The long-awaited return of The Format felt less like a concert and more like a release. On Thursday, the band took the stage at Chicago’s Salt Shed, a sprawling riverfront venue that has quickly become one of the city’s premier live music spaces, and delivered a night that carried the weight of years of anticipation.

For many in attendance, this show had been a long time coming. After multiple postponements and a canceled reunion tour earlier in the decade, the moment Nate Ruess and company finally walked onstage was met with a kind of collective exhale from the crowd, the kind that only builds over years of waiting.

That energy never really let up. The Format leaned into both nostalgia and renewal, moving seamlessly through fan favorites and newer material from Boycott Heaven, their first album in nearly two decades. Songs like “Dog Problems,” “The First Single,” and “On Your Porch” sparked immediate sing-alongs, while newer tracks like “Holy Roller” and the title track “Boycott Heaven” showcased a band that hasn’t lost its instinct for emotionally charged, melodic indie pop.

The setlist stretched across more than 20 songs and included a double encore, a reflection of both the band’s deep catalog and the crowd’s unwillingness to let the night end. There was a sense throughout the performance that this wasn’t just a stop on a tour, but a moment of reconnection between artist and audience, one that felt earned after years of near misses.

Inside the Salt Shed, every lyric seemed to echo a little louder. Voices carried across the room, turning songs into shared experiences rather than individual performances. It was the kind of show where the line between band and audience blurred, replaced by something closer to collective memory.

By the time the final notes rang out, it was clear this wasn’t just a comeback. It was a reminder of why The Format still matters, and why some reunions feel less like revisiting the past and more like finally picking up exactly where things left off.