The All-American Rejects wound back the clock to the 2000s on Wednesday night, playing several of their old hits at a skate park in South Dallas.
The pop rock band revealed the location for the awaited show around 5 p.m. on social media.
Although 350 tickets had been doled out to lucky fans on TikTok, the park, called 4DWN, fit up to 1,000 on a first come, first served basis.
Austin-based indie band Flight by Nothing warmed up the crowd with a performance that started around 8 p.m., according to social media posts. Hours before, the band had teased on Instagram a “super secret show.”
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Flight by Nothing received an invitation on Monday from the event’s organizers to open the show, said the band’s lead singer, Conner Redden.
It was a full-circle moment for Redden, a North Texas native who once saw the All-American Rejects perform live in Dallas when he was 10.
AAR’s frontman, Tyson Ritter, complimented Redden’s band after its set, said Redden, who recalled him saying “great show guys, super cool vibe.”
The best part of the experience was reaching a new audience, Redden said, noting that his band has seen an uptick in its Instagram following.
AAR came on afterward, singing songs like “Dirty Little Secret” and “Gives You Hell.”
Drums, a keyboard and other music equipment were placed at the base of the skate ramp. Helmeted skaters rode up and down the ramp behind the band.
The All-American Rejects, who released their last full-length project, Kids In the Street, in 2012, have crisscrossed the country, drumming up anticipation for their upcoming album Sandbox, which is scheduled to come out in 2026. The band will sign copies of a limited tour-only vinyl edition of Sandbox at Good Records in East Dallas at 1 p.m. today.
The promo efforts for AAR’s comeback have been centered around a house party tour, where they eschew traditional stadiums in favor of more intimate settings. A backyard show for a college radio station at the University of Southern California, for example, went viral in April.
The Dallas skate park event joins a list of shows staged in unconventional venues, which have also included a gas station, a farm and a bowling alley. People were able to submit places for consideration.
Ritter, AAR’s lead singer, discussed his ideal house party venue in a May interview with USA Today.
“The bigger the yard, the better,” he said. “The more removed from town, the better. Roller skating rinks are welcome. I really want to play a roller skating rink.”
It may not have been a rolling skate rink, but the Dallas skate park was pretty close.
The All-American Rejects are throwing a pop-up show in Dallas tonight
The alt-rock band has been promoting its upcoming album “Sandbox,” due out in early 2026.
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