The Format at The Pageant

The Format is an American indie rock band, formed by vocalist Nate Ruess and multi-instrumentalist Sam Means. Their style has been considered a mixture of indie, alternative, punk and folk music, with elements of 1960s and 1970s pop music. The Format chose their name to make fun of the music industry's inclination towards a cookie-cutter "format" for a hit single. Formed in 2002, the band released two studio albums before announcing a hiatus on February 4, 2008. On February 4, 2020, they announced a return from their hiatus for a tour of special shows that were later cancelled due to the pandemic. In 2025, the band reunited for a second time and announced their third studio album, Boycott Heaven, which was released on January 23, 2026.

The Get Up Kids are an American Midwest emo band from Kansas City. Formed in 1995, the band is a major act in the mid-1990s Midwest emo scene, otherwise known as the "second wave" of emo music. Their second album Something to Write Home About remains their most widely acclaimed album, and is considered to be one of the quintessential albums of the second-wave emo movement. They are considered forefathers of the emo genre, and have been widely credited as being an influence, both by contemporaries Saves the Day and later bands such as Fall Out Boy, Taking Back Sunday and the Wonder Years.