Imagine Dragons Support Striking Netflix Writers With Picket Line Mini-Concert
Imagine Dragons surprised striking writers on Tuesday (May 10) by playing a mini-set on the Netflix picket line in Hollywood in the midst of the week-old work shutdown that has brought the movie and TV industry to a halt. Videos of the performance showed singer Dan Reynolds and guitarist Daniel Sermon playing their hits “Radioactive” and “Whatever It Takes” amid striking writers waving signs as the pair serenaded them with unplugged versions of two of their rock radio hits.
The pop-in was the latest example of artists showing up to support the strikers, including Bupkis star Pete Davidson handing out pizzas in Greenpoint, Brooklyn and Ted Lasso producers/stars Jason Sudekis, Brett Goldstein and Brendan Hunt joining the Writers Guild of America picket lines last Friday.
The Writers Guild and Alliance of Motion Picture and Television Producers stopped negotiations 10 days ago, setting off the first strike in 15 years, which has found guild members and their allies picketing outside the major studios and streaming companies over the past week.
The strike has already had a major impact on TV and film production, as well as musicians, who have been missing out on important late night performance and appearances on The Tonight Show, Jimmy Kimmel Live!, The Late Show and Late Night, as well as Saturday Night Live, all of which immediately went on hiatus to honor the strike. The strike also spurred Drew Barrymore to pull out of hosting last weekend’s 2023 MTV Movie & TV Awards.
Check out video of the performance below.
Gil Kaufman
Billboard
