Neon Trees, All-American Rejects Headed to Lisle for BenFest 2012

from Benedictine University

National recording artist and synth-pop/alternative rock revivalist Neon Trees will team up with The All-American Rejects to perform at the Village of Lisle- Sports Complex on Saturday, Aug. 25 as part of Benedictine University’s BenFest 2012 festivities.

The concert is a rare opportunity for Chicago area fans to see two huge bands live in an informal, outdoor setting close to home and reasonably priced.

Gates open at 6 p.m. The concert begins at 7 p.m. Tickets go on sale July 14 (www.ben.edu/benfest) and are $30 for general admission ($15 for BenU students). Both Neon Trees and The All American Rejects are on tour to support their latest albums.

The Neon Trees’ most recent chart topper is “Everybody Talks,” off the album, “Picture Show.”  The single “Animal” from the Neon Trees’ 2010 debut “Habits” went double-platinum and was named Top Alternative Song of 2011 by Billboard. Two other singles from Habits, “1983” and “Your Surrender,” were nearly as huge.

Neon Trees has its roots in Southen California, but came together eight years ago when frontman Tyler Glenn and his neighbor, Chris Allen (guitar), relocated to Provo, Utah, and hooked up with Elaine Bradley (drums) and Branden Campbell (bass).

Neon Trees has performed more than 200 shows in the United States, Europe, Canada and the United Kingdom. The band has toured and performed with The Killers, My Chemical Romance, 30 Seconds to Mars and most recently, Duran Duran.

The band has also appeared on “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” “Conan,” “The Late Show with David Letterman” and “The Tonight Show with Jay Leno.”

“Picture Show,” which was released in April, was produced by Justin Meldal-Johnson, who’s worked with Nine Inch Nails, Beck and M83, among others.

“It was a great experience,” Glenn said. “We really connected. Justin’s from the same world, musically. I’d be talking about the feeling of a Teenage Fanclub song that came out in 1992 or a moment in a Pulp song and he’d know exactly what I meant.”

The All-American Rejects, best known for its 2009 international hit, “Gives You Hell,” and popular accompanying music video, is no stranger to success. The song spent four weeks at the No. 1 spot on Top 40 radio and became the No. 1 most-played song of the year, going on to sell 4 million copies in the United States alone. 

After finishing a tour that capped 10 years in the music industry, including the release of a self-titled platinum debut album in 2003, the double-platinum “Move Along” in 2005 and a slew of well-received singles, Rejects’ lead singer, bassist and lyrisicst Tyson Ritter found himself feeling utterly lost, falling down the rabbit hole of excess living in Los Angeles.

Drummer Nick Wheeler managed to step in and pull Ritter out of his downward spiral, and on retreat to the mountains the two developed new riffs and lyrics for what would eventually become the personally brash and honest “Kids in The Street,” released in March.

Ritter describes the title track as a nostalgic reflection of how far the band has come.

“It’s about realizing you can always hold onto moments where you still feel alive,” Ritter said. “That’t the theme of the album -- hitting bottom and realizing you can’t stand up until you find the floor.”

BenFest 2012 is sponsored by Navistar. For more information or to purchase tickets, go to www.ben.edu/benfest.