The Format in Detroit

About The Format

The Format was an indie rock band from Phoenix that existed in two phases, with the clearest memories coming from their 2000s output. They built a modest but devoted following through tight songwriting and the kind of angular guitar work that appealed to people who'd moved past pop-punk but hadn't fully committed to artsy experimentalism. The band was fronted by Nate Ruess, who later found mainstream success with fun. Their songs tend toward introspective lyrics wrapped in relatively upbeat arrangements, which creates a cognitive dissonance that apparently resonated with a specific type of person. They broke up, reunited, and broke up again, which is pretty much the indie rock timeline. Their appeal was never about spectacle or broad accessibility—it was always about the specific satisfaction of a well-constructed pop song that doesn't talk down to you.

Shows are intimate despite modest crowd sizes. People actually listen instead of just standing there. The band plays tight and economical, no filler. Audience skews devoted rather than casual.

Known for The First Single, On Your Porch, Everything We Had, The First Single

The Format + Detroit

The Format last graced Detroit in August 2007 at Saint Andrew's Hall, a show that found them deep in their catalog. They opened with "Dog Problems" and moved through a setlist that emphasized the tighter, more intricate moments of their work—"Tie the Rope" and "On Your Porch" got the kind of attention usually reserved for singles, while "The Compromise" and "Inches and Falling" showed a band comfortable with the weird corners of their own discography. The set closed with "She Doesn't Get It," a fitting note for a band that always seemed more interested in the people who got them than those who didn't.

The Format in Detroit News

• LIV Golf's team championship is coming to Plymouth Township; so, how does it work? The Detroit News · Jul 30, 2025
• Kendrick Lamar, SZA trade verses at marathon Detroit concert The Detroit News · Jun 11, 2025
• Lions drop proposal to change the way NFL playoff teams are seeded Star Tribune · May 21, 2025
• From Persona to Pandemonium: Half Alive Take St. Andrew’s Hall in Detroit 519 Magazine · May 6, 2025
• 'Sinners' director says see the movie in 70mm format. Can you see a 70mm film in Michigan? Detroit Free Press · Apr 30, 2025

Live Music in Detroit

Detroit's relationship with indie rock was always complicated—the city's DNA runs through Motown, techno, and garage rock, not lo-fi earnestness. By the time The Format played Saint Andrew's, though, there was a growing contingent of people who got what the band was doing: clever, melodic, emotionally direct without being maudlin. The Format fit into a Detroit indie scene that valued craft and sincerity, even if it wasn't the city's natural habitat.

Detroit road trip to see The Format?

Stay in Corktown, where vintage buildings and independent shops give the neighborhood actual character. Dinner at Selden Standard for refined cooking that doesn't announce itself. Spend an afternoon at the Detroit Institute of Arts—the murals and permanent collection justify the trip alone, and the building itself is worth the walk. The city's music history lives in these spaces. Catch the show, then grab late drinks somewhere on Michigan Avenue. You'll understand why Detroit crowds expect rigor from their musicians.