All-American Rejects play rowdy house party in East Nashville and it almost didn't happen: 'This is where rock 'n' roll is born'

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3 days ago

Shhh! On May 21, The All-American Rejects let Music City in on a "Dirty Little Secret": An East Nashville backyard pop-up show.
But it wasn't a secret for long.
In the latest installment of the "Gives You Hell" band's spontaneous free house party shows — which have led them to go viral on social media — the alternative rockers visited Nashville, announcing the show's location only hours before on social media.
Hundreds of folks crowded into the yard of a Nashville home, screaming the lyrics to "Dirty Little Secret" and "Swing Swing" as Tyson Ritter and the band fed the rabid crowd boisterous early aughts bangers.
More: All-American Rejects pop-up show rocks Columbia house party; police arrive but allow encore
Ritter, the band's lead singer, went on TikTok earlier on May 21 to announce that the band would be "playing a city tonight," writing in the caption, "So it's Nashville tonight… but where? Better RSVP cause we aren't gonna post on socials."
Soon enough, 16,000 people had RSVPed for the party via a link on the band's socials.
It didn't take long for Nashvillians to figure out the address — a tour bus sat parked out front and a spray-painted sheet touted the band's name on the house's front porch.
After the overwhelming amount of RSVPs, the band posted online. "We are currently unsure if we will be able to play tonight now for security reasons," they said on their Instagram story. But the show went on.
The concert comes as the band's sixth pop-up performance on The All-American Rejects' North American tour ahead of their upcoming album, which will be the group's first in 13 years.
After the band released their new track "Sandbox" on April 24, they began the series of surprise shows.
Their first show was at the University of Southern California on April 30; they recently performed on a farm in Iowa, at a graduation party in Columbia, Missouri and at the University of Wisconsin-Green Bay's campus during finals week.
It's safe to say The All-American Rejects are bringing in a new age of house parties.
"Welcome to the Sandbox Era," they've coined the epoch.
More: All-American Rejects crashing house parties around the US. Where to next?
Getting into the band's Nashville show was no easy task. Groups crowded out in front of the house, peering into the backyard after the party hit capacity.
But the backyard concert did not disappoint.
Ritter delivered powerful vocals alongside his band, playing tracks including a tune off the new album, "Easy Come Easy Go," their recently-released song "Sandbox," and "Move Along," where Ritter invited Nashville guitar virtuoso Grace Bowers onstage to play with the band.
As Ritter's raspy, emotive voice rung out amid flurries of electric guitar and surging percussion, crowd members piled onto one another's shoulders to get a better view, they sat atop fences, perched on the roof and listened from the alleyway behind the house.
Towards the end of the show, Ritter addressed the crowd. "This is where rock 'n' roll is born — the back yard!" he said. "Rock 'n' roll isn't born on TikTok."
It was a rowdy night — but in an old-school rock 'n' roll kind of way that shows we don't have to be nostalgic for raucous, musical house parties. They're back.
Ava Cavasos, an East Nashville videographer who hosted the party, said The All-American Rejects' team reached out to her a few weeks ago.
Cavasos has gained a reputation in Nashville for throwing some epic parties with her roommates, outdoor shows that have featured a four or five band bill. They've called the gatherings, backyard live music parties, productions of their collective "Girl House."
Of the dozen shows Cavasos has helped to put on, one raised funds for reproductive rights, while others funneled the proceeds right back to the bands, she said. This party was their biggest "Girl House" show yet.
"I've been screaming 'Gives You Hell' since I was like five years old," Cavasos told The Tennessean before the party.
"I think it's an honor being noticed for what I do as something that just brings me joy," she said, "but the fact that it actually cultivates community, and the way that it does, is just something that's so special."
Fans concurred.
"I cannot lie, this is the most East Nashville experience I've ever had in my time living here," said concertgoer Jojo Fogarty.
"Leave it to anywhere but East Nashville to bring the community together like this — the amount of people here, the amount of smiles I saw on people's faces, the amount of joy. Let's just say that the backyard was full and the alley was fuller."
Audrey Gibbs is a music journalist for The Tennessean. You can reach her at [e-mail].
This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: All-American Rejects play rowdy house show in East Nashville backyard