the sweetness

Amy Paterson / photo editor Adam Lazarra, lead singer of Taking Back Sunday, sung to an enthusiastic group Thursday night. During the concert, the artist would repeatedly twirl his microphone cord around his neck while he wasn't singing.

Although Kohls department store rejected their remake of Lovin’ Spoonful’s "Do You Believe in Magic?," the Phoenix, Ariz.-based band The Format hasn’t been rejected anywhere else. Their debut album, "Interventions & Lullabies," is doing moderately well, The Format’s lead singer Nate Ruess said. So, predictably, Ruess and guitarist Don Raymond seemed optimistic before their performance at the Convocation Center Thursday night — even though they faced a long trek to Orlando, Fla. after their set.

"We have a 15-hour drive ahead of us, so we’re not even sure if we’ll stay for the whole show," Raymond said. "But we’re definitely excited to play."

Indie-rock-pop band The Format opened Thursday night for Taking Back Sunday and Jimmy Eat World. The concert sold out quickly after tickets went on sale — all the floor tickets and half of the seats were gone on the first day, junior Jamie Fox, UPB director of media and public relations, said.

Senior Anna Smolak, a UPB public relations committee member, didn’t seem surprised that the concert sold out.

"Jimmy Eat World and Taking Back Sunday draw a large group," Smolak said. "People came from U.Va. and Tech and other places to see them."

Even before the headliners took the stage, The Format proved to an excited auditorium why their popularity is on the rise. Although The Format uses their drummer for back-up, Reuss’ rich vocal talents were more than sufficient. Under a blanket of purple, red and orange lights, the six-member band awed listeners with their melodic, addictive chords and energetic sound.

"The Format was awesome," said Shannon Henning. "I’ve never heard them before, but I’m glad I got to listen. They have great vocals."

Compared with The Format’s harmonic, more mellow show, Taking Back Sunday’s was a visual casserole of smoke, strobes and colored lights. Only the crowd’s surfing and moshing punctured the band’s energetic display. The blue glow from the audience’s raised cell phones was lost among the rapidly changing lights.

"I’m really glad JMU brought an awesome band for us to enjoy," Heather Herndon (’04) said. "I really like [Taking Back Sunday’s] lyrics because I can relate to them — they make you think."

Although the band played some of their more popular songs — "This Photograph is Proof" and "Cute without the E (Cut from the Team)," lead singer Adam Lazzara’s over-the-top, Freddy Mercury-esque antics took away from the music. Lazzara continued to play catch with his microphone, at times swinging it rapidly around his neck. The other band members stuck to the sides of the stage, most likely to stay free of Lazzara’s lasso-like mic.

Taking Back Sunday’s vivacious and visual emo-punk performance still was a hit and some fans actually seemed to enjoy Lazarra’s quirky stage behavior.

"It was orgasmic," Virginia Tech student Ian Jewett said. "It was awesome how he was almost choking himself with his mic."

Jimmy Eat World finished off the evening with a strong set of older and newer hits — sans any microphone magic. The band dramatically jumpstarted the evening with, "Last Goodnight."

At first, black-clad lead singer Jim Adkins stood alone on stage, bathed in a single spotlight. As the song progressed, other band members — also clothed in black — joined him on stage. During the next song, the curtains opened to reveal at least 21 TVs stacked in front of the drummer as the band strategically sang the line, "I’m not alone cause the TV’s on, yeah."

The ecstatic crowd embraced the rest of the show, cleverly lit by the flashing televisions and multi-hued lights. Although the band on their color-shifting stage was largely stationary, the crowd again began moshing and crowd surfing. Adkins seemed to stretch for or occasionally go flat on higher notes, but the band’s harmonic intensity seemed to satisfy the crowd.

"One of my favorite songs is ‘The Sweetness,’" senior Janna Ridley said. "I’ve never seen them live before, but they were great. Whenever I hear them at all, I have to sing."