is much more reliant on the energy of the crowd and the concert itself, this new film is brilliantly directed and edited. Capturing the chaotic and wild performance of this band must have been quite a challenge but the finished product gives a great visual and provide and excellent idea of what it would have been like to actually be in attendance. Bits and pieces of interviews and old videos are sprinkled throughout the concert in a way that helps to provide context for some of the band’s music. That concept culminates in a beautiful and emotional tribute to the band’s rise in the end.
While the concert is obviously the main focus and was entertaining, it also would have been nice to get some more of that documentary element. We do get to hear from each member of the band here and there, but learning more about them individually and getting a peek into their lives would have been very interesting. This concert film almost teases that concept and leaves the audience wanting more.
Of course, with this film essentially just being a concert recording, you do need to be a fan of the band at least to some degree in order to enjoy it. While that may not necessarily be the case were it more of a documentary, the concert film format leaves the audience listening to song after song. If this isn’t music you enjoy, it won’t be a film you enjoy either. Luckily, there are plenty of Imagine Dragons fans out there to enjoy this film.
Focusing almost entirely on the concert also comes with one other huge challenge: capturing the energy of a live event for a recorded product. As I mentioned, the directing and editing is perfect, so the finished product is certainly fun and entertaining. Of course, it’s not going to be the same as being there in person, at least not until we can employ some kind of VR technology to make that possible. Still, this film does about as well as it possibly can in that department.
Overall, Imagine Dragons Live in Vegas is certainly something Imagine Dragons fans will enjoy. It is as expertly made as it possibly can be and therefore provides as good a concert-at-home experience as one could hope for. The documentary-esque elements are interesting but will likely leave the audience wanting a bit more, unless you simply want to listen to the band’s music. And I suppose, if nothing else, this is a great new film to throw on in the background if you enjoy the music of Imagine Dragons.
Imagine Dragons Live in Vegas premieres Friday, July 14th on Hulu.