Jimmy Eat World is set to headline the Hollywood Bowl on November 7, playing its breakthrough album Bleed American in full to mark the record's 25th anniversary. The Mesa, Arizona quartet will share the bill with The Format, marking that band's own 20th anniversary of Dog Problems, plus an appearance from the Linda Lindas, with the show kicking off at 7 p.m. at the Bowl.
The pairing of Jimmy Eat World and The Format carries extra weight because both acts trace back to Arizona, and according to Gehen Press, it will be the first time the two groups have performed together on the Bowl's stage. The Format, led by Nate Ruess and Sam Means, is bringing its own catalog anniversary into the mix, as the Hollywood Bowl notes the band will celebrate the 20th anniversary of Dog Problems the same night.
Fans can expect the full scope of the record that defined a generation of alt-rock radio. The venue's own listing promises the entirety of Bleed American, including “Sweetness,” “The Middle” and “Hear You Me,” along with other material from the band's catalog, per the Hollywood Bowl's event page.
From Day Jobs to a Landmark Stage
Getting Bleed American made in the first place was its own grind. Jimmy Eat World had been dropped by Capitol Records after releasing two albums, and the band entered Cherokee Studios in Hollywood to begin recording in October 2000 after the songs had already been written and demoed, according to the band's interview with Yahoo Entertainment. Producer Mark Trombino deferred payment to help the sessions happen at all, the outlet reports, and the band paused between recording drums and the rest of the album to tour and raise money to finish it.
Drummer Zach Lind told Yahoo that the band financed Bleed American with savings from touring and that all four members kept day jobs through the process. Lind worked at a car dealership, while frontman Jim Adkins sold art supplies, the outlet notes. Lind also told the publication that the band shifted away from the studio-heavy, orchestral approach of its prior album, Clarity, released in 1999, in favor of simpler arrangements for Bleed American.
A Record That Found Its Audience on the Radio
Bleed American arrived via DreamWorks Records on July 24, 2001, according to a separate Yahoo Entertainment piece on the album's Los Angeles roots. The single “The Middle” became the record's breakout moment, hitting No. 1 on Billboard's Alternative Airplay chart and reaching No. 5 on the Hot 100 during a 33-week run, per Gehen Press. The Hollywood Bowl describes the album as having helped define the sound of 2000s alternative rock and the wave of emotionally driven, melodic guitar music that followed, while Louder has credited it with helping usher emo into the mainstream spotlight.
The album's commercial afterlife has kept building. Gehen Press reports that the RIAA awarded Bleed American double-platinum certification on July 24, 2026.
Southern California as a Second Home
Jimmy Eat World has maintained a presence in Southern California.
Jimmy Eat World is set to headline the Hollywood Bowl on November 7. The band's anniversary tour has included full-album summer performances, and the band is returning to Warped Tour in five cities.
The Anniversary Tour
For the Hollywood Bowl bill, Rocksound separately reported that Jimmy Eat World is slated to play Bleed American while The Format performs Dog Problems in full.
The current Jimmy Eat World lineup taking the stage November 7 includes Linton on guitar, Rob Burch on bass, Adkins on vocals and guitar, and Lind on drums — the same four musicians who built the album from a Hollywood studio a quarter-century ago.
