All American Rejects

I’ve been a fan of the All American Rejects ever since 2003 when a friend in high school said I’d like their single “Swing, Swing.” So when I found out that they’d be at Bamboozle and then at a radio station show I just had to go for both concerts.
The differences of the audience of both concerts were immense. Bamboozle was the more punk, crowd-surfing, moshing type of crowd while the radio concert, entitled Popfest was, well, you guessed it- more poppy and relaxed.
The journalist in me came in handy after Popfest when a friend and I found their tour bus and interviewed Tyson Ritter (lead vocalist/bassist) of AAR. I’ve been lucky enough to meet a few other celebrities before and I’m always so incredibly shocked of how down-to-earth and honest they are. Who knew, they’re actually real people just like us!
I asked Tyson about the difference in a show like Popfest and the more punk show like Bamboozle.
“[There is] definitely a different energy though, at a pop show, people don’t move as much,” he said, then describing how he enjoys playing Bamboozle more.
“That’s like [Bamboozle] the voice of a generation all in one spot at the same time. They’re the future leaders of America even though they may listen to music that’s not contemporary or run of the mill, those people are a lot different when they go to Bamboozle.”
“People who go to Bamboozle are more cerebral than normal people, I find. Whereas at these shows people scream and go crazy like five seconds after they see us, at Bamboozle a kid will be like ‘What’s up Tyson?’ and try to talk to you, as opposed to try to bombard you or scream until you give into some weird wish that they want. But it’s all fun,” he said.
And, what makes AAR stand out from the other bands at a radio show like Popfest is that they rock their instruments.
“We don’t like bands that don’t rock their instruments. There’s a difference between playing your instrument and rocking it. I don’t play my instrument.”
-Annie