Imagine Dragons help pay off Utah music venue’s mortgage

May 13, 2022, 4:15 PM | Updated: 4:16 pm

Digital Content Producer

PROVO, Utah — Velour Live Music Gallery, like Forrest Gump, has one less thing to worry about. Because on Thursday night, a band who says the venue helped launch their career informed them that the mortgage was paid off.

The news came on the night Velour celebrated its 16th anniversary.

Imagine Dragons’ lead singer Dan Reynolds dropped into the party and handed the owner, Corey Fox, a framed promissory note stamped “paid in full.”

“Nobody deserves this more than Corey,” Reynolds said from the stage. “I have a career, because of Corey.”

The gift was the culmination of months of work by Reynolds along with fellow artists, Neon Trees. In 2021, realizing that the Velour was struggling (as were so many other music venues) in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic, the bands held a benefit concert on YouTube.

Imagine Dragons and Zions Bank

Then, Zions Bank got involved.

“We committed to matching those donations dollar for dollar,” said Zions Bank Region President Nick Whiting, from the Velour stage on Thursday night. ”

“Thanks to Neon Trees, to Imagine Dragons and you amazing fans,” Whiting said. “With our matching donation, we were able to raise enough money to pay off the mortgage of Velour.”

Reynolds noted that Velour was the first venue he ever played, and he said he was spoiled by that.

“Corey is the artist’s artist. He is in it for the right reasons, he loves music. He loves to lift people up around him,” Reynolds said.

For his part, Corey Fox, the owner of Velour Live Music Gallery, was grateful. Not a man to step behind a microphone, Fox turned the story to the music venue he’s spent the last 16 years building. He said there are a lot of music scenes, but not a lot of music families.

“And that’s what this community is,” Fox said.