Some reunions feel obligatory or forced. This tour looks to be a very clear exception to the rule.
The Format kicked off their “Boycott Heaven Tour” on Thursday night at Roadrunner in Boston, their first full tour behind a proper album since 2006, and the audience understood just how special this new tour was, for both them and the band. The floor was packed with fans who knew every word, not just the hits, every word to every song across a two-plus hour set. That kind of devotion shows that The Format has lasted long beyond just millennial nostalgia for a few special songs.
For Boston fans, Thursday night was actually the third Nate Ruess sighting in a single week. Last Saturday, he surprised the crowd at Joyce Manor’s House of Blues show, walking out during the encore to perform “Angel in the Snow” with the band, the first time Joyce Manor had ever played the song in full live. Before that, The Format quietly staged a popup acoustic set in Boston Common, giving fans an early taste of what was coming before the full band show arrived at Roadrunner. By Thursday night, Ruess had earned something of a residency in the city without ever officially announcing one.
Adult Mom opened the evening, just Stevie Knipe and a guitar, a stripped-down set that set a quiet, intimate tone before Piebald arrived and blew the doors off. The Andover, Massachusetts band are genuine Boston music royalty, having come up in the late 1990s before retiring in 2007. They’ve surfaced for select moments since, Boston Calling in 2017 and Riot Fest in 2018 among them, but their appearance Thursday carried extra significance. Piebald took The Format on their very first tour back in the early days. Having them open the first night of this run felt like a full circle moment for everyone involved.
When The Format hit the stage, the room was already running hot. Ruess, as energetic and magnetic a frontman as ever, made no effort to hide how much the moment meant to him. “Once my kids got to school I swore I was done making music,” he told the crowd. “But I got really bored at home, so here we are.” Later, looking out at a room full of people singing back every word: “It feels weird as hell to be doing this again, but this makes it all worth it.” He looked genuinely grateful to be doing what he’s doing, and the crowd felt that.
The setlist leaned heavily on the catalog fans grew up with. Of the twenty songs they played, only three came from the new album, a deliberate choice that prioritized the songs that have clearly been living rent-free in people’s heads for nearly two decades. A cover of R.E.M.’s “Losing My Religion” landed exactly as well as you’d expect from a room already singing along to everything. The full band setup, something fans haven’t had in a long time given the band’s history of acoustic-only appearances during their various comebacks, felt like a genuine gift.
Two hours is a long set in an era where most artists are wrapping up in 75 minutes. The Format played well past that, and nobody in the room was looking at their watch. It’s hard to say who enjoyed the night more, the fans who finally got their full band reunion, or the band who seemed genuinely delighted to be back in a room like that.
For a band that has retired more than once, The Format looked very much alive on Thursday night.
Get your tickets to the “Boycott Heaven Tour” here.
Nathan Smith is a Providence-based music photographer and journalist focusing on capturing the special moments and unfiltered magic of live performances. Whether he’s shooting established artists at sold-out TD Garden shows or documenting the rise of emerging local bands, his goal is the same: to pull viewers directly into the heart of the moment.
His writing spotlights rising artists and local scenes, with a focus on telling the stories that often get overlooked. A lifelong music fan and musician himself, Nathan approaches interviews and portraits as conversations rather than transactions, building trust with artists so their genuine personalities can shine through. Whether he’s backstage, in the photo pit, or at home in front of the keyboard, he brings the same curiosity and care to every assignment.
Outside of his press work with Juice Box Press, Nathan works regularly as a photographer with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, as well as numerous bands in the Boston and Providence area. Nathan also plays violin with a local orchestra, follows Celtics basketball almost religiously, and is an avid fantasy reader.