The All-American Rejects – Manchester Academy – 14th June 2026

DOWNLOAD DONE…NEXT…

Fresh from their Download Festival set, The All-American Rejects arrived in Manchester with the energy of a band who ready to maintain the high; no-one ready to calm down yet and the crowd matched them beat for beat.

From the moment the band stepped out on stage the tone was set. Tyson Ritter’s stage presence was aperfect mixture of humour, chaos and charm; the impression that makes you feel like you are watching a frontman who has been doing this his whole life. He knew exactly how to engage the room as as sole headliners, tonight the audience tonight was entirely theirs. He joked, and messed around with the audience and somehow created the feeling that this show was a small intimate show, like one of their house parties show instead of a sold-out show in the middle of Manchester.

TOUR DEBUT

What really stood out the most was the crowd itself; it was not just the usual wave of twenty-somethings reliving their teenage playlists. A wide demographic that gathered groups of friends who had grown up with the band, parents who clearly loved the music as much as their kinds, so many different groups of people have come here to celebrate the music themselves and with their loved ones. Dotted around the room there were a handful of kids perched on the shoulders of their parents, wide eyed, taking in the music they have listened to on their parent’s phone or radio.

The twelve song set (plus encore) that included a tour debut from the title track from Kids In The Street, drew from their full five album catalogue, with Ritter’s own Easy Come Easy Go slotted into the encore, yet hardly more than a skip away from AAR.

The atmosphere in Manchester was electric but warm; people were not just singing along they were involved in the all. The chorus of each song felt like a release, every riff pulled the room tighter together. There was a sense of shared nostalgia, but also something more immediate. The feeling that the band was giving Manchester was a show that was not just a repeat of Download but something more intimate, more playful, more alive. Maybe the pressure off we got the best of AAR.

BRING ON THE HOUSE PARTY

In-between one of their songs Tyson d announced the band would be doing another House Party Tour, – the room erupted with excitement. Even though this tour will likely be in just America and majority of these fans would not be able to go see this tour. You could tell that these fans were just excited that their band was able to go on tour and perform their music. You could feel the love and adoration from these fans have to this band.

The All-American Rejects did not just play a show they threw a party, invited the city and reminded everyone why their songs still hit the way they do.

The All-American Rejects: Website

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