Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons, performs at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Formula Drift contenders race at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Jack Met, lead singer of AJR, performs at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Formula Drift contenders race at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Arnetta Johnson, trumpeter for AJR, and Adam Met, bass player for AJR, perform at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons, performs at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Arnetta Johnson, trumpeter for AJR, performs during an AJR set at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
A kid holds up a sign during an AJR concert at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Formula Drift contenders race at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Jack Met, lead singer of AJR, performs at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons, performs at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons, performs at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons, thanks Las Vegas, his hometown, for joining him at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons, performs at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons, performs at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons, performs at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons, performs at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons, performs at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
AJR fans enjoy themselves during an AJR concert at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons, performs at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons, performs at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons, performs at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons, performs at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons, performs at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Imagine Dragons perform at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons, performs at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Dan Reynolds, lead singer of Imagine Dragons, performs at the 2023 SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023 in Las Vegas. (Daniel Pearson/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
The Struts perform at SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
The Struts perform at SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Nitro Circus performs at SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Nitro Circus performs at SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
The Struts perform at SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
The Struts perform at SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
The Struts perform at SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Fans cheer for The Struts as they perform at SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Nitro Circus performs at SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
Nitro Circus performs at SEMA Fest on Saturday, Nov. 4, 2023, in Las Vegas. (Madeline Carter/Las Vegas Review-Journal)
The closing of an epic event in Las Vegas called for an epic Vegas band, and again Imagine Dragons answered the call.
The Vegas-rooted rockers closed the second night of SEMA Fest at Las Vegas Festival Grounds on Saturday. The Dragons unleashed such fan faves as “Believer,” “It’s Time,” “Shots,” and “Radioactive” on the event’s primary, ZYN Stage.
AJR, Walk the Moon, Struts, Badflower and Renforshort preceded the Dragons’ performance. Friday, Wiz Khalifa, Third Eye Blind, Bush, Ludacris and Starcrawler also appeared on the main stage.
The inaugural event mixed music from a multitude of genres and the automotive culture during the annual SEMA show in Las Vegas. The Festival Grounds were described by organizers as a “ultimate automotive playground.” About 160,000 conventioneers attended the conference last week and weekend. More than 20 acts performed.
John Katsilometes’ column runs daily in the A section. His “PodKats!” podcast can be found at reviewjournal.com/podcasts . Contact him at jkatsilometes@reviewjournal.com. Follow @johnnykats on X, @JohnnyKats1 on Instagram.