The All-American Rejects are bringing back the house party. The rock band, who topped the charts in the early 2000s with such hits as “Move Along” and “Gives You Hell,” is popping up, playing surprise shows in small venues across the country.
So far, the concert spots have included a backyard near the University of Missouri in Columbia, a barn in Ames, Iowa, and a Minneapolis bowling alley.
The band’s frontman, Tyson Ritter, said the musicians “wanted to get back to the spirit of what started this band.”
Shortly before each surprise show, the location is sent to fans in the area who have signed up for the band’s text messages.
With concert ticket prices skyrocketing, it’s a novel approach to making live music accessible to fans. The band’s drummer, Chris Gaylor, said he hopes the shows make fans “excited to go to a show again and see it’s possible to see something without having to pay exorbitant money.”
Videos of the shows have been flooding social media. Some people take to TikTok to offer up their backyards for potential future shows.
The nontraditional tour has been widely well-received, though police appeared to shut down an event in Missouri.
“This thing got bigger than our band,” Ritter said. “This thing became something, I guess, in the last week that spoke to people and hit a nerve.”
He said the band plans to keep the house party tours going throughout the summer.
