The Format will play two unplugged hometown concerts at the Nile Theater in downtown Mesa on Thursday and Friday, December 10 and 11, returning to the historic venue where co-founder Sam Means worked before the band existed.
The stripped-down shows will be the band's first hometown concerts since January, when The Format celebrated the release of its reunion album Boycott Heaven with two stripped-down performances in Phoenix. The December shows are part of a broader run of unplugged performances.
A Return to Where It All Started
The Nile Theater isn't just any stop on The Format's map. Means worked alongside early manager Mike Jarmuz at the Nile Theater in Mesa, and the pair even co-founded the local concert promotion outfit AMJ Concerts out of that venue connection, according to Phoenix New Times. Ruess and Means met five years before the publication's October 2003 article, when their interest in playing in bands put them in the same lineup. The duo wrote and recorded its first Format EP in spring 2002, according to Phoenix New Times.
The theater itself carries its own history. Opened in 1924 as Mesa's first movie house, the Nile Theater was Arizona's first known air-cooled building. In 2023, the Mesa City Council gave initial approval to designate it a local historic landmark and was expected to vote again, per 12News. Today it remains a central hub for live music in downtown Mesa, a status reinforced when regional promoter Psyko Steve Presents spotlighted the venue in August as a reimagined historic landmark.
A Long-Delayed Reunion Record
The December shows follow a reunion album that took years longer than planned to finish. Boycott Heaven, released January 23, marked The Format's first album in 20 years.
The Format broke up in 2008, a stretch during which frontman Nate Ruess co-founded the pop group fun., which had a hit with “We Are Young,” as Hoodline has previously reported. Despite Ruess's national success with fun., The Format has maintained a strong connection with fans, who have turned out for the band's 2026 reunion run. The band also appeared at the Arizona State Fair in 2025.
The Band's Benefit Work
The December unplugged shows come during the band's 2026 comeback. The duo has also released benefit material. For a band whose history includes Means's work at the Nile Theater, the December homecoming brings The Format back to the Mesa venue.
