Imagine Dragons...

Adam got an early birthday present surprise of tickets to go see his favorite band Imagine Dragons in concert! He was so excited and I'll admit I was really excited too - they are an amazing band. We were camping at Bull Run so it made getting to Jiffy Lube Live just a little easier - though traffic was crazy - that's ok, just meant more time listening to Imagine Dragons in the car to get pumped up. 

Once we arrived it was all about finding some good merchandise - I still remember the shirt I bought at my first concert - Matchbox Twenty at the Patriot Center. 

When we got to our seats we couldn't believe how amazing they were. I had originally bought seats that were further back but due to an error on the Seat Geek app they hooked us up with a different set of tickets for the same price - they were unbelievable - and became even more unreal as the night went on, but more on that in a bit. 

I'll never forget that look of anticipation on Adam's face as we waited for the concert to begin and then all of a sudden the lights started going and boom - there the band was singing Radioactive - it was the perfect opening number and Adam was on his feet singing along to every song - so was I. 

About halfway through the concert we started to notice that there was some activity on the stage that was literally right next to Adam. We had assumed it was just there for the camera and lights guys but all of a sudden people were bringing chairs, instruments and microphones onto it - what?! No chance the band was going to be playing RIGHT THERE? Ummm - yes, yes there were! OMG! We couldn't believe our luck - boy was Adam having an amazing first concert experience or what!? 

After they sang 3 songs with us literally in the front row we knew our concert experience had peaked so we decided to sneak out so we could beat the crowds out of that parking lot. We still got to hear a few of our favorite tunes as we walked away and 20 minutes later we were back at the camper. Wow - what a night. 

I can't say enough about what an awesome band Imagine Dragons is. Not only do they put on one heck of a performance but their messages are all so uplifting, encouraging and there isn't one ounce of negativity or inappropriate themes or words - the absolute perfect band for kids like Adam. One moment I'll never forget is right before they sang one of my favorite songs, "It's Time," Dan Reynolds asked the crowd if they'll ever let anyone put them into a box? Or let anyone make them feel like they weren't enough or that they needed to change who they were. After each of those questions I looked at Adam and saw him watching and listening so intently and responding with such firm answers of "no!" It was really cool to see and I hope Adam carries that positive message with him at all times - it's not easy being a kid these days but hopefully he'll remember the lyrics to that song - "Now don't you understand....that I'm never changing who I am."