diff --git a/pandas/_version.py b/pandas/_version.py
index 036c927df45d3..d000539421b91 100644
--- a/pandas/_version.py
+++ b/pandas/_version.py
@@ -238,14 +238,14 @@ def git_pieces_from_vcs(tag_prefix, root, verbose, run_command=run_command):
         # tag
         full_tag = mo.group(1)
         if not full_tag.startswith(tag_prefix):
+            fmt = ("tag '{full_tag}' doesn't start with prefix "
+                   "'{tag_prefix}'")
+            msg = fmt.format(full_tag=full_tag, tag_prefix=tag_prefix)
             if verbose:
-                fmt = "tag '{full_tag}' doesn't start with prefix " \
-                      "'{tag_prefix}'"
-                print(fmt.format(full_tag=full_tag, tag_prefix=tag_prefix))
-            pieces["error"] = ("tag '{full_tag}' doesn't start with "
-                               "prefix '{tag_prefix}'".format(
-                                   full_tag, tag_prefix))
+                print(msg)
+            pieces["error"] = msg
             return pieces
+
         pieces["closest-tag"] = full_tag[len(tag_prefix):]
 
         # distance: number of commits since tag