All-American Rejects - 11/8 @ Masquerade
So in addition to going to see a bunch of concerts on a semi regular basis, sometimes I go there to actually work. Seeing concerts AND getting paid for it, for reals?!? Don't get too jealous just yet, imagine having to see bands you can't stand over and over and over again. Or having to deal with a cadre of tweens and their even more annoying moms. Grass not so green now, huh? But now and again, it's not so bad. You get to see a decent show by a pretty good band, like this particular evening. I was basically working at the merch booth selling preorders for the new All-American Rejects album (When The World Comes Down, available 12/16 wherever you buy music...and so ends the plug), but I probably would've gone to see these guys regardless. I like the Rejects, they're not my favorite band by any means, but they're a fun band to see live. So thankfully it wasn't nearly as much of a chore as other evenings I've spent on the clock.
Got down to the venue really early to touch base with the band's tour manager and head merch guy to work out the particulars for my part in helping out. As this wasn't my first time doing merch, I pretty much knew the drill. Then it was basically a point of hanging out at the merch booth all night and waiting for the band's fans to come over and buy something. But at least there were a few people at the show I knew, like TiVo Torres, Fabiani and Li'l Fella, so I didn't get bored. And other than that everyone else was pretty much in high school, because the typical All-American Rejects fanbase skews young. I had a fairly big rush of these kids once doors opened and a smattering during the bulk of the show and then another rush once it was over. Again, fairly typical overall. And since I was stuck at the venue earlier than anticipated, didn't have time to get anything to eat beforehand. Thankfully, I was able to order a bite at the Masquerade. Yes, the Masquerade serves food. It's not something to write home about, but it was reasonably priced and did well in a pinch.
And because I was busy doing preorders and all, I wasn't able to pay much attention to the opening bands on the bill. The first band was City Lives, which is why Fabiani came down from Nashville. They sounded alright from what little I actually heard. Then the next band was Jetlag Gemini, which I'm kind of glad I didn't catch all that much of. They were kind of glam rock and dressed a lot like the Jonas Brothers. And their name is lame. I can't wait not to see these guys again.
And then it was time for the All-American Rejects. Now the last time they came to town they played a free gig at the Mall of Georgia and a few thousand people showed up. And I believe the last show before that was either at the Tabernacle or Gwinnett Arena. Either way, AAR is big enough to draw a big audience. But for some reason, the show wasn't sold out and the Masquerade only holds maybe 1,000 people. If it was half full, I'd be surprised. Guess this show was under most people's radar. But the fans who were there, were way into them. A lot of shrieking and singing along to nearly all the songs. And I can at least understand the singalong part, because AAR do write some catchy ditties..."Swing Swing," "Move Along," "Dirty Little Secret," I'm hardly a fan at best and yet I can hum those tunes without much effort. However, the one thing I will fault the guys on is that they're a bit too foulmouthed for their audience. I'm sure they're thinking their fans are in their late 20's or older, but in reality, they just got into their teens. And I saw many a parent in the crowd, whom I'm sure weren't too pleased to hear all the cursing or their rough demo of "Boner City." Me personally, no big deal. But you should try to at least be a little age appropriate when you're playing...all I'm saying.
Other than that, they played a pretty good show. They sounded good and played a bunch of their hit numbers. I liked what I heard of the new songs too. And when I met them afterwards, they were a swell bunch of guys. Heck, a couple of them even remembered me from the last time they were in town and that was kind of nice. Maybe I am more of a fan than I give myself credit? Even if that be the case, I'm not joining the AARmy anytime soon.
Got down to the venue really early to touch base with the band's tour manager and head merch guy to work out the particulars for my part in helping out. As this wasn't my first time doing merch, I pretty much knew the drill. Then it was basically a point of hanging out at the merch booth all night and waiting for the band's fans to come over and buy something. But at least there were a few people at the show I knew, like TiVo Torres, Fabiani and Li'l Fella, so I didn't get bored. And other than that everyone else was pretty much in high school, because the typical All-American Rejects fanbase skews young. I had a fairly big rush of these kids once doors opened and a smattering during the bulk of the show and then another rush once it was over. Again, fairly typical overall. And since I was stuck at the venue earlier than anticipated, didn't have time to get anything to eat beforehand. Thankfully, I was able to order a bite at the Masquerade. Yes, the Masquerade serves food. It's not something to write home about, but it was reasonably priced and did well in a pinch.
And because I was busy doing preorders and all, I wasn't able to pay much attention to the opening bands on the bill. The first band was City Lives, which is why Fabiani came down from Nashville. They sounded alright from what little I actually heard. Then the next band was Jetlag Gemini, which I'm kind of glad I didn't catch all that much of. They were kind of glam rock and dressed a lot like the Jonas Brothers. And their name is lame. I can't wait not to see these guys again.
And then it was time for the All-American Rejects. Now the last time they came to town they played a free gig at the Mall of Georgia and a few thousand people showed up. And I believe the last show before that was either at the Tabernacle or Gwinnett Arena. Either way, AAR is big enough to draw a big audience. But for some reason, the show wasn't sold out and the Masquerade only holds maybe 1,000 people. If it was half full, I'd be surprised. Guess this show was under most people's radar. But the fans who were there, were way into them. A lot of shrieking and singing along to nearly all the songs. And I can at least understand the singalong part, because AAR do write some catchy ditties..."Swing Swing," "Move Along," "Dirty Little Secret," I'm hardly a fan at best and yet I can hum those tunes without much effort. However, the one thing I will fault the guys on is that they're a bit too foulmouthed for their audience. I'm sure they're thinking their fans are in their late 20's or older, but in reality, they just got into their teens. And I saw many a parent in the crowd, whom I'm sure weren't too pleased to hear all the cursing or their rough demo of "Boner City." Me personally, no big deal. But you should try to at least be a little age appropriate when you're playing...all I'm saying.
Other than that, they played a pretty good show. They sounded good and played a bunch of their hit numbers. I liked what I heard of the new songs too. And when I met them afterwards, they were a swell bunch of guys. Heck, a couple of them even remembered me from the last time they were in town and that was kind of nice. Maybe I am more of a fan than I give myself credit? Even if that be the case, I'm not joining the AARmy anytime soon.