Imagine Dragons was my son’s first concert. How the band’s message could save lives

Halfway through Monday night’s Imagine Dragons concert, the band stopped the music and turned up the lights.

Standing before thousands of fans on a warm Virginia Beach evening, lead singer Dan Reynolds stood in a spotlight as he advised us all to consider therapy.

It may not sound cool, he said, but it saved his life.

“If any kid here feels alone, feels helpless, feels like you’re hurting, you’re not alone,” he said. “You’re not helpless. You have a bright future ahead of you with all kinds of great things that are yet to be seen.

“And we need you in this journey,” he told the audience.

Chills danced up my arms as my heart melted. My son, Jake Harriss, stood beside me along with his best friend Bradley Geisen. They’re both 8, and this was their first major concert.

Imagine Dragons not only delivered a mesmerizing show and music, but a memorable message about turning challenges into success and managing stress and depression.

“So if you’re hurting, don’t hold it inside. That doesn’t make you strong,” Reynolds continued. “It makes you strong to reach out, to talk to your parents, to talk to your friends, to talk to a loved one.”

Reynolds shares his message at every concert, and it’s one I hope the boys and other kids take to heart.

The pandemic exacerbated an already accelerating trend of declining mental health for children and teens. And now, in this post-pandemic world, kids and teens face challenges like falling behind in reading, bullies criticizing clothing choices and violence forcing schoolwide lockdowns.

It’s become so dire that a national emergency in child and adolescent mental health was declared in 2021 by the American Academy of Pediatrics, the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Children’s Hospital Association. In 2023, 40% of high school students said they felt sad or hopeless almost every day, and 29% experienced poor mental health, according to the 2023 Youth Risk Behavior Survey.

First concert

After Jake had a bumpy kindergarten year at Voyager Elementary, he found Bradley in Mrs. McDonald’s first-grade class. Their friendship calmed the busy boys with racing minds and anxiety. I got the idea to buy the tickets to see Imagine Dragons, their favorite band, to celebrate Jake’s hard work in second grade. Fortunately, Bradley and his mother, Emily Geisen, wanted to come too.

The tickets, however, came with a research assignment. Jake, Bradley and I watched YouTube interviews and read Rolling Stone and other articles about the band. Reynolds says they’re not necessarily a rock group, describing the band more as a mix of singer-songwriter, rhythmic and hip-hop.

We learned that Imagine Dragons band members spent four years developing their music playing in Las Vegas clubs and casinos before they released their first album in 2012, “Night Visions.” The album included the single “Radioactive,” which Rolling Stone named the “biggest rock hit of the year” in a 2013 article. The article described the band’s big sound as a mixture of Mumford & Sons and Coldplay.

About Imagine Dragons

In June, the Grammy Award-winning band released their sixth studio album, “Loom,” followed by their biggest North American headline tour so far. They played at the Veterans United Home Loan Amphitheater in Virginia Beach on Monday and at the PNC Music Arena in Charlotte on Wednesday.

In articles and videos, Reynolds speaks about struggling with depression and anxiety, and being an introvert who finds writing songs and playing to sold-out arenas therapeutic. We liked that he won’t let critics put him in a one-genre box, but keeps it exciting by trying different sounds.

Reynolds grew up in a conservative Mormon household, but no longer practices the religion that he feels is harmful to gay youth, he told People magazine earlier this year.

In 2017, he founded the LOVELOUD festival, which is centered around igniting conversations with parents and others “about what it means to unconditionally love our LGBTQ+ friends and family,” according to the festival’s website.

About the show

Before Monday’s concert, we piled into an electric blue Honda Accord with the Uber driver blaring Imagine Dragons. When we arrived at the amphitheater, we found many others also brought their kids.

As night fell, Imagine Dragons stepped onto the stage, and the crowd erupted in excitement.

Reynolds, guitarist Wayne Sermon and bassist Ben McKee played their big hits like “Radioactive,” “Sharks” and “Believer,” amid exploding confetti, flashing flames and strobing lights. They also played “Fire in These Hills and “Nice to Meet You,” a couple of the boys’ favorites from the new album. Two megascreens flanking both sides of the stage reflected the show’s electric energy, often showing crowd members singing, dancing and smiling.

Between the songs, Reynolds celebrated his audience and encouraged us to embrace failure and forgiveness.

Reynolds’ challenges with anxiety hit home for Jake and Bradley, and I am sure it resonated with so many other children raised in our post-pandemic classroom environment, amid news of political turmoil, school shootings and teens killing other teens.

Some children also have to navigate this environment while struggling with racial injustice, hunger, homelessness and domestic violence.

When Reynolds paused to make his speech, he told the crowd he had lost too many people who thought life wasn’t worth living.

Don’t let that happen to you, he said.

“I have struggled with depression for a long time,” he said. “I’m not saying I know the cure. I still struggle, but my load is lighter because I get to express it to someone.”

‘All ages need to hear’

Then the lights turned down, and the band’s anthems continued.

Many in the audience seemed to appreciate the serious topics that Imagine Dragons brought to the forefront, including Meredith Miller, a teacher who taught fourth grade for 15 years in Virginia Beach public schools, where she now wrangles first-graders.

Miller said she appreciates Reynolds sharing his message, especially with so many young people struggling with mental illness.

“They need to know that they are not alone, and their life is so important,” she said.

But as Bradley’s mother, Emily, pointed out, the message applies to more than just kids.

“It’s a message all ages need to hear,” she said.

After the show ended, we worked our way through the crowd toward the exit with the boys buzzing with stories about their favorite songs and moments.

They liked what Reynolds had to say when he turned the lights up.

“It was a good speech,” Jake said.

“I feel like it was a convincing speech that would make everyone happy,” if they followed his advice, Bradley said.