“I’ve been waiting to say this for about the last 20 years- we are The Format!”
The crowd of over 10,000 fans at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum went wild at Nate Ruess’ introduction to the band’s first show in nearly two decades last week. Nestled in the heart of Phoenix at the annual Arizona State Fair, fans from across the state, the country and the world flocked to the fairgrounds to celebrate the return of the long-dormant indie duo. Ruess and guitarist Sam Means enlisted a few more stellar musicians, armed the crowd with rally towels and gave The Format a proper welcome back.
Ruess and Means seemingly haven’t aged a day in the 20 years since The Format went away and both took the Coliseum’s stage with huge grins, stepping right back into being rockstars like no time had passed. The state of Arizona is woven into the band’s DNA and they made sure to honor everything beautiful about their hometown- from the shirt designs to the constant shoutouts to fans who have kept the legacy of the band alive all these years later.
The audience could not have been more excited that this reunion was finally happening. After The Format’s surprise pop-up in 2020 and the subsequent COVID shutdown that cancelled all shows for nearly two years, the first reunion plans were scrapped until now. The band decided to fully go back to their roots with a State Fair show, noting mid-show that they expected the venue to be only half full and instead walked out to a sold out crowd.
Their discography may not be long but the love for this band runs deep so every song- from the opening notes of “Tie the Rope” to “The Compromise” to every selection from Dog Problems- elicited cheers and visible joy from the audience. The band fell right into sync with each other, the result of almost a year of rehearsals and a natural affinity for the stage present in everyone up there. With their name hanging in lights and a wall of spotlights illuminating both the band and the audience, this was a communal experience and a real triumph for those with profound attachments to Arizona.
The middle of the set brought a soft acoustic rendition of “Snails”, with the crowd singing softly in unison so as not to drown out Ruess’ distinct voice. Means plucked away at a plethora of guitars and stepped behind the piano on several occasions to hold down the musical heartbeat of the set while Ruess got as close to the edge of the stage to be even more connected to the adoring audience looking back at him.
All too soon, the main set came to a close with “The First Single (You Know Me)” and the massive sing-a-long that ensued that gave the room a hue of intense nostalgia. The Format was not a band for a long period of time but their songs impacted a generation of millennials- a feeling that poured out of the crowd as the band left the stage for the first time. Naturally they returned for the first of two surprise encores, adding in “On Your Porch” and new song “Holy Roller” before coming back yet again. This time, the band was joined by Jimmy Eat World singer and fellow Phoenix icon Jim Adkins for a rendition of Gin Blossoms’ “Hey Jealousy”- truly the largest meld of Arizona legends that could have happened in that room.
After spending over two hours with their audience, the show ended with “A Save Situation” and an air of potential that this might just be a new beginning for The Format. While nothing has been confirmed by the band, new music and a renewed joy for being onstage sent the audience out into the neon lights of the State Fair with smiles on their faces and an extra spring in their steps from their night at the Madhouse on McDowell.
