EastScene

I’m not going to lie, nor am I going to be ashamed of what I’m about to say: The All-American Rejects is and will forever be an amazing band.

This conclusion was not one that I suddenly came up with; rather, it was one that I deduced the moment I heard their song “Her Name Rhymes With Mindy” off their indie release, Same Girl, New Songs EP. Ever since then, I have been an avid fan, having seen them numerous times. However, I must admit that because AAR tend to take a bit of time before recording a new album (e.g. the 2-year period between their self-titled and Move Along), the notion that they were an amazing band would wane gradually in my mind until eventually, I forgot how good they were.

But now they’re back. And once more, as did every show, that notion is reinforced repeatedly with every song that they play onstage. Starting with their hit single “Swing Swing”, AAR got the crowd dancing until they were completely drenched in sweat. In between songs, Tyson, known for his crazy banter and incessant swearing, kept the audience distracted while the others set up for certain acoustic songs, like “Mona Lisa”. All in all, the Rejects still had the same energy and grace on stage as they did when they first came here in May 2002. All they really did was grow older in age, but aside from that, nothing has changed.

Although their set was solid and they played a good mix of old songs with new ones, the one wish I did have though was that they could’ve played a tad longer. They played for an hour, when I was honestly expecting them to play more tunes, not only from their self-titled but from Move Along and a few new ones from their upcoming album.

Nonetheless, the show was nothing but amazing. They reminded me of how good they were live and again reinforced why they were and still are one of my favorite bands. Despite having seen them plenty of times, I can never get enough of the All-American Rejects, who really know how to put a good show that I wish would never end.