To be completely honest, as I was walking into St. Andrew’s Hall last Monday night amidst the hordes of teenagers and frat boys, my expectations for the All-American Rejects were not very high. In my eyes, what could you possibly expect from a band whose first two singles were the same set of chord changes at different tempos? I was also very doubtful that bandleader Tyson Ritter could really hit all those notes.
The City Lives took the stage first and surprised me. Their melodic power-pop was catchy and they possessed definite skill with their instruments. Due to being a fairly new band, I was unable to find any last names for the band members, but front man Chase transitioned effortlessly between piano and guitar while bassist Shaun provided dauntingly high harmonies. While they were clearly getting into the vibe of the music, many of the band members would fall into the same kind of rock or sway in the same direction, which could provide a bit of seasickness for the unprepared concertgoer.
Following The City Lives was Jet Lag Gemini, whom I truly wanted to dislike due to the fact that it appeared that 75% of the band spends more time on their hair than I do. And quite honestly, I didn’t enjoy them musically. This could partially be due to the mix being off, so let’s blame the sound man (which I don’t understand because the mix for TCL and AAR was perfect). I found the music to be sloppy, messy, and almost like they were trying to make noize rock listenable for the common teenager. However, the stage presence and performance style of this band is a force to be reckoned with.
Front man Misha Safonov commands your attention. Where most lead singers would crowd surf, he was standing in the crowd, mic cord wrapped around his neck, the hands of the audience holding his legs. And while I said I didn’t enjoy them musically, lead guitarist Vlad Gheorghiu packs a mean punch on his instrument. The technical skill required for most of the licks he played is astounding. Now, if these boys from Jersey could just write a solid hook, they’d have it all.
Finally, All-American Rejects took the stage. Opening with their first hit ever “Swing, Swing” the crowd responded uproariously, girls even flinging their bras onto the stage. Ritter picks up a bra at one point and declares, “I love aggressive Detroit women! Give you a handjob and then steal your wallet!” Ritter is clearly the star of this show. The set goes off without a hitch…that most anyone can tell. At one point Ritter’s mic stops working and he is forced to share a mic stage left with guitarist Mike Kennerty. Kennerty, however, shot around the stage, skipping from microphone to microphone, like he was just having the grandest time. By the end of the song, the microphone fiasco is taken care of and most of the audience is none the wiser.
The set spanned all of their hits from “Move Along” and “Dirty Little Secret” to material from their new album like the vengeful and catchy “Gives You Hell”. There was plenty of audience interaction including sing-alongs, conversation, and the announcement of an injury. Said Ritter at the beginning of the set, “Last night in Toronto, I fucked up my ankle, and I just had some guy inject something into my leg so I could rock out for you tonight. So if you don’t give it up, I will talk shit on Detroit until the day I die! This guy stuck a needle in my legs, Varsity Blues style!” As I laughed at this, Chase from TCL was standing next to me and told me it was true. Apparently the night before, Ritter was swinging a microphone stand around and whacked himself in the ankle with it. Had he not told us, I would have had no idea at all.
The highlight, for me, was the encore. The Rejects came on for one last song, appropriately, “The Last Song”. Near the end of the tune, Ritter climbed the ridiculously high stack of amps to serenade those in the balcony. Screams ensued. The All-American Rejects were surprisingly capable and entertaining. And in case you were wondering, he hit every single note.
**Don’t forget to enter the AAR giveaway!**
The City Lives: myspace
Jet Lag Gemini: website | myspace
All-American Rejects: website | myspace
