Imagine Dragons fans concerned by ‘crazy’ band post after drummer announces departure

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Kelly Rissman

US News Reporter

Imagine Dragons drummer Daniel Platzman has announced his permanent departure from the US pop-rock band after more than a decade.

Platzman joined the Las Vegas-formed group, fronted by singer Dan Reynolds, in 2011, shortly before they signed to Interscope Records.

The musician shared the news with his followers on Instagram on Wednesday 21 August, writing: “After an incredible journey of over a decade, I will be departing the amazing band that is Imagine Dragons.

“I wanted to share my deepest gratitude to you, the fans, for your unwavering support and sharing in the joy of music with me. Connecting with you all has truly been the highlight of this chapter.”

He concluded: “I’m excited to be able to share more soon about the projects I’ve been hard at work on over the past few months centred on my biggest passion: film scoring and composing. I promise you’ll be the first to know. Stay tuned.”

Platzman had previously announced an indefinite hiatus from the band in March last year.

Imagine Dragons co-founders Ben McKee (bass) and Andrew Tolman (drums, touring musician) both shared their well-wishes with Platzman on his post.

“Love you Platz! Looking forward to making more Cat Boiz music in the future,” McKee wrote, while Tolman added a series of heart emojis.

However, some fans have been concerned by the lack of any official post to come from the Imagine Dragons channels.

Six hours after Platzman’s post, the band shared a series of live photos taken from their recent show in Indianapolis, which began with a shot of Reynolds sitting at the drums.

“In my opinion, you should talk about the fact that Platz will no longer be in the band,” one fan commented. “Please explain.”

Another wrote: “We don’t know what happened between Platz and you guys but not making any official announcement and posting a picture of Dan on drums doesn’t seem right...”

“Posting Dan on drums after Platz leaving is crazy,” another agreed, while one fan asked: “Are you gonna say something about Platz leaving?”

The Independent has contacted Imagine Dragons’s representative for comment.

The band recently released their sixth studio album, Loom, which was produced by Imagine Dragons and their longtime collaborators Mattman and Robin.

This was the group’s first release as a trio, due to Platzman’s initial departure last year. It peaked at Number 22 in the US Billboard chart and Number 5 in the UK.

Last month, Reynolds addressed fierce criticism of the band by System of a Down’s Serj Tankian, after they performed in Azerbaijan’s capital of Baku in 2023.

Tankian, whose four grandparents were survivors of the Armenian genocide, claimed that he didn’t “respect [Imagine Dragons] as human beings” after their decision, which he suggested would be seen as an endorsement of the country’s authoritarian goverment.