Young the Giant thundered into Denver's Ogden Theatre Saturday night, coming on like an ethnically and musically diverse hybrid of Maroon 5 and Vampire Weekend. Which proved to be a surprising, good thing.
Photos: Young the Giant in Denver
Magnetic frontman Sameer Gadhia did a lot more boogieing and tambourine playing than a casual fan might expect, especially if their main experience with the band was the chilled-out video for the new single "Cough Syrup." Gadhia exhorted the capacity crowd to dance throughout the set, and most of them were all too happy to oblige.
Young the Giant's current (self-titled) album tends toward slow-starting, mid-tempo rock, so it only makes sense that they'd want to pick up the pace for a live show. The surprise was just how smooth that acceleration was. Gadhia rocked out while juggling multiple microphones, while the band's three guitarists (Jacob Tilley, Eric Cannata and Payam Doostzadeh) caromed all over the stage and, occasionally, into each other.
MTV-supported songs such as "My Body" and "Cough Syrup" brought the house down, of course, but the crowd stayed solidly on board even when the band dipped into the dreaded "new material." Fans may not have known every word, but they could still shout and dance.
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