Dot Dot Dot gets formal at the Bluebird

High schools may have their homecoming and prom, but Saturday night the Bluebird Nightclub had its Winter Formal featuring pop rock band Dot Dot Dot.

The audience embraced the theme of the evening, dressing mostly in party dresses, dress shirts and ties. The event kicked off with a set of remixed top 40 songs from DJ BSizzle.

Dot Dot Dot took the stage around 11:30 p.m. Lead singer Adam Blair explained the main reason for the Winter Formal was to have an excuse to wear something other than jeans and t-shirts to a show and complimented the audience’s change in appearance.

Kicking off with original material, Dot Dot Dot breezed through songs “All Be Alright” and “You Do,” encouraging the crowd to sing along.

The band presented a cover-heavy set that showed off all the members and their individual talents. While Blair took lead vocals for The Killers’ “Mr. Brightside,” he covered bass for Little Lisa as she sang out Lady Gaga’s “Just Dance.”

Blair also took over as lead guitarist when Rose Ana Laguana channeled her inner Morten Harket on a-Ha’s “Take on Me.” The new-wave ‘80s hit also featured an electric keyboard solo from Michael Bonowicz.

Formed in 2006, the band features members from two Chicago bands. Blair and Bonowicz were previously in the band The Fabulous Janes, and Laguana and Little Lisa came from a group called Catfight.

“We had a clandestine rehearsal in a music store in late 2006,” Bonowicz said. “We ended up on a television show (Fox’s The Next Great American Band) soon after. We traveled a bunch. Eight hundred shows later, we’re still here.”

Drummer Marty Kane, who came to the group after its original formation, said he classifies their genre as “dance-able, sing-able pop and rock covers and originals” and said the rush he gets performing live with the group is unparalleled.

“The energy, spontaneity and even the musical imperfections are, to me, what makes music an active and engaging art,” Kane said. “We sponge so much energy from our audiences. They are definitely an integral part of our shows.”

Aside from having an excuse to look pretty and rock out, Blair said the Winter Formal was designed as a way for people to redo one of high school’s pinnacle experiences.

“The formal is for those who were never asked to prom and for those who had such a good time they want to relive it,” he said.

The band will continue to tour through May with stops in Merrionette Park, IL and Biloxi, MS scheduled for this month. They will return to Bloomington Feb. 27 for a less formal show at the Bluebird.

Tracks from their latest EP, “III,” can be heard on iTunes and Pandora. For more information on Dot Dot Dot, visit their Facebook or Twitter pages or their official website, dotdotdotonline.com.