All-American Rejects’ Backyard Jam Cut Short by Police After Noise Complaint
Here we go again: a rock band assumes their suburban backyard doubles as Coachella’s main stage. The All-American Rejects’ intimate fan gig in a quiet L.A. neighborhood was abruptly shut down by police last Saturday night, and I can barely hide my eye roll. According to the Los Angeles Police Department’s public log (verified by the L.A. Times), officers arrived at frontman Tyson Ritter’s home around 10:15 p.m. after multiple noise complaints from neighbors who’d definitely been longing for some peace and quiet.
Eyewitnesses on Instagram Live (as reported by Variety) say the band was midway through “Swing, Swing” when squad cars rolled up. Security had earlier asked attendees to keep their voices down and even placed polite reminder signs—because nothing says “good community relations” like passive-aggressive Post-its. I told you so when they insisted on using full-volume amps with zero permit. The LAPD eventually issued a formal cease-and-desist order for violating local noise ordinances after at least three residents dialed 911.
In a moment that reeks of desperation, Ritter pleaded with the lead officer, “Can we get just two more songs?” The official response was a firm “Negative,” per documents obtained by the L.A. Daily News. You can’t blame the cops, really; they were just doing their job while riff-happy rockers treated the block like a festival zone. Social media users chimed in, some siding with the band for “bringing live music to the people,” others mocking the spectacle: “Should’ve rented a warehouse, dude,” one commenter snarked on Twitter.
This isn’t the first time the Rejects have flirted with ordinance infractions. Back in 2018, they faced similar pushback when they hosted an impromptu soundcheck party at an unused schoolyard in Phoenix—only that time they somehow slipped under the radar. But now that they’ve got city records on file for noise violations, permit-wrangling is going to be their next headache. I don’t want to say I told you so, but come on: big-name acts and backyard shows never mix well.
What’s next for these seasoned road warriors? Will they abandon backyard sets altogether or finally learn to file for permits, pay the fees and placate every cranky neighbor? Stay tuned, because if history repeats itself, we’ll be covering the next shutdown before they even finish their soundcheck. And that, dear reader, is why we can’t have nice things.
Sources: Celebrity Storm and Los Angeles Police Department reports, Los Angeles Times, Variety, L.A. Daily News
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