All-American Rejects Entertainment Art Aragon Ballroom Chicago, IL April 14, 2009

With a near full house last Wednesday at the Aragon Ballroom, the pop-rock group the All American Rejects (AAR) graced Chicago with their catchy lyrics and charismatic, teen-dream faces. The crowd was your typical pop base of young teenagers wearing “ I Love You Tyson” shirts, screaming children guided by their “cooler” parent, and emo/punk kids who attempted to act tough, claiming they only came for Shiny Toy Guns (one of the opening acts), but yet stayed until the final song of the AAR encore.

Delivering a fist full of high adrenaline to all the young teens and twenty something’s in the crowd; the sexual energy was through the roof. As the young blonde next to me began screaming as front man Tyson Ritter extended his hand over the crowd, I was taken back to my first All American Rejects show. (Yes, I too was once an AAR fan, many, many moons ago).

Making their humble beginning in Chicago by playing small venues including the infamous Fireside Bowl, these small town boys from Stillwater, Oklahoma have come a long way. Before “Swing, Swing,” their first hit off their self-titled album made it big; these boys were opening for local favorites Lucky Boys Confusion at the House of Blues. Watching them grow from small town to mainstream, their fan base has not only strayed away from their original emo-punk groupies, but more into a sea of teen/tweens, frat brothers, and successful professionals.

What started with two members has now blossomed over the years to a fiery foursome. Outgrowing the one hit wonder stage, these Rejects have come to produce top hits including; “Swing, Swing,” “Move Along,” “ It Ends Tonight,” and their latest smash,“ Gives You Hell,” off their most recent album, When The World Comes Down. “Gives You Hell” continues to be an instant hit, climbing to the number one spot on Billboard’s Mainstream Top 40 chart.

The “I Wanna Rock Tour,” features past AAR hits combined with a large bulk off their third album including, “Mona Lisa,” and “Fallin’ Apart.” Their latest album features deep-rooted lyrics, a rock thirsty blend of musical complexities, and a rich combination of melodic voices than previous albums.

Even if pop-rock is not your scene, it’s worth it to make it to at least one AAR show at some point. Whether it’s to bask in the sea of screaming teens, or to stand in the back of the room with the emo kids, their shows are high energy and are sure to get you jumping up and down and singing along to those catchy pop melodies.

Comments

rawan Written by Guest on 2009-04-24 14:26:30 wow   love aar so much you always the best

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