American pop rock band Imagine Dragons lit up the VinFuture Science and Technology Awards ceremony, performing songs like its hits “Believer” and “Whatever It Takes.”
The concert Friday night opened with “Believer,” a global hit with billions of streams on various platforms. Lead vocalist Dan Reynolds delivered an emotionally charged rendition of the song, which he wrote from personal battle with spinal issues and stress-induced depression, delivering the message of overcoming pain and becoming stronger in life.
The second song of the evening, “Whatever It Takes,” infused rock with R&B vibes. “I’m an apostrophe, I’m just a symbol to remind you that there’s more to see,” Reynolds sang while the drummers and guitarist thrilled the audience with a powerful performance.
After the 2024 VinFuture Grand Prize was announced, Imagine Dragons returned to the stage to perform “Walking the Wire” alongside the Vietnam National Symphony Orchestra. The collaboration blended the emotional depth of classical music and the intensity of rock music.
All three songs conveyed themes like resilience, optimism and determination to perfectly resonate with the award ceremony’s theme of “Resilient Rebound.”
The VinFuture Prize honors groundbreaking research and inventions with a profound global impact and assistance to humanity in overcoming challenges and reaching new heights.
After arriving in Hanoi on December 5 the band members spent a day enjoying the city’s cultural and cuisine attractions.
After their performance at the award ceremony, they headed to HCMC on December 7 to prepare for the 8Wonder Winter international music festival at Vinhomes Grand Park mega-plex in Thu Duc City on December 8.
Formed in 2008, Imagine Dragons rose to fame in 2012 with its single “It’s Time” before gaining further recognition by featuring on the hit TV show Glee and delivering a series of hits like “Radioactive” and “Demons.”
The four-member band dominated the rock scene in 2013. Its single “Radioactive” was nominated for the Billboard Music Awards in 2014 in four categories, including Top Hot 100 Song, Top Digital Song,Top Rock Song, and Top Streaming Song.
“Radioactive” soon became the third most downloaded song and sold over five million copies in the U.S.
Rolling Stone magazine named it the Most Successful Rock Song of 2013. The track also earned Imagine Dragons two Grammy nominations for Record of the Year and Best Rock Performance.
The annual VinFuture Science and Technology Awards ceremony seeks to fuse of science, technology and culture. Last year the awards function had featured American singer Katy Perry.