The Format offers up a solid set to a sold-out Cervantes’
It’s difficult to match the energy of screaming high schoolers being filmed for MTV’s “Super Sweet 16,” but a sold-out Cervantes’ Masterpiece Ballroom in Denver on Tuesday gave The Format a welcome they would not soon forget.
After independently releasing their new album, “Dog Problems,” in early July, The Format has been hard at work promoting their most recent project. Despite an appearance on one of MTV’s most notorious shows and rotation of the video for their single “The Compromise” on Fuse’s Oven Fresh, The Format has not lost their ability to play a flawless live show to a packed house.
Stage decorations inspired by the band’s original artwork for their latest release introduced fans to The Format’s taste for the unusual and added a never-before-seen element to the show.
As the band took the stage and stood among large cutouts of brightly colored dogs, an enthusiastic crowd went crazy as lead singer Nate Ruess joked about biweekly visits to Denver.
Soon after, the band exploded into new material and performed “Time Bomb” for the first time in Colorado.
A seamless transition into “Give It Up,” from their first full-length album “Interventions and Lullabies,” proved that the band only gets better with time.
The energy and humidity levels inside Cervantes’ went through the roof as The Format blazed through both new and old tracks, executing each song with precision and fervor that is impossible to capture in a recording studio.
When the first chords of “Tie the Rope” blared through amps, the crowd erupted and screamed every word of the dismal but eerily catchy chorus of one The Format’s most recognizable songs.
Soon after the feedback faded and the stomping receded, the volume came down and Ruess gently sang “On Your Porch,” while 16-year-olds with matching Vans slip-ons slow-danced, sang the words to each other and made out.
When the set came to a close, the band left the stage to the overwhelming screams of the audience, which soon began to chant for an encore. Only minutes later, the mass was appeased when The Format returned to the stage and proceeded to play a three-song encore.
They closed with their most popular song and the highlight of every show, “The First Single,” which proved to be nothing short of a stellar performance.
As the night came to a close, the only disappointment was that The Format didn’t play for another two hours. Regardless, the crowd left smiling thanks to a remarkable performance by an extremely talented band.
