Guest contributor: Maggie Hunter
Your favorite songs from the early 2000’s are coming to Richardson for the Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival! The All-American Rejects will take the stage as festival headliners on Saturday, May 20th at 10:30 p.m. on the State Farm Plaza Stage.
The creation story for The All-American Rejects is not an uncommon one. A couple of high school musicians in small-town middle America team up and dream of making it big as rock stars. In this case, it was Nick Wheeler, Tyson Ritter, and Jesse Tabish at a club in Stillwater, Oklahoma. Their story differs from the norm in that their dream came true.
The group made their first demo in 2000, while they were still in high school. In a scene straight out of a Hollywood movie script, they were signed to a recording contract when an intern at Doghouse Records rescued their EP from a garbage can to pass it along to the label owner.
Their first hit single, “Swing Swing” took off once it was re-released by their new label, DreamWorks Records. The song made it to #8 on the Billboard Modern Rock Tracks Chart, and #60 on the Billboard Hot 100, landing it a solid spot in America’s early 2000’s rock playlist. (Not to mention its place on the list of America’s favorite karaoke songs.)
The All-American Rejects Headlining 25th Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival
The All-American Rejects booked their first headlining tour in 2003, a mere six years after they formed as high-schoolers. They have continued to roll out hit songs with “Dirty Little Secret,” “Move Along,” “It Ends Tonight,” and the more recent “Gives You Hell.” High-profile performances surrounding the Vancouver Winter Olympics and Super Bowl XLIV have kept them busy, as well as their continued writing and releasing of new material.
The Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival is a pit stop for The All-American Rejects, as they are in the middle of a national tour co-headlined with Dashboard Confessional. Richardson is their only scheduled stop in Texas, so make sure to catch them while they’re in the Dallas/Fort Worth metroplex! Whether you’re hearing them for the first time, or reliving your high school soundtrack, you’ll want to be at the 25th Wildflower! Arts & Music Festival this Saturday at 10:30 p.m!
Tickets on sale now and advance prices are $30 for the day or $65 for a 3-day pass: www.wildflowerfestival.com #WAMFest2017