The All-American Rejects Held a Surprise Show in an Ames Barn

A pop punk band with a deep catalog of hits and a loyal following has been doing something truly unique over the last couple of weeks. They have been doing surprise pop-up shows in the most unconventional locations across the country. Their latest surprise stop was on a farm in Ames, IA, where they played to hundreds of their fans.

For those of a certain age, The All-American Rejects need no introduction. As of late, the band, led by singer Tyson Ritter, has been announcing surprise pop-up shows via their Instagram and TikTok accounts merely hours before they start performing for anyone who shows up. Such was the case on Saturday, May 17th, when the band showed up to "a barn with a blue door" just south of Ames to perform their latest pop-up show.

The setting was the Black Contemporary Farm, and Ritter expressed his excitement for the show on social media:

We are out in God’s country. We are playing this barn out in a horror movie setting and it’s so f---king awesome. Cornfields. Dreams. If you build it they will come. Get your a-- to Ames, Iowa. Let’s party - Tyson Ritter, per The Des Moines Register

Various videos have been circulating on social media showing everything from cars lining up down gravel roads, and other fans crowding the Ames farm to get a glimpse of one of their favorite acts. Such is the case when a band does something this unique and memorable.

The band, famous for mega-hits "Move Along" and "Gives You Hell," performed one of these pop-up shows in the backyard of a house in Chicago, fittingly called a "house party" show, last week. Like in Chicago, hundreds showed up to the Ames show. Combing through the footage, there's something truly beautiful about a popular band playing whilst surrounded by silos, farm equipment, and buildings engulfing them.

The All-American Rejects also played a show at a bowling alley in Minneapolis the night before. Their next tour stop is at a still-undisclosed location in Indianapolis on May 23rd. Read more about the band's surprise show in Ames, IA on The Des Moines Register.