Imagine Dragons Are Heroes Behind The Music
Imagine Dragons. Remember that name. Amongst the twerking Miley and the vomit-ridden Lady Gaga, we have a class-act rock band in Imagine Dragons. Having been a band for five years, the first four of these years they spent playing in small venues. Then in their fifth year, 2012, they released their full-length major label debut album, Night Visions, reports Grammy.com. On that album was their hit Radioactive which reached number 3 on the Billboard Hot 100 and remained on Billboard Hot 100 for a record breaking 74 weeks.
Dan Reynolds, the lead singer for Imagine Dragons, finds it strange that after their level of success in “winning a Grammy, reaching double platinum status with its debut album and having three international hits, some folks still wonder who — or what — the band is,” reveals The Daily Journal. But, the band actually finds it somewhat nice to still have some anonymity.
There was no anonymity for Imagine Dragons to a 16-year-old boy, Tyler Robinson, from Sandy, Utah. Tyler, who was diagnosed with stage 4 of a very rare form of soft tissue cancer. Desert News states that “Tyler needed 20 rounds of chemotherapy, an operation and six weeks of radiation. He was going to miss his junior year and some of his senior year at Brighton High School.”
Tyler was determined, after a visit with his Bishop, that he could be bitter and angry or become stronger, and his decision was to become the bigger man. Throughout the course of his treatment, music helped him through difficult times. Imagine Dragons quickly became his favorite group. He claimed his motto was the line, “the road to heaven runs through miles of clouded hell” from Imagine Dragon’s song, It’s Time.
Tyler’s older brother, Jesse, contacted Imagine Dragons regarding a concert they were doing at a small venue nearby. Jesse told Robinson about Tyler’s story, and that he would be bringing Tyler to see Imagine Dragons that night. And, Jesse did just that. It was an incredible night that changed Tyler’s life forever. Just as Imagine Dragons were about to sing Tyler’s favorite song, It’s Time, Dan Reynolds made a great dedication of the song to Tyler. As Tyler sat on his brother’s shoulders, Reynolds sang straight to him, and the two, Tyler and Imagine Dragon’s lead singer, Reynolds, embraced at the end of the song, which was recorded and placed on Youtube.com.
From that time forward, Imagine Dragons stayed in touch with Tyler and his family. Not long after Tyler was told he was cancer free, he went into an unexpected coma, and passed away in March 2013. Saddened by the news, Imagine Dragons decided to set up the Tyler Robinson Foundation which helps families financially who are affected by childhood cancer.
Desert News is proud to report that tens of thousands of dollars have been raised in support of this foundation. Imagine Dragons have also certainly done their part in the success of this venture. In fact, Imagine Dragons held a benefit concert on February 22, 2014 and 100 percent of the proceeds went directly to the foundation which is run by all volunteers. That is a reward much greater than any Grammy! Kudos to Imagine Dragons!
