Imagine Dragons deliver a therapeutic rock blast to Minneapolis

No one was lying on a couch. No one was asked to leave after 50 minutes. But Imagine Dragons' concert Sunday at Target Center in Minneapolis turned into a massive therapy session for 14,000 fans and one rock singer.

Dan Reynolds, frontman of the biggest rock band to emerge in the past decade, has been open about his struggles with physical and mental health. He turned last year's album "Mercury — Act 1" into a self-help project, baring his soul and assuring his fans — and himself — that it's OK to be not OK.

In Imagine Dragons' first Twin Cities performance since 2017, Reynolds opened with the slowly building but consistently angsty "My Life," talking about trying to change but finding it hard to love himself. Of course, like so many of Imagine Dragons' tunes, it eventually surged into explosive drama, complete with confetti and fireworks.

Whether he was philosophizing between songs ("see a therapist … it saved my life") or relying on a deep-voiced narrator to deliver his themes ("face the world as it is"), Reynolds, 34, was about dealing with one's issues, whatever they might be.

When the high energy, dramatic singer downshifted between songs, he spoke about how tough the last two years have been (without mentioning the pandemic) and how tough the last three days had been (without mentioning Ukraine/Russia). He talked about losing people he loved in the last five years.

But the father of four just wanted to reassure his packed house in Minneapolis — the first city where radio embraced Imagine Dragons 10 years ago, he pointed out — that everything is going to be all right.

Reynolds dedicated "It's OK" from "Mercury" to all the kids in the crowd — there were a striking number with their parents — reminding them to be yourself, not to give in to what other kids say about you.

"It's OK to be not OK," he sang. "It's just fine to be out of your mind."

While the liberating message was welcome, so was the fact that Imagine Dragons dialed it down for once. Most of their songs are formulaic blasts, with medium tempo verses and volcanic chant-like choruses, which leads to sing-alongs — and stardom in countries that don't speak English as a first language.

That sonic formula made for a numbingly long night of booming, bouncy, bombastic bangers, including such hits as the pulverizing "Whatever It Takes," the pounding "Demons" and the ponderous "Enemy." With the sound cranked to 11, Reynolds just might have bellowed louder than Bono, U2's celebrated singer. Did anyone have a decibel meter at Target Center?

That brashness and bravado, worthy of Imagine Dragons' hometown of Las Vegas, was dressed up with plenty of glitzy visual effects, including flames, fireworks, lasers and confetti on — count 'em — five different songs.

These bearded 30-something guys came across as likable suburban dads, dressed in casual shirts and chinos. Guitarist Wayne Sermon, bassist Ben McKee and drummer Daniel Platzman met as students at Berklee College of Music in Boston, and they hooked up later with Reynolds in Vegas. (A guest keyboardist, Elliot Schwartzman, joins them for tours.)

Midway through Sunday's two-hour concert, the quintet assembled at the end of the Y-shaped runway on a satellite stage for a four-song acoustic segment. "Next to Me" was Reynolds' most emotional and nuanced vocal. Sermon's soulful flamenco-flavored guitar solo spiced the Jason Mraz-evoking "One Day." And "I Bet My Life" turned into a cheery hootenanny a la Mumford & Sons.

But the highlight was the night's only cover, Bob Marley's "Three Little Birds," which Reynolds introduced as a stress reliever he could listen to every day because, as the song reassures, "every little thing gonna be all right."

His new outlook — seven of the 24 songs on Sunday came from "Mercury" — sounded a different note than Imagine Dragons' first hit, 2012's "It's Time" when he declared "I'm never changing who I am."

With that revamped perspective, the singer closed the encore-less performance by reprising the chorus from "My Life" with a spoken ad lib. "There's no second chances," he roared, pounding his open hand over his heart. That was the Reynolds wrap for a rock therapy session.

Opening the concert was Danish electropop singer Mo, who had clever song titles like "Brad Pitt" and "Last Song" for her finale, but her most noteworthy number was "Lean On," her throbbing 2015 international hit with Major Lazer.