It’s no “dirty little secret” that the alternative rock band All-American Rejects rocked a packed house at the Paul Paul Theater at The Big Fresno Fair on Thursday night. They were a very prominent rock act in the 2000s and their music provided the soundtrack to my high school years.

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High-Energy Performance Sets the Tone

They came out of the gates swinging starting the night off with one of their big hits, “Swing, Swing.” That set the tone for the rest of the night.

The most impressive aspect about their performance was their energy. They were in their 20s at the height of their prime and it hasn’t wavered. Maybe they fueled up on fried Oreos or cinnamon rolls from the Fair, because they were on the go the whole set.

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Tyson Ritter’s Crowd Interactions Steal the Show

Singer and bassist Tyson Ritter was on whole other level. He played barefoot the whole time, and his crowd interactions were entertaining.

There were several highlights of the evening like when Ritter jumped into the crowd and ran up and down the aisle singing side-to-side by fans. A lucky lady fan became the center of attention when Ritter called her to run down the aisle and have the cameraman film her with her image displayed on the big screen.

Between songs Ritter expressed his admiration for Fresno which the crowd enjoyed. The band is from Oklahoma, and he made it known that the Fair’s vibe reminded him of home and that he likes performing in environments like that.

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Crowd-Pleasing Hits and Intimate Moments

“Dirty Little Secret” got the crowd pumped. A standout, intimate moment was when Ritter stood center stage, by himself, with a ukelele, singing “There’s A Place.” When they played “It Ends Tonight” a wave of cell phones appeared at the same time to capture the moment. Then they performed my personal favorite and their seminal tune “Move Along.” The crowd’s singing of the choir part was something special.

The group left the stage making us think that was the end of the show. The roars brought them back and a surprise came when they belted out their rendition of Harvey Danger’s “Flagpole Sitta.”

Then came the song we all were waiting for, their career defining track “Gives You Hell.” There was another unified audience sequence where everybody sang the choir part while clapping their hands in the air. When their set ended, the lucky lady fan came down and Ritter gave her a hug in front of everyone.

The Fair has put together a great concert lineup, but the Rejects set the bar high and demonstrated they arguably had the best show this year.