Troye Sivan @ The Ogden Theatre, 2/16/16

Photos & Review: Troye Sivan
Featuring: Troye Sivan & LANY
The Ogden Theatre, Denver CO
2/16/16

Photos and Review by: Shannon Shumaker

Full photo gallery HERE.

It may have been a week night, but that didn’t stop Troye Sivan and support LANY from selling out The Ogden Theatre on Tuesday, February 16th. By the time I arrived at the venue, it was just a few minutes before doors opened, and the massive line of dedicated fans wrapped around the venue and down the block, with teens who had been camping out for hours dominating the front. When doors finally opened, it was nearly a stampede – a race to get the best spot in the venue for Troye Sivan’s sold-out debut performance in Denver, Colorado.

Opening up the show was the Los Angeles-based group, LANY. Having only recently heard of the trio, I didn’t expect Sivan’s fans to be familiar with them, but before the band even took the stage, the front row was already screaming for them, calling them by name, and chattering excitedly among one another. Later in LANY’s set, it was almost laughable when vocalist Paul Klein introduced the band to the crowd, as it was apparent that everyone was well aware of who they were.

LANY proved to be the perfect opening act for the show, as they not only had just the right kind of mellow sound, but were also great at entertaining the crowd. On top of standing on the edge of the stage to reach into the excited crowd, Klein also teetered on top of the kick drum throughout the set while urging listeners to participate and sing along. Before LANY’s set was even over, it was apparent that they won the crowd over, and with a headlining show from the band coming up at Lost Lake Lounge on May 24th, it’s safe to say that they will have many familiar faces to welcome them back to Denver in a few months.

After LANY left the stage, the room was buzzing with anticipation for Troye Sivan. And when the twenty year-old singer-songwriter, actor and YouTuber took the stage, it was to the excited screams, declarations of love, and near-hysteria of his dedicated fans, some of which drove all the way from New Mexico, and even waited outside since early that morning for the show. Opening the show with haunting track, “Bite,” from his recently released album Blue Neighbourhood, Sivan was illuminated by one single while backlight and was backed up by a chorus of fans. From there, the night only seemed to get better and better.

Following “Bite” was love song, “for him.” and the stunning single, “Fools,” before Sivan properly addressed the crowd, and when he did, it was impossible not to notice how down to earth the performer was. He talked to the sold-out crowd like speaking to a friend, telling his fans about his eventful flight to Denver, even mentioning that he’d been having a rough couple of days, but they were definitely turning things around. It was then that he finally reached into the crowd, taking a gift from a fan – a rainbow flag with messages written all over it – before wrapping it around his shoulders like a cape and launching into a stripped down version of his emotional track, “Heaven.”

Other highlights of the night were during “Cool,” when the venue erupted into a fun-loving dance party, and “Suburbia,” simply because a few dedicated fans had taken it upon themselves to hand out little paper houses for the crowd to hold up during the song – needless to say, it was an amazing sight. Sivan closed out the night with “Talk Me Down,” before the two song encore of “Lost Boy” and his single, “Youth,” and before the final notes of the last song even rang out, fans were already rushing out the front door and into the alley next to the venue, in hopes of catching a glimpse of the singer.

Not only was the show incredible, from Troye Sivan’s flawless vocals and dance moves to LANY’s stellar opening performance, but throughout the night, the community between the fans in the crowd was palpable. There were no fights or arguments – at least none that I saw. Instead, it seemed as if everyone came together for one reason, and that was to enjoy some great music and sing their hearts out.