R&B Takes Over Denver: Jordan Ward and Dende Live

Dende opened up for Jordan Ward at Cervantes' Other Side venue in Denver, Colorado, on March 3, 2026. Dende came out and immediately sparked energy with beautiful vocals and a consistent beat; this quickly got the crowd focused and excited for his set.

He showed great crowd engagement by announcing his excitement to be performing for Denver and continuously giving detailed anecdotes about the origins of his songs. This consisted of sharing personal details about growing up in Texas, traveling for music, and experiences of heartbreak and betrayal in love. He effectively created emotion and personal connection with the crowd by sharing feelings that are poured into his music.

Eventually, in his set, he unfortunately experienced sound trouble with his mic going out, but he didn’t let this stop him. Dende kept singing without a mic over the music, displaying the true power of his voice. It beautifully carried over the beat and sounded just as amazing as it does with a working mic. As an artist, being able to remain calm and continue performing is a true display of strength and confidence in his artistry.

The rest of his set was followed by a continuation of excellent performing, energy, and amazing crowd engagement, as he called on specific people to start dancing with the music in order to bring the crowd’s energy up. Dende also called a crowd member on stage to give her flowers and sing more intimately to her; he ended up throwing in Leon Thomas’ popular new song “MUTT” for this part of the set.

Overall, his set was a fantastic presentation of fresh talent, harnessed by his innate ability to perform on stage. Dende is an extremely promising young artist; he stands out because of his exciting crowd interactions, strong stage presence, and impressive vocals. With more experience and development, I believe we could see Dende rise up as a great and influential modern R&B artist.

After Dende’s set, the stage crew at Cervantes’ set up a very aesthetically pleasing stage with comfortable yet stylish chairs for the band, house plants, and an incense stick to create a chill vibe that set up a good visual for an R&B performance.

Jordan Ward came out about 30 minutes later, opening his set with a similar high energy to Dende, and angelic, hypnotic vocals. The clean, raw tone of his voice was infectious. He stated at the beginning of the concert that this tour is to show how we can all feel like family. He aimed to show the crowd how he and his bandmates live by inviting us into his “apartment” (hence the tour name “Apartment Tour”). Jordan even added amusement to the apartment concept by telling the crowd to stay quiet in order to avoid noise complaints and imitated a fake one. It was apparent from the beginning that he was happy to be performing and showcasing his art.

His crowd engagement easily stood out during his performance. He constantly expressed his joy to be in Denver after sharing that this show was his first time ever visiting the city, as well as his appreciation for the fans who came out to watch him. He emphasized how important it was to see day-one fans in the crowd. Jordan also made commendable efforts in shouting out the band, who consisted of a bass and guitar player, giving them their moments to musically shine. At the end of the day, the performance truly wouldn’t have come together as gracefully as it did without the band.

Another notable moment in Jordan’s set was the performance of his song “SMOKIN POTNA,” during which he asked the crowd, “where the real smokers are?” while smoking weed handed to him from the DJ. He then proceeded with the song, which had fun, repetitive lyrics that say “she only smokes with me.” This was a beautiful song that had a smooth tone and soulful vocals that also built on the connection he created with the crowd.

To add to this amazing show, Jordan’s energy on stage was unlike many artists I’ve seen before. His set consisted of a perfect balance between fast-paced, upbeat songs and slower, more blues-focused songs. No matter what song or energy it carried, his body language and vocal rhythm were always a perfect display of the vigor his music carries. He created strong enthusiasm on stage with funky dancing that reminded me of Michael Jackson’s dance style, which always hyped the crowd up and encouraged more dancing among us. Part of his set also featured a treadmill that he creatively worked into his performance, effectively showing that he approaches his sets with a fresh and creative perspective.

After the concert, fans were still buzzing with excitement and talking about how spectacular the performance was. Fan Sean Connelly said, “it was fucking awesome guitar! It was amazing, he’s so kind and interactive with us.” Connelly ended up with a setlist at the end of the night after having multiple interactions with Jordan throughout his set.

Ultimately, this concert was an amazing experience and incredible work by both Jordan Ward and Dende. The live vocals are a strong match for both of their studio sounds, which is not always the case for some artists when they go live. In my opinion, this reveals an artist’s true gift in music.