On a roll, Imagine Dragons storm into KeyArena

  • By Andy Rathbun Special to The Herald
  • Thursday, February 6, 2014 11:05am
  • LifeGo-See-Do

A rock band that can dent the pop charts is becoming a rarity, and one that dominates them is rarer still.

But they do still exist.

Imagine Dragons, the Las Vegas band that headlines KeyArena at 7 p.m. Tuesday, is a prime exhibit.

The group builds its sound around synthesizers and soaring vocals, a little like a mash-up between MGMT and Oasis.

The alt-rockers have scored a steady sting of hits, each ubiquitous across the radio dial. Songs such as “Radioactive,” “Demons” and “It’s Time” have become mainstays on the Billboard Hot 100, even as they top the rock charts.

The group has been riding high for more than a year now, and may be reaching its peak. In recent weeks, the band made its first appearance on “Saturday Night Live,” appeared on the Grammys alongside rapper Kendrick Lamar and headlined a pre-Super Bowl concert, all on the strength of one album, “Night Visions.” That record went platinum late last year.

Tickets are $40.63 to $61.11 at ticketmaster.com or 800-745-3000.

Next week will also see rappers 2 Chainz and Pusha T sharing a bill, as they headline the Showbox SoDo at 8 p.m. Thursday.

2 Chainz is headlining the bill. The Atlanta rapper has seen his first two albums reach the top five on the Billboard 200, driven by singles that find him name-checking strippers and the Waffle House.

Pusha T also has made a splash in recent months. The Kanye West protege released his long-awaited debut in 2013. “My Name Is My Name” hit No. 4 on the charts and made several best-of-2013 lists.

Tickets are $42.50 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.

Toad the Wet Sprocket, meanwhile, is back on the road. The group will play the Showbox at 8 p.m. Saturday.The alt-rockers scored a steady string of hits in the early 1990s, including the No. 1 single “Come Down.”

Though the group “broke up” in 1998, they soon reformed and played occasional shows throughout the last decade. An official reunion took place in 2010, with a fresh album, “New Constellation,” hitting stores last year.

Tickets are $27.50 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.

Country roots act the Wood Brothers will play a show that same night, as the Colorado-based group tours behind its fourth studio album, “Muse.” They headline the Neptune Theatre at 8 p.m. Saturday.

Like past releases, “Muse” found the Wood Brothers tapping into the fertile ground that informs the best Americana music, drawing inspiration from gospel, country, folk and R&B.

Tickets are $22.50 at stgpresents.org or 877-784-4849.

Finally, Scottish trio Biffy Clyro will hit the Showbox at 9 p.m. Sunday.

The group, which formed in 1995, has finally started turning heads in the U.S. with its sixth album, “Opposites,” released in 2013. The prog-rock leaning disc features the hit single, “Black Chandelier.”

Tickets are $20 at showboxonline.com or 888-929-7849.

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