The All American Rejects, 04.17.03, The Social, Orlando, FL
Posted by Ryan T. Murphy on 04.21.2003
The new sensation in rock prove they've made it with a sold out show.
Be on the lookout for my interview with the band.
This show, which had only been announced for a little more than a month, was completely sold out. I got there at about 5pm since I was supposed to do the interview before the show, and there was already a small line. In the time I spent waiting for the interview (since their manager Brian Robinson wouldn't pick up his cell phone to get us in), the line ended up stretching all the way from the front entrance to somewhere close to the back entrance, which is all the way down the block and around the corner. In this time, we (me & this chick Tamara) didn't wait in line, assuming we'd be in before then. So once they actually opened up and let people in, we had to wait until EVERYONE was in to get in (we were on the list since we're special like that). In that time, a bunch of people came up to me asking if there were any tickets left. One guy even paid me $10 plus the $20 cost of it to buy his girlfriend a t-shirt. So I actually made a profit on the show, which was very cool.
The place was goddamned packed. I've been to sold out shows there before, such as Andrew W.K., but this seemed more crowded than any show I've ever been to there. There was literally no room to move, and by the time we got in, the only place to stand was way in the back. Not a problem for me at 6'2 with boots on, but Tamara is relatively short and was on her toes the whole time. I felt bad but she didn't complain. And, were it too hard to imagine, the show was about 85% female, and probably another 10% of guys who came with a girl.
Flashlight Brown were the first band. They had a sound that MAYBE could get classified as pop punk, but more punk than not. They were really good, as they were energetic with a solid sound and very little mid-song banter. Well, not very little, but not too much; and it was all relevant stuff (ie. This song is called this its about this we're Flashlight Brown etc.). The crowd didn't seem to have any strong dislike toward them, although they were still kind of indifferent. Flashlight Brown's lead singer has kind of a bad voice though, and their set was extremely short, maybe only like 20 minutes. Also, it was being filmed for Canadian television, so it'll either be on CBC or CJOH or...well...CBC or CJOH.
The next band was Motion City Soundtrack. I've heard a lot of good things about them, and one of their band members was helping me find the elusive Brian Robinson before the show. Unfortunately, at this point was when I had to go do the AAR interview, so I missed them entirely. But, on the way out, they were handing out promo singles of their cd, so now I shall do a mini-review of that.
The first song is called "The Future Freaks Me Out". It sounds like low-key and extremely poppy punk, very similar to Weezer I'd say. Their lead singer has a very high pitched voice. The guitar in the verses of this song is pretty cool, with a delay effect reminiscent of the opening of "Box of Sharp Objects" by The Used in style if not in sound. Cute lyrics, referrencing Will & Grace at one point. Catchy chorus. Pretty good overall, especially for me who's been on a pop punk kick lately. The other song on the single is "My Favorite Accident", which employs some synth in the opening & chorus. Not as catchy as the first song, and the lyrics are emo-tinged and sad. Still not a bad song, as it has a nice fast paced riff and a good arrangement (still kind of verse-chorus-verse but with a few added bridges and intro sections). I also notice that they have a pretty talented drummer, with some rapid drum rolls in parts here. Overall, I'd say Motion City Soundtrack are a pretty good band that fans of the pop punk/post punk/emo genre might like. Their Epitaph debut, I Am The Movie will come out on June 24, 2003.
Back to the real show. Ok so after the interview we went back into the hoi polloi and got as close as possible for the Rejects' actual set. It was still kinda hard for Tamara to see, poor girl. She didn't mind though, since she got to meet & get a picture with heartthrob of the moment Tyson Ritter. The shrieks and cheers from the female portion of the audience were deafening when the band took the stage. I've only heard AAR's whole album once, so there were only a handful of songs I was completely familiar with, but I'd heard pretty much everything at least once. The first two songs were energetic little numbers that got the crowd jumping and having a lot of fun. Tyson's midsong banter was kinda weird, as he was goofy and acting like either a parody or tribute of 'RAWK AND ROLL!!!!' type singers. It was especially weird since when I met him, he was very quiet and shy. After that, they launched into my favorite song of theirs, "My Paper Heart". This was the one where they really shined, as the crowd started singing along and AAR put in the most energy yet. There was no real pit going, as the Social has a really tiny floor and it was packed solid with teenage girls, but people were jumping and swaying with the music as much as they could. After a set highlighted by songs like "Why Worry", "Drive Away", and "Happy Endings", AAR did an extended version of "Your Star" that sounded really good, with a good part of the crowd singing the "I picked out your star" part of the song. Then, they left the stage to get some water, and came back on for the encore.
As the opening organs played over the Social's speakers, the loud shriek from the crowd was absolutely deafening. The band retook the stage and immediately launched into "Swing Swing", and this time I'm fairly sure EVERYONE in the crowd was singing along. The only thing I didn't like was that Tyson didn't launch into the full vocal strain he usually does in the "Did you think that I would cry on the phone?" part, but since he already had kind of a thrashed throat, it was acceptable I suppose. I expected "Swing Swing" to be their last song, but instead they did one more that I didn't recognize offhand. The most notable part of this one was this older guy with long hair & a beard climbing on the rail above the floor area, walking along it, and jumping off into the crowd. Ever since Andrew WK or maybe even before then, The Social's become known for rail-jumping. Funnier was that his bigger friend tried it and fell on his ass. AAR finished this song, thanked the crowd, and then left for real. All in all, a fun show from a really good band full of nice guys that have a huge future ahead of them.
The 411: Check out all of these bands on their current tour before they get even bigger and tickets are more expensive. All American Rejects put on a great show that fans and newcomers alike can enjoy.
