The Format is back and better than ever, and the band proved that during their Nashville show at Ryman Auditorium.
Adult Mom started the night with a solo acoustic set, as singer Stevie Kniped walked on stage with just a guitar. Though it was just a 25-minute set, it was the perfect start to the evening, as her vocals rang through the auditorium, creating a warm, slightly melancholy vibe.
The energy rose a bit when Ben Kweller and his band took the stage. After taking the stage by himself for a track, the rest of Kweller’s backing band – which included actor/bassist Christopher Mintz-Plasse – joined him on stage for a sing-along, before the rest of the high-energy performance ensued. Kweller mixed some of his older tracks with his newer work, and that blend helped create a celebratory and party-like atmosphere for the rest of the evening. It had been nearly 20 years since The Format graced a stage in Music City. While 20 years made for a round number, the reunion tour was scheduled to happen six years earlier. However, the COVID-19 pandemic canceled those plans and forced members Nate Ruess and Sam Means to put the idea on hold. Fast forward to 2025, and the band announced that Ruess and Means had begun discussions to revive The Format, and a new album, Boycott Heaven, was released this past January.The last time that The Format came through Nashville, they played to an Exit/In crowd on July 23, 2006. This go-around, the band performed to a much larger audience in a packed Ryman Auditorium. Early into the group’s set, Ruess stated he needed a minute to soak things in before the singer stated that he couldn’t believe they were playing The Ryman.
After taking a moment, Ruess was making quips and jokes at the expense of himself and the other musicians on stage. While Means and Ruess are the founding members of The Format, they were joined on stage by other instrumentalists, including drummer Matt Chamberlain, formerly of The New Bohemians. Not long before taking the stage in Nashville, Ruess shared that Chamberlain told the group that when he previously played The Ryman, he accidentally damaged the backstage area while doing a handstand, resulting in a hole in a wall. Though it was a moment shared with band members, Ruess said he couldn’t resist telling the story on stage and hoped the officials at The Ryman Auditorium would forgive the drummer.
It was those stories that truly made The Format’s reunion feel special, as pure joy radiated throughout the auditorium. In fact, a couple of crowd members added their own celebration to the mix, getting engaged midway through the band’s performance. Ruess exclaimed after the successful proposal, “That was our first engagement!”
The Format’s performance was exactly what longtime fans wanted. While there were newer tracks scattered in the setlist, the majority of the set came from the band’s earlier work, and the audience responded in kind, with some shedding tears and others locking arms as they joined in the sing-alongs. It was clear that fans who had been eagerly anticipating the band’s reunion were pleased with the performance. Hopefully, they don’t have to wait another 20 years for The Format to perform again in Music City.
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