Marla Schevker

“Once upon a time, four boys jumped into a van and headed into LA,” shares Tyson Ritter, lead singer of the All American Rejects. They walked into the Roxy and “tore that shit apart!”

Six years later they reconvened at the Roxy, on Tuesday, Dec. 15, to perform the last show of their 2009 tour, which promoted their newest CD, When The World Comes Down.

The All American Rejects have really grown into a full-fledged, obsession-worthy rock band. When their self-titled album released in 2002, they really could have disappeared into oblivion as some of the other emo bands did. Instead, they changed their sound and matured as new CD’s were released. Last night’s show not only showed where they ended up but also where they started.

The All American Rejects met all of the expectations their albums have created and more; they were loud, energetic and heartfelt. From the moment the band walked out on stage, it was as if the audience was at home. They were able to make everyone feel comfortable and excited because they were comfortable and excited. The entire band danced and jumped around throughout the show. The keyboardist even managed to dance and play at the same time, something I had never seen before. Guitarist Mike Kennerty barely stopped moving and never stopped smiling.The energy in the room could barely be contained; even the crowd jumped around to release some of the excitement that just the presence of the band created.

Throughout the concert, the band developed a relationship with the audience. In the beginning, the popular songs were played, like “Move Along” and “Dirty Little Secret” to test out the crowd and see how they would react. Everyone reacted by screaming the words along, to the point where Tyson couldn’t be heard on the microphone. As he swayed from one side of the stage to the other, people pushed to be closer to him and he reacted by getting closer to them. There was a mutual admiration and the band responded with more energy. They then began to push the boundaries and play songs off their first album, such as “Paper Heart” and “Swing Swing.” Those blasts from the past were done up with a new rock sound that their first album didn’t have and the crowd went wild for it. There wasn’t a time when there wasn’t singing by at least half of the crowd. Tyson’s lanky limbs moved and swayed with the beat and Kennerty bounced and head banged through every song. Each member had their own way of reacting to the music, but it was obvious even through the expressions on their faces that they were enjoying the show as much as the screaming fans.

The relationship was at its pinnacle when Tyson decided his swaying on stage was going to be taken off stage. He would fall backwards into the crowd, exhibiting signs of trust in the crowd that usually can’t be found among friends. He did this not only once but many times as he would sway onto the crowd, crowd surf and then go back on stage and continue dancing.

Sadly, like most relationships this one also had to come to an end. The show ended exactly how I hoped it would. Tyson told the crowd he was performing one more song and it would be the “Last Song”. The entire audience sang and swayed with him as they barred their hearts to him and each other in one final goodbye. The band left the stage and after a few minutes came back for the hard-hitting encore “Gives You Hell.” All in all it was a perfect way to end the show, saying goodbye and coming back for one last hit to remind people of why they like him. And although this specific relationship had to come to an end, the show reminds fans that even though concerts only happen once in a while the band can forever be in our hearts through our CD’s and our memories.

This performance was a terrific, high-energy show. As long as the All American Rejects continue perform like this, there isn’t an end in sight. As Tyson put it in his toast to the crew, “Here’s to 100 years and 100 more.”

See it here at GreenShoelace.com.