Concert Review: AJR - Aragon Ballroom - Chicago, IL
- Breanna Macomber
- 8 minutes ago
- 7 min read
Photo Credits: Live Nation
Track List:
Bummerland
Sober Up
Way Less Sad
Karma
The Big Goodbye
Cover - "All-Star" by Smash Mouth
Bang!
Inertia
World's Smallest Violin
Wow, I'm Not Crazy
Burn The House Down
100 Bad Days
Weak
There’s so much to say about artistry and technology. For a while, it seemed like the two were in a dance together where neither one was leading or following - it just flowed. Over the past decade or so, we’ve seen technology forget about its dance partner, leaving it behind to what feels like an astonishing takeover diminishing any sense of originality. It’s very rare, as well, that we see artists who fight to save that same originality at all. Yet somehow three brothers from New York City seem to be doing just that and boy - what a fight it’s been. Growing up in a generation where the world is increasingly getting harder to keep up with, AJR shows us that technology - when used as a partner to music - can further advance us in the songs we create as well as by putting up an entire show that gives everyone an opportunity to feel included no matter where you sit.
AJR is a pop band from New York City, although after seeing them in concert, I feel like they could range anywhere between indie - folk. The band is created by three brothers, Adam, Jack and Ryan Met (Metzger) who contribute to the band in so many different ways. The extended band members are Arnetta Johnson (trumpet), Chris Berry (drums) The brothers are multi-instrumentalists and are known as a DIY band as they created a lot of their music from their living room. AJR started 20 years ago, back when the brothers would busk in the parks of New York tap dancing, performing cover songs before eventually taking their turn into producing their own music. Their father, Gary, who was a major part of the band as a manager and roadie, was also an important role in the brothers getting their start. The brothers have told stories of him selling their living room furniture in order to buy them instruments which launched their momentum into the music industry.
AJR performed at the Aragon Ballroom in Chicago, Illinois on December 9th. It was the first night out of four of “Twisted” - a holiday festival hosted by Live Nation. AJR shared the stage with Wet Leg and Out In Front who matched the band’s energy perfectly. Once AJR took the stage, it felt like the ballroom exploded with energy as they opened with their single “Bummerland” from their album OK Orchestra. This song came out in 2021, during the pandemic and felt so topical to what was going on around us as it's somehow one of the most optimistic "I've hit rock bottom" kind of songs. This song was an incredible opener as it let the audience know exactly what they were to expect - a high energy, fun, friendly show. The band then switched to their song “Sober Up” which even though it was an older one, you can tell it's held up as the brother's seemed to have so much fun with it. The brothers seemed shocked to hear the entire ballroom yelling this song back at them as they kept looking at each other and smiling. This song leads straight into “Karma” - two songs back-to-back that are heart-breakingly vulnerable about the human experience and what it means when we start to question things a little too much. “Karma” went viral on their tour last year by being performed with Jack hoisted up in the air making it seem like he was free falling during a part of the song where it feels like he's overthinking. This is one of many immersive examples they use to show us how technology can take music a lot further than what we think.
One thing that I think sets AJR apart from other artists is how different their songs sound live than recorded. The band doesn’t shy away from showing off their talents like when they break out the drum pad in their new song from the new EP, What No One's Thinking, “The Big Goodbye” which swayed more in the rock genre played in person. One of the most memorable moments from the concert was a cover song that I didn't know I needed so badly. The band covered Smash Mouth’s “All-Star” which they played on a ukulele and an acoustic guitar. It’s always so great to see a band really know their sound because if I hadn’t known this song, I would’ve thought it was a song they wrote as it sounded so “AJR.” With them stripping the song down to an acoustic level, it also showed the weight of the lyrics of a song a lot of us grew up with that we seemed to have never taken so seriously but it was incredible to hear it in a different lens.
The band’s song “Bang!” was easily one of their more distinguishable songs and even got the little kids around me to dance and sing. This song proved one thing - that Ryan is the keyboardist with the utmost swagger. These brothers are so good at their jobs by making a pop song sound better in person than recorded. The band transitioned into the next “phase” of the concert with a jazz version of “Bang!” which, again, showed off their musical talents before completely shifting gears to Ryan playing a piano version of their song “Inertia.” This song speaks the most to a lot of creative people - or maybe just to the general public - of the idea of settling. It begs the question of "Why do we stay with people that aren’t right for us?" or "Why do we not go and chase our dreams?" “Inertia” is used to describe this energy of resisting change in motion - also known as the feeling of being stuck. Hearing Ryan play this by himself made that hard truth a bit more gentle to hear but it’s one of the biggest takeaways I hope people got from the concert.
It wouldn’t be an AJR show if Jack didn’t run up into the crowd to play a few songs from the balcony section. While playing “World’s Smallest Violin,” I finally realized what this band really captures when seeing them live. Just hearing the music, it sounds like a one man band as if when you turn around, you might see Jack wearing one of those huge bass drums with tambourine’s on his feet somehow making everything coexist. Maybe it was just the song - but I for sure thought that was happening up on the balcony. This song then went into “Wow, I’m Not Crazy” which is a song off of their Neotheater Album. This song was an important addition to the set list since they were able to show off one of their most important members - Arnetta Johnson. Without the trumpet, AJR is not complete as a lot of their songs are trumpet heavy. The last handful of songs really allowed Arnetta to shine, especially with “Burn The House Down.”
What’s incredible that AJR does in the middle of a concert is they give the audience a lesson on how music production works. By doing this, they get to really flex not only their knowledge on how any ordinary sound can be used to create music but to also show the audience that if you’re willing to learn, the technology is right there and you can do it too. Ryan gave a demonstration on how impactful it can be to be curious about how things might sound if you play them backwards, higher pitched, sped up, etc. Only AJR can get 5,000 people to be engaged in a lesson of music production.
What really sold the show for me was their last song, “Weak.” Hearing this song recorded, in no way shape or form, does it justice. One of the feelings I had while hearing this song live was how huge it sounded. It felt like it touched every single soul in the room along with every corner. Kind of like when you turn your lights on first thing in the morning when everything is black. Just when you thought that song couldn’t get any better, the band stepped off the stage, grabbed more instruments and switched the genre completely into what felt like a song that you would hear after you won a prize on the radio. It was such a party which is exactly what this band seemed to have wanted.
Seeing AJR is truly a once in a lifetime experience. They are constantly reinventing what is “allowed” to happen in a concert. One of the perks of having knowledgeable musicians is being able to flip a song on it's head sending it into a different genre as well as showing us truly how important it is to use technology as a partner to music while always ensuring the music isn’t jeopardized. You can feel the 20 years of dedication as it shows in everything that they do. The patience, the persistence, the care, the passion and the intensity that AJR throws into their music is exactly why they have shown us how incredibly important it is to not only really know your craft, but really stand up for it until it looks exactly how you want it to. For a band that is anything but ordinary, they are original and organic. What you can expect from an AJR concert is to leave with more questions than when you came in about how you can push yourself more as a person as well as feeling like you can do absolutely anything.
Written By Breanna M.
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