[DID NOT ATTEND: March 28, 2026] The Format / Ben Kweller / Adult Mom
I didn’t know The Format when they first came around. But when their new song was played on the radio, I thought Damn this sounds like the band fun. So it turns out that it’s the same guy! Spectrum Culture says
You know those stories about people who win the lottery, amassing millions and millions of dollars overnight and then working like nothing happened? That’s Nate Ruess. His old band, fun., put out a single (and album) big enough that he could probably live the rest of his life comfortably. His even older band, the Format, reunited to such massive hype that they had to cancel their reunion tour twice and still sold out the third one immediately.
Rock Doc tells us that they played TWO shows in Philly–one in Franklin Park (free) and one at Franklin Music Hall.
The Format are back on the road behind their latest record Boycott Heaven, and that journey brought Nate Ruess and Sam Means to Philadelphia’s Franklin Music Hall. Between the band’s original rise and eventual breakup nearly two decades ago, Ruess’ hugely successful run with FUN, and a solo career on top of that, these two have seen plenty of the music industry’s peaks and valleys. None of that history dampened the appetite for their reunion – the show sold out almost instantly.
Since I didn’t know and didn’t know anything about this show, it sold out before I even thought about going to it. I had tickets to The Teeth anyhow. But Rock Doc continues:
Ruess remains as captivating a frontman as he’s ever been, and he wore his emotions openly throughout the night. The setlist was a clear love letter to the back catalog. Of the twenty songs they ran through, only three came from the new album – a conscious decision to center the night around the songs people have been carrying with them for the better part of twenty years.
I don’t know much about Ben Kweller. He’s just always kind of been there. He’s a mellow rocker who plays guitar and piano and has done an album with Ben Folds. He’s played with lots of people I like, but I’ve never really made the connection to him. I have to assume he’ll open for someone I want to see some day.
I saw Adult Mom almost ten years ago and I enjoyed their set. A lot has happened to Stevie Knipe over the years including a bout with cancer. They seem to be back though and put out their first album in 4 years last year.
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