The All-American Rejects rockers Tyson Ritter and Nick Wheeler opened up about their time touring with the Jonas Brothers for the band’s “Greetings from Your Hometown” tour in 2025.
According to Ritter, Kevin, Joe, and Nick were “absolute gentlemen,” but the tour itself was miserable for the “Swing, Swing” artists.
The All-American Rejects Talk Jonas Brothers Tour
During a conversation with Billboard’s Co-Chief Content Officer Jason Lipshutz during the SXSW Festival in Austin, Texas, Ritter revealed why he found the Jonas Brothers’ tour to be miserable.
“The Jonas Brothers were absolute gentlemen. They run such an incredible machine. But that tour for me was just absolute misery,” Ritter said on Friday, March 13. “Because we had done these backyard parties. We’re at eye level with fans old and new. And that connection and the energy in the line, the energy in those environments was like…well, we’re in the belly of that beast. We were holding the tail of the dragon.”
The Oklahoma natives returned back to their roots in early 2025 as they began performing in fields, backyards, and basements for lucky fans who were selected to host them.
“Those shows were the greatest things I’ve ever been a part of, let alone been to, let alone performed at,” Ritter continued. “And to go from that to this gigantic stadium, with so many people there ready to see the Jonas Brothers. I felt like I went to district one and I was late for Stanley Tucci to come out and be like, ‘ooh, Katniss Everdeen.'”
He added, “It was so detached. The crowds that are on the floor there, you know, they’re all like oil barons,” jokingly referring to the extremely high ticket prices concertgoers pay for prime seating.
It just felt so lifeless in comparison, like really devoid of any connection comparatively.
The All-American Rejects Are Bringing Back Their Backyard Tour
The “Dirty Little Secret” band explained that the idea for their backyard concert series came from their manager Megan Kramer.
“We’re not trying to sell you finance tickets to Coachella. We’re not trying to sell you Ticketmaster penalty fees. We’re not trying to sell you $25 parking,” Ritter said during a separate panel discussion during the festival. “We’re just trying to sell you some songs you might have grew up with and let you let go with us in this non-denominational church of rock and roll.”
The “House Bunny” star teased the return of “the realest shows that we’ve ever played.”
“I know we’ve made fans for life out of every one of them. And now so can anyone. We love these shows so much. We’re gonna do it all over again,” he said. “The All-American Rejects are going to be doing another house party tour.”
