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Yahoo
3 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
All-American Rejects play rowdy house party in East Nashville and it almost didn't happen: 'This is where rock 'n' roll is born'
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 agibbs@ This article originally appeared on Nashville Tennessean: All-American Rejects play rowdy house show in East Nashville backyard
USA Today
22-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
All-American Rejects singer answers burning questions about those viral pop-up shows
All-American Rejects singer answers burning questions about those viral pop-up shows Show Caption Hide Caption Watch as All-American Rejects perform surprise show Less than 30 hours after the show was announced, hundreds attended the All-American Rejects' surprise show in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It was after a 2022 performance in Las Vegas that the All-American Rejects realized it might be time for a comeback. Frontman and bassist Tyson Ritter acknowledges the band responsible for guitar-chiming emo-pop earworms 'Swing Swing,' 'Move Along,' 'Gives You Hell' didn't really take their gig at the When We Were Young festival too seriously. Ritter and bandmates Nick Wheeler (lead guitar), Mike Kennerty (rhythm guitar) and Chris Gaylor (drums) all dressed as Elvis Presley. They were playing opposite topline artists Paramore and Death Cab for Cutie. Yet 30,000 fans crammed in front of their secondary stage singing not just the ingrained hits, but deep album cuts as well. 'I was crying,' Ritter, 41, says. 'We all left with collective goosebumps of, maybe we should do this again.' And they are. For the past week, AAR have stormed barns, bowling alleys and backyards – places suggested by fans on their Instagram – for a series of free pop-up concerts. Notice is short, but response has been overwhelming. Crowds are filled with millennials who appreciated their spiky pop the first time and college kids eager to experience a viral tsunami. The band recently released 'Sandbox,' the first single from their first album in almost 14 years and will tour more conventionally starting Aug. 10 as openers on the Jonas Brothers' stadium tour. A few hours before storming Nashville with a secret location concert, a humble Ritter talked about the 'comet' the band has been on and why he is beside himself 'with gratitude' before ultimately declaring, 'I guess I have a horseshoe up my (rear-end) right now.' More: Kendrick Lamar: Not like anyone else Question: So how did this idea to play in backyards and barns originate? Answer: We did a show in LA that was the kind that you have to do when promoting new music. It left a sour taste in our mouths and in this giant gorilla of an industry we're clawing our way back into, we decided to put on a show the next day. Our manager had the idea to have the local college radio station host us. We gave a five-hour heads up that we were playing a kid's house at University of Southern California and we start playing and there were 40s (alcohol cans) hoisted in the air and people crowd surfing. I looked into some of their eyes and I saw a rite of passage moment was happening. That they're going, 'I saw pictures of my parents doing this, but I never got to.' The only culture most of them had was EDM and that environment is so different from rock. We were lifting that veil for kids. And then you kept on going? My wife (Elina) is due on June 11 and we saw a hole in the calendar this month and said, let's do this again. It was really the brainchild of our manager (Megan Kraemer). She's 29 and has inspired such energy in the band. The first show was in Green Bay and it started this wildfire. Honestly, we're in the Icarus moment. You seem really excited about everything happening. It feels incredible and indescribable right now. It's from this hope to have something to say again as a band and present to an audience we didn't resonate with anywhere but radio and MTV. We never had the culture that a lot of bands of our time did, like Blink-182 with fashion and skate culture. So to be able to put out new music and find our footing as a band with this activation, I'm so beside myself with gratitude. We've always been the 'songs that have that band' and now we can be 'that band that has those songs.' There is a lot of online discussion from the generation that grew up with you that the band returning is a comfort in an exhausting world. Do you feel that way? No, I mean anything you do with intention, especially writing music, you're asking for a failed experience. If we would have planned this any more than the sketch that it was designed in, it would have felt really false. We're just holding onto a comet right now. What are the biggest and smallest crowds you've played for so far? The biggest was 5,000 in Ames, Iowa, and the smallest was probably Chicago. We were in a backyard where the capacity was 120 so I walked over to the neighbor and said, 'I want to buy 45 minutes in your yard, what will it cost?' He was shaking me down (laughs). He wanted $750. I said how about $500 and after haggling we landed on $600 and got about 400 people to fit. It was a suburban area so it was people coming from the backyards around us, sitting on porches. Everything has been so cinematic. You also got a visit from the police during the house party in Columbia, Missouri. (Laughs) Oh yeah, that was great. We had heard that the police there were really firm with the college kids and when five cop cars showed up my manager had this face of doom. I walked offstage and our guitarist did this (gives a thumbs-down with both hands) and everyone booed so loudly that I said to the police, 'If you want everyone to get out of here peacefully, let us finish.' One cop was like, 'We didn't know it was YOU!' I said 'thank you, officer,' and we did 'Gives You Hell' and got out! But it's that kind of positive energy that is following us. More: Bono talks revealing film, new U2 music: 'It's time to face the future and dance' What are the criteria for where you're going to play once you get the requests on Instagram? The bigger the yard, the better. The more removed from town, the better. Roller skating rinks are welcome. I really want to play a roller skating rink. I can picture (the skating move) shooting the duck while doing 'Gives You Hell.' The new video for 'Sandbox' is such campy fun. Where did you get the idea for murderous puppets? We're DIY right now. We're not on a major label so we're boot strapping it all. My manager found (director) Joseph Kahn's info on LinkedIn. He's done videos for everyone (Britney Spears, Imagine Dragons, Backstreet Boys) and he pitched an idea that really resonated with the single. The song is about a war on a playground and … needed to be paired with something that speaks to childhood innocence and he said, 'How about murderous puppets?' When is the full album due? January. Since it's such a DIY thing, every chance to release a song is a microphone. So we'll release a new song every few weeks until the Jonas Brothers tour. So how did that pairing come about? I met them at an activation in New Jersey and was really taken aback by their professionalism and hard work. I think they played eight shows that day for their fans and I knew they were fans of ours, but I went in kind of blind and quickly realized, these guys are top shelf. Playing stadiums will be a big swing from playing house parties. Do you think you'll have to do much physical preparation? Playing a backyard stage is a perfect size. MetLife (Stadium) in August … (laughs). Keeping up with the Jonas Brothers, man, I'm going to have to jump on a treadmill. We'll be traveling with ointments. Which is probably a little different than your tours back in the day. Yeah, back then we were sleeping in vans and our bones were made of rubber.
USA Today
21-05-2025
- Entertainment
- USA Today
All American Rejects singer answers burning questions about those viral pop-up shows
All American Rejects singer answers burning questions about those viral pop-up shows Show Caption Hide Caption Watch as All-American Rejects perform surprise show Less than 30 hours after the show was announced, hundreds attended the All-American Rejects' surprise show in Green Bay, Wisconsin. It was after a 2022 performance in Las Vegas that the All-American Rejects realized it might be time for a comeback. Frontman and bassist Tyson Ritter acknowledges the band responsible for guitar-chiming emo-pop earworms 'Swing Swing,' 'Move Along,' 'Gives You Hell' didn't really take their gig at the When We Were Young festival too seriously. Ritter and bandmates Nick Wheeler (lead guitar), Mike Kennerty (rhythm guitar) and Chris Gaylor (drums) all dressed as Elvis Presley. They were playing opposite topline artists Paramore and Death Cab for Cutie. Yet 30,000 fans crammed in front of their secondary stage singing not just the ingrained hits, but deep album cuts as well. 'I was crying,' Ritter, 41, says. 'We all left with collective goosebumps of, maybe we should do this again.' And they are. For the past week, AAR have stormed barns, bowling alleys and backyards – places suggested by fans on their Instagram – for a series of pop-up concerts. Notice is short, but response has been overwhelming. Crowds are filled with millennials who appreciated their spiky pop the first time and college kids eager to experience a viral tsunami. The band recently released 'Sandbox,' the first single from their first album in almost 14 years and will tour more conventionally starting Aug. 10 as openers on the Jonas Brothers' stadium tour. A few hours before storming Nashville with a secret location concert, a humble Ritter talked about the 'comet' the band has been on and why he is beside himself 'with gratitude' before ultimately declaring, 'I guess I have a horseshoe up my (rear-end) right now.' More: Kendrick Lamar: Not like anyone else Question: So how did this idea to play in backyards and barns originate? Answer: We did a show in LA that was the kind that you have to do when promoting new music. It left a sour taste in our mouths and in this giant gorilla of an industry we're clawing our way back into, we decided to put on a show the next day. Our manager had the idea to have the local college radio station host us. We gave a five-hour heads up that we were playing a kid's house at University of Southern California and we start playing and there were 40s (alcohol cans) hoisted in the air and people crowd surfing. I looked into some of their eyes and I saw a rite of passage moment was happening. That they're going, 'I saw pictures of my parents doing this, but I never got to.' The only culture most of them had was EDM and that environment is so different from rock. We were lifting that veil for kids. And then you kept on going? My wife is due on June 11 and we saw a hole in the calendar this month and I said, let's do this again. It was really her brainchild. She's 29 and has inspired such energy in the band. The first show was in Green Bay and it started this wildfire. Honestly, we're in the Icarus moment. You seem really excited about everything happening. It feels incredible and indescribable right now. It's from this hope to have something to say again as a band and present to an audience we didn't resonate with anywhere but radio and MTV. We never had the culture that a lot of bands of our time did, like Blink-182 with fashion and skate culture. So to be able to put out new music and find our footing as a band with this activation, I'm so beside myself with gratitude. We've always been the 'songs that have that band' and now we can be 'that band that has those songs.' There is a lot of online discussion from the generation that grew up with you that the band returning is a comfort in an exhausting world. Do you feel that way? No, I mean anything you do with intention, especially writing music, you're asking for a failed experience. If we would have planned this any more than the sketch that it was designed in, it would have felt really false. We're just holding onto a comet right now. What are the biggest and smallest crowds you've played for so far? The biggest was 5,000 in Ames, Iowa, and the smallest was probably Chicago. We were in a backyard where the capacity was 120 so I walked over to the neighbor and said, 'I want to buy 45 minutes in your yard, what will it cost?' He was shaking me down (laughs). He wanted $750. I said how about $500 and after haggling we landed on $600 and got about 400 people to fit. It was a suburban area so it was people coming from the backyards around us, sitting on porches. Everything has been so cinematic. You also got a visit from the police during the house party in Columbia, Missouri. (Laughs) Oh yeah, that was great. We had heard that the police there were really firm with the college kids and when five cop cars showed up my manager had this face of doom. I walked offstage and our guitarist did this (gives a thumbs-down with both hands) and everyone booed so loudly that I said to the police, 'If you want everyone to get out of here peacefully, let us finish.' One cop was like, 'We didn't know it was YOU!' I said 'thank you, officer,' and we did 'Gives You Hell' and got out! But it's that kind of positive energy that is following us. More: Bono talks revealing film, new U2 music: 'It's time to face the future and dance' What are the criteria for where you're going to play once you get the requests on Instagram? The bigger the yard, the better. The more removed from town, the better. Roller skating rinks are welcome. I really want to play a roller skating rink. I can picture (the skating move) shooting the duck while doing 'Gives You Hell.' The new video for 'Sandbox' is such campy fun. Where did you get the idea for murderous puppets? We're DIY right now. We're not on a major label so we're boot strapping it all. My manager found (director) Joseph Kahn's info on LinkedIn. He's done videos for everyone (Britney Spears, Imagine Dragons, Backstreet Boys) and he pitched an idea that really resonated with the single. The song is about a war on a playground and … needed to be paired with something that speaks to childhood innocence and he said, 'How about murderous puppets?' When is the full album due? January. Since it's such a DIY thing, every chance to release a song is a microphone. So we'll release a new song every few weeks until the Jonas Brothers tour. So how did that pairing come about? I met them at an activation in New Jersey and was really taken aback by their professionalism and hard work. I think they played eight shows that day for their fans and I knew they were fans of ours, but I went in kind of blind and quickly realized, these guys are top shelf. Playing stadiums will be a big swing from playing house parties. Do you think you'll have to do much physical preparation? Playing a backyard stage is a perfect size. MetLife (Stadium) in August … (laughs). Keeping up with the Jonas Brothers, man, I'm going to have to jump on a treadmill. We'll be traveling with ointments. Which is probably a little different than your tours back in the day. Yeah, back then we were sleeping in vans and our bones were made of rubber.
