The Format rocks sold-out return in Phoenix
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The Format reunited in Phoenix on Saturday. Photo: Jessica Boehm/Axios
The Madhouse on McDowell was rocking with nostalgia and local love Saturday night as Phoenix-band-gone-big The Format took the stage after a nearly two-decade hiatus.
The big picture: Throughout the 90 minutes of pure millennial euphoria, Peoria natives Nate Ruess and Sam Means delivered a plentitude of hits, snuck in a couple of new songs and paid homage to other iconic Arizona bands.
- The sold-out show was a reunion, not just for the band, but for nearly 15,000 30-to-40-year-old fans (mostly native Arizonans) who descended upon the State Fair show.
Catch up quick: Ruess and Means turned their high school rock star dreams into reality, signing with Elektra Records in 2002 and releasing hits like "The First Single (You Know Me)" and "She Doesn't Get it."
- Many of their songs include lyrical mentions of the Valley ("the 51 is backed up and too slow" is still relevant today).
Flashback: The duo broke up in 2008, pursuing solo ventures and other band opportunities.
- In 2020, Ruess and Means announced a reunion tour, including three quickly sold-out shows at the Van Buren in downtown Phoenix. The shows were postponed indefinitely following the onset of the COVID pandemic.
State of play: Over the summer, The Format announced a three-city tour to kick off in their hometown. Ruess told the crowd Saturday night they thought it would be cool to perform at the Coliseum at the fair where they used to watch concerts. But they resigned to the fact that it would probably be "half empty."
- Reality check: The show sold out in less than an hour.
1 big moment: During one of two encores, Ruess invited Arizonan Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World to join the band for a cover of "Hey Jealousy," by the Gin Blossoms — a band no one in Arizona "would be anywhere without," The Format frontman proclaimed.
- It was a generation-crossing, local love fest of epic proportions.
My thought bubble: Growing up in the Valley, The Format always felt like a community success — proof that creativity and artistry could thrive here in the desert.
The bottom line: "This is the most enjoyable time I've ever had," Ruess told the crowd with sincerity that moved many to tears.
- Nate, so many of us felt the same way.