Taking the elder emo status literally. All-American Rejects frontman Tyson Ritter looked a little different while performing at the When We Were Young music festival in Las Vegas on Sunday, October 23.
“Thx for tonight kiddos. @WWWYFest,” the band wrote via Twitter on Monday, October 24. “Ya made an old man proud to give some hell.” The post also included a picture of Ritter, 38, dressed like an old man while on stage.
The “Dirty Little Secret” singer donned a gray wig and realistic wrinkle makeup to make himself look a lot older than he is.
“This old man, he play show, he play nick-nack on his toe, with a nick-nack, paddywhack, give a dog a bone @whenwewereyoungfest, we stole that show,” the musician wrote via Instagram. “Makeup by the unbelievable @haleyxdunphy.”
Ritter wasn’t the only artist who poked fun at his veteran rockstar status during the alternative festival. My Chemical Romance’s Gerard Way also dressed up as an elderly man for his set at WWWY, sporting geriatric prosthetics alongside his usual attire of a black button-up and red tie. MCR normally throw out guitar picks to their audience, but in this case, the band also had Werther’s Originals to toss out to fans as well. Guitarist Frank Iero snapped a photo of the candies and picks on his Instagram.
The outdoor festival, which had its official first set of performances on Sunday night, was originally supposed to start on Saturday, October 22 — but the first night had to be canceled due to a high wind advisory. While concertgoers got a refund for the cancellation, some of the artists took to social media to share that they were attempting to book indoor venues to hold their own concerts instead.
One of the first groups to put together a new show that night was Red Jumpsuit Apparatus, who were actually in the middle of soundcheck when the event’s announcement was made.
“We were shocked,” frontman Ronnie Winter told Variety on Sunday. The “Face Down” singer noted that he had to walk by fans, some in tears, outside the festival grounds. The band put together a free show for everyone inside a nearby hotel.
The All-American Rejects also performed a free show at Soul Belly BBQ, which the band announced to fans via Twitter on Saturday. After the show, AAR took to social media to thank their supporters who showed up for the last-minute concert in a line so long it wrapped around the building. “Unforgettable night for us. Cheers,” the musicians wrote.
