I'm doing alright
Thursday Vanessa and I headed out to LA to see The Format. They were recording a live concert DVD. I was pretty stoked to see them, but nothing could prepare me for the awesomeness of the actual show.
We showed up a full two hours early and the line for the show already went all the way down to the street corner. We got in a little after 8:00 and made our way up as close as we could get. I was happy with our location; too bad Vanessa kept getting trapped in a tall-guy sandwich.
The opening band wasn't all that great. I'm sure if I could give their album a listen I'd get a better idea of their sound.
The Format opened up with Matches and played all the way through their newest album Dog Problems. It was simply amazing! They had a full horn section and a string section. There were tons of guest musicians. Among them were Robb and Patrick from Limbeck, Reuben's Accomplice, and Jim Adkins from Jimmy Eat World. After finishing all the Dog Problems songs the boys came back out for an encore which included songs from Interventions and Lullabies along with new songs "Janet" and "Swans." It was all perfect.
After the show we took an "alternate route" home which was pretty cool. We rocked out to The Format singing along to the great melodies.
I've got to say, these guys the most exciting thing happening in music right now. They're doing all this without the support from a major label, or really any label for that matter. It's all on their own terms. The music is exciting and fresh, while not abandoning everything good from the past. If you have the chance, make sure and see this band live; it will change your life.
