AAR, BOYS LIKE GIRLS, & PARACHUTE AT THE WILTERN
Photo Credit, Mike Danenberg
Beautiful night in Los Angeles. 75 degrees, nice breeze, and a line around the corner for Boys Like Girls, The All-American Rejects, and Parachute. You could feel the music breathing in the air. Everyone was here to listen to his or her favorite bands and enjoy this November night.
It may have also helped that tonight was daylight savings time and everyone could get back on their feet the next morning with ease. I headed into the venue alongside a swarm of fans decked out in AAR t-shirts, Boys Like Girls hoodies, and I even caught a guy with a girl’s Parachute hand-designed tank top that clearly was his girlfriend’s. The house was nearly full and ready to get down.
Parachute opened the night with “American Secrets” and put the energy right into the room. Lead singer, Will Anderson, took the mic and got right to it. It seemed many were pleasantly happy to see Parachute on the bill, as they weren’t listed on the marquee and most of the promotion. They followed with their older track “Ghost” and as the bright lights filled the room the band rocked the house. Will incorporated jumps from his piano, crowd involvement, and overall great vibes to the set. They performed tracks such as their hits “Something to Believe In,” “Kiss Me Slowly,” and “White Dress.” Such a great start.
Next up was Boys Like Girls. Being a co-headline tour, the two have been rotating the headline slot for the tour. I remember listening to these guys all the time back when their self-titled album released in 2006. They opened with their hit “Great Escape” and the crowd was swinging arms back and forth ready for what was next. The scenery was filled with fantastic lighting, including a lit up drum set of John Keefe’s. I stood in the pit enjoying the show. Next to me were two adorable girls with their father rocking out to the show wearing huge noise-blocking headphones. I’d call them earplugs, but these were heavy duty. During the set, lead singer Martin Johnson, even called out to the little girls asking if they were the life of the party as they entered into the next song. The band was fantastic at getting the crowd involved and feeling good. Martin was very charismatic putting his personality out there for the fans to feed on. He also brought up two fans from the pit to dance on stage during “Life of the Party.” I have to say, one of the guys really won over the crowd with his Gangnam Style dance. The girls sure loved it. It was refreshing to see how much Martin showed his fans the love. He sang happy birthday to some fans in the crowd and really made everyone feel good. Lead guitarist, Paul, was also very crowd interactive as he chatted with some in the front row in between songs and handed out his guitar picks. Martin later pulled out an acoustic track by himself as he sat on the monitor. No mic needed, just a bunch of singing fans having a great time. I definitely enjoyed this set.
I was excited to see The All-American Rejects close the night. I saw them back when “Move Along” came out in 2005 when they opened for Fall Out Boy. I even caught Lead Guitarist Nick Wheeler’s chap stick at that show which I gave to the girl next to me, because clearly I didn’t need his chap stick. But anyways, back to the show… They opened the set with their smash “Dirty Little Secret” which instantly grabbed the crowd and got them singing along. Front man, Tyson Ritter, was full of energy and kept the crowd involved. What was so apparent is that these fans knew the words to every song. As Tyson said it, “We’ve been doing this for 10 years and we have some of the best fans in the world.” These guys were so great. It’s been about 6 years since I last saw them and I’m glad I got to again. Their energy is top notch. Tyson lured the crowd into their next song, “I Wanna.” Tyson and Nick have great chemistry on stage. They had a lot of fun with each other and both have such great personalities. The two slowed down for an acoustic set together, as the room got more intimate. Tyson told stories about his songs including “Swing Swing,” where he told us he wrote that chorus on his grandmother’s porch swing. It’s great to learn more about songs through the artists that create them. They closed the night and left fans wanting more.
This was a fantastic tour lineup and I would love to see them all together again. Overall, I had a blast and expected nothing less on this tour. Great show
Check out my photos from the night in our PPLA photo gallery and remember to ‘Like’ Press Pass LA on Facebook.
