{"id":262118,"date":"2025-09-28T20:38:13","date_gmt":"2025-09-28T20:38:13","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/262118\/"},"modified":"2025-09-28T20:38:13","modified_gmt":"2025-09-28T20:38:13","slug":"the-formats-long-awaited-phoenix-concert-was-even-more-than-imagined","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/262118\/","title":{"rendered":"The Format&#8217;s long-awaited Phoenix concert was even more than imagined"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Josh Chesler<br \/>\n\u00a0|\u00a0 Special for The Republic<\/p>\n<p><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"position:absolute;top:0;left:0;right:0;bottom:0;width:100%;height:100%;z-index:2\" src=\"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-content\/uploads\/2025\/07\/926064f8-0b10-4258-8bb5-a620cc92814c-Stevie_Nicks_7.jpg\"\/><img decoding=\"async\" class=\"vidplayicon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.gannett-cdn.com\/appservices\/universal-web\/universal\/icons\/icon-play-alt-white.svg\" alt=\"play\" style=\"height:40px;margin:auto 18px auto 27px;width:40px\"\/><\/p>\n<p>Musicians with Arizona ties, from Stevie Nicks to Alice Cooper<\/p>\n<p>Here are 12 of the biggest music celebrities who are Arizona natives or who have lived here, including Wayne Newton, Tanya Tucker and John Denver.<\/p>\n<p>The Republic<\/p>\n<ul>\n<li>Indie band The Format played their first show in nearly two decades to a sold-out crowd in Phoenix.<\/li>\n<li>The band performed fan favorites and debuted two new songs during the 19-song set.<\/li>\n<li>Jim Adkins of Jimmy Eat World made a surprise appearance to cover &#8220;Hey Jealousy&#8221; by the Gin Blossoms.<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>If you walked the halls of Arizona high schools in the mid-2000s, you were too young to see Nirvana and missed Beatlemania by a couple of generations. You might\u2019ve heard stories from older siblings and friends about the early days of Jimmy Eat World as a local band, but &#8220;Bleed American&#8221; launched them on to &#8220;TRL&#8221; before they could really feel like your local band.<\/p>\n<p>Instead, you had <a href=\"https:\/\/www.azcentral.com\/story\/entertainment\/music\/2025\/09\/26\/the-format-best-songs-of-all-time-ranked\/86354415007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Format<\/a>. The indie pop\/rock group (primarily known as the duo of vocalist Nate Ruess and multi-instrumentalist Sam Means) exploded on to the scene with 2003\u2019s &#8220;I\u200b\u200bnterventions + Lullabies&#8221; and ultimately spoke to an entire generation of Phoenix millennials before disbanding in 2008. And on Saturday, Sept. 27, at the Arizona Veterans Memorial Coliseum, you and your graduating class may have attended an impromptu high school reunion for The Format\u2019s first show since 2007.<\/p>\n<p>After a sudden thunderstorm cut short the outdoor set from the award-winning local combo of JPW &amp; Dad Weed, nearly 15,000 fans piled into the Coliseum to crawl through mile-long merch lines \u2014 which featured Suns-themed jerseys and towels featuring the venue\u2019s \u201cMadhouse on McDowell\u201d nickname \u2014 and reach their seats for the sold-out concert. When the lights went down and \u201cSirius\u201d by the Alan Parsons Project (better known as the Chicago Bulls\u2019 intro song) came over the speakers, the 60-year-old building shook with the crowd\u2019s excitement as much as it ever had for any Suns game.<\/p>\n<p>From the very first line of \u201cTie the Rope,\u201d it was obvious that both the crowd and band were ready to erupt after the 18-year wait. Ruess\u2019s signature timbre sounded as if he hadn\u2019t missed a day, and yet he was nearly drowned out by the audience by the time the opening track reached the chorus. Fans who had flown in from all over the country were more than ready to sing and dance along to almost every song on the band\u2019s 19-song setlist, and (as Ruess semi-joked when someone requested a specific song) The Format were prepared to deliver the hits.<\/p>\n<p>The five-piece band \u2014 which featured both Means and Marko Buzard on multiple guitars and keyboards \u2014 tore through energetic fan-favorites \u201cWait, Wait, Wait,\u201d \u201cThe Compromise\u201d and \u201cTune Out\u201d following the opener before Ruess took a minute away from dancing and jumping around to address the crowd between songs.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cI know it\u2019s obvious, but it\u2019s been almost 20 years,\u201d Ruess began, pausing every handful of words. \u201cI\u2019ve been wanting to say this for almost 20 years. We are The Format.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>The Format returned after nearly 20 years<\/p>\n<p>The audience reached a fever pitch with the simple introduction, as Ruess (who went on to form the Grammy-winning band fun. after The Format\u2019s dissolution) went on to point out that a lot had changed since the last time the band was together. He added that they didn\u2019t even know how to handle the evening&#8217;s energy. That mood that was most certainly shared by the audience members experiencing a wide array of emotions (from dancing to crying) thanks to the combination of excitement and nostalgia.<\/p>\n<p>Before anyone in the room had the chance to get too emotional, the band immediately launched back into their beloved-yet-brief discography with the title track from 2006\u2019s &#8220;Dog Problems.&#8221; This was followed by the crowd once again winning the volume battle during the choruses of \u201cTime Bomb\u201d and reaching the mid-point of their main set with \u201cI\u2019m Ready, I Am.\u201d<\/p>\n<p class=\"related-link\"><strong style=\"margin-right:3px\">Their best: <\/strong><a href=\"https:\/\/www.azcentral.com\/story\/entertainment\/music\/2025\/09\/26\/the-format-best-songs-of-all-time-ranked\/86354415007\/\" rel=\"noreferrer noopener\" target=\"_blank\">These are The Format&#8217;s 10 best songs of all time, ranked<\/a><\/p>\n<p>But it wasn\u2019t until The Format reached one of their slower tunes \u2014 in this case \u201cA Mess to Be Made\u201d \u2014 that the audience all broke out their smartphone lights to wave back and forth. While it\u2019s a common sight at large shows these days, it\u2019s worth noting that the last time The Format played a show, the very first iPhone had just launched and flashlights weren\u2019t sitting in everyone\u2019s pockets (neither were lighters, to be fair), so it was likely the first time that\u2019s ever happened for Phoenix\u2019s favorite indie band.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThis is the most enjoyable time I\u2019ve ever had,\u201d Ruess said following the 2003 song. \u201cWe\u2019ve been putting the time in for the last 8 or 9 months just trying to get all of this stuff right and trying to remember how to play all of these songs.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<p>The vocalist continued to tell the story of when he and Means were first discussing possible venues for the return show, and they \u201cprobably would\u2019ve had the best time in the Nile (Underground)\u201d but both remembered going to see bigger bands at the State Fair. So rather than playing it safe and picking a small venue, the duo decided to opt for the Coliseum, expecting it to be \u201chalf-empty.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Instead, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.azcentral.com\/story\/entertainment\/music\/2025\/07\/09\/the-format-reunion-tour-2025\/84464745007\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">The Format sold out the venue<\/a> within minutes of tickets becoming available (much to their genuine surprise, according to sources close to the band), and the vast majority of those fans absolutely lost their minds when the band\u2019s final hit single from their original run \u201cShe Doesn\u2019t Get It\u201d started to play.<\/p>\n<p>Following the big moment, the band dove into perhaps the only song that could constitute a deep cut for the evening with \u201cJanet\u201d from their &#8220;Snails&#8221; EP before playing the release\u2019s titular track (which was made more popular by its inclusion on &#8220;Dog Problems&#8221;).<\/p>\n<p>A special Arizona music surprise for fans<\/p>\n<p>At this point, roughly an hour into the evening, The Format busted out a new trick once again. Ruess picked up an electric guitar and joked that he \u201clearned a couple of chords\u201d and wanted to \u201ctry them out\u201d at the show. This led to what appears to be the first of two new songs for the night (a borderline-Tom Petty-inspired tune called \u201cShot in the Dark&#8221;) before returning to their well-known material with \u201cGive It Up.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Spending two songs with a guitar in his hands also gave the 43-year-old Ruess (who joked multiple times about his age) a break from running around the stage, all leading to the explosive finale of \u201cThe First Single (You Know Me).\u201d Aside from belting out just about every word of the band\u2019s biggest hit at near-deafening levels, much of the crowd was also impressively prepared for the two quick handclaps in the chorus, leaving Ruess to look genuinely emotional as he took a minute to thank everyone for \u201cthe time of (his) life\u201d just before the bridge.<\/p>\n<p>When the band quickly left before the encore, the elated, yet sweaty, audience clapped their hands and stomped their feet without virtually anyone leaving the building. Means and Ruess soon returned \u2014 with the latter having switched his blue T-shirt for a Suns jersey with his name on the back \u2014 for one of the loudest singalongs of the night on the quiet \u201cOn Your Porch\u201d before the entire band joined for the other new song, \u201cHoly Roller.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>As the evening began drawing to a close, The Format still had one major surprise up their sleeve. Ruess began explaining that he, Means and Buzard had all been in the Phoenix music scene since they were young teenagers, and they wanted to bring out one of their favorite songwriters and inspirations to cover yet another Arizona band that no one in the state \u201cwould be anywhere without.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>And in perhaps the defining moment in Arizona alt-rock history, <a href=\"https:\/\/www.azcentral.com\/story\/entertainment\/music\/2019\/07\/26\/how-jimmy-eat-world-became-biggest-arizona-rock-band-century\/1801623001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Jim Adkins<\/a> joined The Format to perform <a href=\"https:\/\/www.azcentral.com\/story\/entertainment\/music\/2021\/02\/23\/gin-blossoms-best-songs-tempe-arizona-rock-band\/4541644001\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">\u201cHey Jealousy\u201d by the Gin Blossoms<\/a> before Means and Ruess closed their encore with \u201cA Save Situation.\u201d Following a second brief intermission, the band returned for \u201cIf Work Permits\u201d before officially retiring for the night more than 90 minutes after the show began.<\/p>\n<p>For those who hadn\u2019t gotten their musical fill for the evening, the timing was perfect as local songwriter Sydney Sprague began her set on the outdoor stage as the Coliseum emptied into the fairgrounds.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Josh Chesler \u00a0|\u00a0 Special for The Republic Musicians with Arizona ties, from Stevie Nicks to Alice Cooper Here&hellip;\n","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":262119,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[29],"tags":[647,691,5643,64034,648,1587,137099,5497,18824,16560,2488,171,31699,2104,137098,137100,5169,2487,628,137101,425,666,975,635,7233,50,450,1457,1451,983,4185,290,645,2490,646,67,132,68,7223,103],"class_list":{"0":"post-262118","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-music","8":"tag-affiliate","9":"tag-ai","10":"tag-arizona","11":"tag-arizona-state-fair","12":"tag-arts","13":"tag-az","14":"tag-blossoms","15":"tag-concerts","16":"tag-concerts-u0026-music-festivals","17":"tag-eat","18":"tag-enabled","19":"tag-entertainment","20":"tag-fair","21":"tag-festivals","22":"tag-gin","23":"tag-gin-blossoms-music-group","24":"tag-group","25":"tag-highlights","26":"tag-jimmy","27":"tag-jimmy-eat-world","28":"tag-local","29":"tag-local-affiliate-arts-u0026-entertainment","30":"tag-music","31":"tag-new","32":"tag-new-visitors-az","33":"tag-news","34":"tag-overall","35":"tag-overall-positive","36":"tag-positive","37":"tag-rock","38":"tag-rock-music","39":"tag-state","40":"tag-story","41":"tag-story-highlights-ai-enabled","42":"tag-u0026","43":"tag-united-states","44":"tag-unitedstates","45":"tag-us","46":"tag-visitors","47":"tag-world"},"share_on_mastodon":{"url":"","error":""},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262118","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=262118"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/262118\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/262119"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=262118"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=262118"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.europesays.com\/us\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=262118"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}