When The All-American Rejects in 2025 came back in full swing, doing surprise house party shows to protest high ticket fees and connect with fans directly, no one knew how far it would go. In April, The Great New York State Fair announced the band would take on the Suburban Park stage on opening day; New York showed up for AAR, with some lining up hours in advance.

Photo: Mandy Lain – The-All American Rejects at Suburban Park

Fans packed in the bleachers and surrounding grounds, some mumbling in shock at the impact of The All-American Rejects. It’s not surprising that the early 2000s band’s influence has withstood the test of time due to their chart-topping hits.

The opening notes of one of their newer releases, ‘Easy Come, Easy Go,’ started just after 8 p.m., setting the tone for what would be a memorable show. Tyson Ritter took the moment to connect with the audience while also transitioning into one of the band’s greatest singles.

Ritter got a pig from the audience and pretended to be its voice: “I feel like a dirty little secret,” leading right into the opening bass line of ‘Dirty Little Secret’. That’s not the only way he connected with Syracuse’s large crowd. In ‘King Kong,’ the lyrics “I’m cutting my hair, changing my name, packing my bags, moving out of state” were changed to “I’m cutting my hair, changing my name, packing my bags, moving to Syracuse,” which led to a huge cheer.

The standout moment of the night was the band’s tribute to the late Dolly Parton. Ritter, before covering Parton’s “I Will Always Love You,” told the audience, “were never gonna get another Dolly again. Well, sing along because this is going to be me butchering it, and I’m scared because I’m very ADD, so I forget lyrics if I do something for the first time. So you can give me as much shit as you want; I just don’t want to mess this up.”

For the entire song, the audience was almost completely silent. Ritter did more than honor Dolly Parton but moved an entire crowd of thousands of people to silence with a tribute so well done. Once concluded, everyone erupted in applause for such a moving performance.

Ritter at one point noticed a girl’s sign in the crowd to exchange drumsticks with drummer Chris Gaylor. The band gave Lily, whose name would be shared later, a once and a life time experience to play the drums and show off her skills. She killed it, using the moment to showcase what she knows ‘you are the shit girl,” Ritter announced once she finished, praising her for doing one of the hardest things you can do.

At the end of the set, The All-American Rejects concluded with by far their most popular and iconic release, ‘Gives You Hell,’ ending the night with singing and dancing from fans of all ages. AAR showed they can take on backyard shows or The Great New York State Fair and still connect with fans in some of the most meaningful ways.