A Literal Wet Hot Summer: The All American Rejects Come to Indianapolis
An elder emo’s dream lineup came through Indianapolis last Thursday and, despite the statewide extreme heat warning, TCU Amphitheater was packed. The second-to-last date of the Wet Hot All-American Summer Tour stayed true to its name as the heat index reached upwards of 110°. The high percentage of humidity did not stop the thousands of fans from showing up and giving it absolutely everything they had.
The first of the four bands from the icon-packed lineup to grace the stage were The Get Up Kids. Formed in 1995, the group was a major act in the midwest emo scene of the 1990s. Pete Wentz from Fall Out Boy was quoted as saying that there would not be bands like his if it weren’t for The Get Up Kids. Consisting of lead vocalist Matt Pryor, guitarist Jim Suptic, bassist Rob Pope, and drummer Ryan Pope, the quartet played a setlist full of nothing but nostalgic, heart-pounding bangers.
Setlist (Via SetlistFM)
- Satellite
- I’m a Loner Dottie, a Rebel
- Action & Action
- Man of Conviction
- Shortly
- The Advocate
- Don’t Hate Me
- Mass Pike
- Ten Minutes
Next, Emo icons The Starting Line came onto the stage, absolutely buzzing with energy. Formed in 1999 and based out of Pennsylvania, the group performed at the Vans Warped Tour on four different occasions. Frontman Kenny Vasoli thanked every single member of their touring crew for sticking it out with them and opened the set with the song "Island". The passion amongst the band did not falter once, despite the heat, and the crowd definitely noticed.
Setlist (Via Setlist FM)
- Island
- Up & Go
- Surprise, Surprise
- Almost There, Going Nowhere
- Are You Alone
- Making Love to the Camera
- Leaving
- The Best of Me
When fan favorite New Found Glory took the stage, every person in the crowd absolutely lost it. Personally, I cannot even begin to fathom doing everything these musicians do, let alone in the absurd heat. The band rose in popularity in the early 2000s and continued to produce chart-topping singles for decades after. Towards the end of the set, lead singer Jordan Pundik faced the crowd in a Frozen costume, dressed as Elsa, to sing his variation of “Let It Go”. I can confidently say that after this performance, no one went home disappointed.
Setlist (Via SetlistFM)
- All Downhill From Here
- Understatement
- Hit or Miss
- Greatest of All Time
- King of Wishful Thinking (Go West cover)
- Don’t Let Her Pull You Down
- Head On Collision
- Failure’s Not Flattering
- It’s Not Your Fault
- Kiss Me (Sixpence None the Richer cover)
- Dressed to Kill
- Let It Go (Kristen Anderson-Lopez and Robert Lopez cover)
- Forget My Name
- My Friends Over You
Finally, it was time for the most anticipated act of the night. Smoke clouded the stage, and from it appeared the members of the rock band The All American Rejects. Formed in 1999, the group consists of vocalist/bassist Tyson Ritter, guitarist Nick Wheeler, rhythm guitarist Mike Kennerty, and drummer Chris Gaylor. You probably know the band’s hit single “Gives You Hell”, which peaked at number 4 on the Billboard Top 100. The group was also featured on Billboard’s top 200 artists of the decade, ranking 183.
Tyson has a stage presence unlike any I have ever seen, and I am not sure I will ever see anyone match it. Opening the set with possibly their most iconic release to date, “Swing, Swing", the crowd went insane. Seeing so many people come together for an evening of nostalgia, regardless of the temperature warnings, was such an incredible thing.
Setlist (Via SetlistFM)
- Swing, Swing
- Fallin’ Apart
- My Paper Heart
- One More Sad Song
- Beekeeper’s Daughter
- I Wanna
- Dirty Little Secret
- Stab My Back
- Sweat
- Kids in the Street
- Mona Lisa
- There’s a Place
- I’m Waiting
- It Ends Tonight
- Move Along
- Gives You Hell
