When I first found out grandson was opening for Imagine Dragons on their “Mercury” tour, I was pretty excited. I really like Imagine Dragons (I mean, who doesn’t?) and I think grandson is cool, too. Then I started thinking about what a strange combination that was. Imagine Dragons are internationally renowned pop/rock superstars with a huge fan base that spans generations, while grandson is an up-and-comingsinger/songwriter whose music blends rap, trap, hip hop, EDM, blues and alt rock into a distinctly urban sound.
Naturally, I was curious to find out how his politically charged music played to an arena full of mainstream-music fans in the middle of conservative Indiana. The answer was…surprisingly well. Although grandson typically expresses his views quite freely during his headlining shows, last night he primarily focused on getting the crowd excited for Imagine Dragons. The audience, which included a lot of kids with their parents, responded well to his energy, intensity, and talent, all of which are considerable.
Backed by guitarist Ramon Blanco and drummer David Rehmann, grandson sang and rapped his way passionately through a 10-song set that showcased his musical versatility. From the opening tune, “6:00” to the closing song, “Blood//Water,” the music ebbed and flowed with the best elements from all of grandson’s EPs, and his LP, as well as the singles, “Rain,” and “Kult.” The crowd (myself included) responded with loud cheers, fists in the air, and devil horns. Something tells me grandson made a lot of new fans last night.
You can catch grandson ‘s headlining tour with support from Royal & the Serpent starting February 26 For more information, go to: https://www.grandsonmusic.com/
Here’s a handy link to grandson’s Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/c/grandson/featured