Tyson Ritter, All American Rejects’ lead singer, esteemed bass player and actor, spoke to hundreds of Stetson students in mid-April.

Students waited over two hours sitting up and down the halls and stairways for the doors of the Stetson Room to open for the chance to find a seat close to the stage. Diehard fans and curious students waited anxiously to hear the inspirational words of the legendary artist.

Ritter, from Stillwater Okla., told the audience he had found an interest in music at the age of 12. He joined a band named “Drowning Fish,” and that’s when his story began. “At 14, we started playing at local college bars; we were a confused little punk rock band,” he said.

His junior year of high school, he decided he needed to “figure stuff out,” so his band bought a van and decided to tour the United States. They passed out a five-song demo in the hopes of being discovered, since music was “the only thing I knew how to do successfully.”

Out of pure chance, according to Ritter, he and his band were discovered by Dog House Records, and from there they locked themselves up in a cabin, spent six months eating noodles, survived many sleepless nights, and eventually developed their first album which was a success. “We were just a bunch of dorks who figured it out,” Ritter explained.

Throughout the many laughs, the sincerity, and vulnerability, Ritter told his story while encouraging Stetson students to create their own story, and never give up. He concluded his lecture by saying, “Once you stop dreaming, you’ll stop loving. I’ll never stop dreaming and I hope you do the same.”

The Stetson audience was in awe of his very genuine lecture, how he connected with the students and his personalization of what he was conveying. Ritter spoke to the audience as if they were good friends; he went out of his way to relate to the audience.

After concluding his lecture, he pulled out his guitar and said, “Well, now that’s over with, let’s jam,” and he invited three Stetson students, Zach Rossin, Bridget Johnston and guitarist Ryan Aceituno, to perform on stage with him. Ritter sang his most popular songs including: Swing, Swing, Move Along, and Gives You Hell. Ritter also invited one of the students on stage with him to perform an original song for which Ritter improvised accompaniment.

“We’re thankful for our faculty partners and Dr. George Glander, professor of Physics and associate dean of the College of Arts and Sciences, for their support of the program,” said Tanner Vickers, associate director of Student Development and Campus Vibrancy. Without them, the department of Student Development and Campus Vibrancy would not have been able to offer such a unique cultural credit opportunity. Tyson was very easy to work with. His greatest priority was meeting with and playing music beside students. His approachability coupled with his passion for the progression of the art form of music provided a dynamic learning experience for our students,” Vickers said.

Stetson students cheered, cried and applauded the performance while video-recording the whole thing. Ritter’s ‘goodbye’ to the audience was just as warm and personal as his whole conversation had been with all of the students. All around students were commenting: “That was amazing,” and “It was so worth the hours of waiting,” and much more.

By Grace Aguda