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It’s no longer a dirty little secret that 2000s alternative rock heroes The All-American Rejects are coming to campus next weekend, and they’re bringing some friends who have had successes of their own.
The All-American Rejects, known for hits like “Gives You Hell” and “Dirty Little Secret,” will share a headlining bill with Boys Like Girls, whose last album, “Love Drunk,” hit No. 1 on the US Top Rock Albums chart.
The concert, which will take place at the Field House on Sept. 14 at 7 p.m., is the second performance of a seven-week national tour.
On The All-American Rejects’ website, guitarist Nick Wheeler said, “we’re beyond stoked to be touring the US again this fall. It’ll be great being out with Boys Like Girls. We haven’t toured with those dudes since 2006, so it should be a fun and memorable reunion for everyone!”
“We’re stoked,” Boys Like Girls drummer John Keefe said over the phone. “The last time we toured together was 2006.”
Keefe credits touring with The All-American Rejects as a “huge help” for his band during their formative years and is excited to be playing with them again.
“We’re f—-ing so stoked to get back out there and share the stage with those guys again,” Keefe said. “They’re great guys and they put on a great show so it’s going to be a great package.”
Both groups are touring to support new album releases — The All-American Rejects’ album “Kids in the Street” has been available since May 26, 2012 and Boys Like Girls’ most recent EP, “Crazy World,” was released on July 17, 2012. “Crazy World” serves as a preview of the full-length album of the same name, scheduled for a fall 2012 release.
Opening for the headliners is The Ready Set — the stage name of Jordan Witzigreuter.
“I don’t really know him that well, but everybody I know who’s his friend tells me he’s a real good kid,” Keefe said.
Not only is he a real good kid, but he’s also done well in music when his first single, 2010’s “Love Like Woe,” reached No. 27 in the US and achieved platinum certification.
All involved are excited to get on the road and tour the country, but the UMaine show might be a special stop for Keefe and Boys Like Girls lead singer Martin Johnson, as an early experience in Maine may have played a part in the formation of Boys Like Girls.
“My Maine story is this: It was about 2003 and me and Martin were trying to do a tour,” Keefe said. “He was in a band called The Drive and I was in a band called Strutter at the time. We had to go do this tour and the only way I could get my band at the time to do the tour was to play a battle of the bands in Maine to fund the tour because if we won, we got $1,500, which would pay for my band Strutter to go on this tour. So we won, got to do the tour and that’s how me and Martin became such close friends.”
Keefe and the rest of Boys Like Girls are excited to come out to Maine and play a show and they hope everyone comes out.
While Vice President of Student Entertainment Jon Allen admitted ticket sales aren’t where he’d like them to be right now, he said he expects them to sell more as the concert approaches and was excited to book the show.
“It was presented to us as The All-American Rejects and Boys Like Girls and actually, we didn’t even find out about The Ready Set until later on, so that was an added bonus,” Allen said.
Tickets are being sold through Eventbrite.com and are priced at $20 for UMaine students and $35 for the general public.
