Dan Reynolds of Imagine Dragons performs onstage during Day 3 of the DirecTV Super Fan Festival, Friday, Jan. 30, 2015 in Glendale. (Getty Images for DIRECTV)Imagine Dragons and Snoop Dogg had no problem performing through last night’s rain, playing hit after hit in front of a muddy crowd for day three of DirecTV’S Super Bowl Fan Festival in Glendale.
A giant Snoop Dogg face blended with the Jamaican flag served as the backdrop throughout the prolific rapper’s set.
The Dogg aimed to please, playing songs recognizable to anyone listening to the radio over the past twenty years.
“Gin And Juice,” “Young, Wild And Free” and “Drop It Like Its Hot,” were just some of the many hits he sprinkled over the audience.
An incredibly tight live band performed alongside Snoop, bringing a fresh feel to his familiar songs.
The audience consisted of parents taking their children to see a radio-friendly band like Imagine Dragons and rebellious Snoop Dogg fans.
When the rapper constantly told the audience to “get high” throughout his set, the displeasure on almost half of the crowd’s face was without a doubt noticeable.
This uncomfortable vibe changed once radio darlings, Imagine Dragons, walked onstage, performing hits like “It’s Time,” “Demons” and “Radioactive.”
Singer of the band, Dan Reynolds, made the crowd feel at home, moving and jumping toward every corner of the outstretched masses.
The group also played a few new songs, telling the audience its new album, “Smoke + Mirrors,” will be released on Feb. 17.
Hoping to connect with a crowd excited by the Super Bowl, Reynolds admitted that he “doesn’t know much about football,” but enjoys playing “Madden” as the Green Bay Packers.
In the middle of the set, a fan threw an American flag onto the stage, sending Reynolds into a patriotic rant about the U.S., riling up the crowd even more.
The band played “Radioactive” as its final song, delivering a stunning performance of the emotional electronic track while rain began falling harder than ever.
All four members of Imagine Dragons ended the set by pounding away on what looked like tribal war drums until the lights faded to black.
Natives of Arizona seemed flustered by the cold weather, while fans from New England and Seattle that had traveled here for the Super Bowl fit in just fine.
Indie rock band, Young The Giant, played on the smaller HGTV Lodge Stage, but still managed to catch the crowd’s attention, bruising through a quick set of experimental rock music.
Singer Sameer Gadhia used effects on his microphone to turn his voice into an angelic mess of reverb that floated above the powerful band behind him.
Gadhia hit New England Patriot fans with a jab about the Deflategate scandal, promising the audience that his “balls are inflated.”
While it may have been cruder than what a crowd of parents wanted, the DirecTV Super Fan Festival brought a night of entertainment to Glendale, showering the audience with rain and a medley of hits from artists that come from all sorts of backgrounds and genres.
Reach the arts editor at jhgolds2@asu.edu or follow @mister_jgold on Twitter.
Like The State Press on Facebook and follow @statepress on Twitter.
