[ATTENDED: August 3, 2023] AJR
I listen to a radio station in my garage (it’s the only station I can get in that I like). They play alt rock and that includes a significant amount of AJR. In my mind, AJR was a fun band who through weird sounds into their songs (like “Here We Go”) or used pitch-shifted vocals to make a killer hook.
When this show was announced at Musikfest I assumed it would be really fun–kind of wacky and a general good time.
I had no idea that it would be so popular (and the only headliner that was sold out). My friends were taking their daughters to the show and I noticed that there were a LOT of kids at the show. However, I wasn’t the only old person there (without kids).
What I learned right away was that they had a lot of songs that I didn’t know. And when I looked them up I learned that they were more of a pop band before they branched out into a more unique style.
The show it self was fun, but not in any way that I imagined. I was assuming there’d be a huge production–lots of videos or costumes or something goofy. But it was exactly the opposite. Extremely minimalist. Adam was on bass on my right. Jack was singing in the middle and Ryan was on my left with his keys and samples. Behind them was a drummer Chris and a trumpeter Arnetta. And that was it.
There were some videos, but they were mostly background. The real action was Jack scampering around the stage and dancing and jumping and being generally wild and fun.
I didn’t know the opening song, but it was boppy and clappy and really set the stage for the rest of the show.
But what surprises me about the fan base is that it skews really (really) young, but their songs are far from youth appropriate.
Three O’Clock Things
I feel like everyone I know right now
Is hooking up and getting wasted (without me)
And maybe sex is overrated but we’re too shy to ever say it (say it)
So we pretend we’re all amazing
It’s three AM I should be sleeping (sleeping)
and
“Sober”
… Won’t you help me sober up
All the big kids they are drunk
And I want to feel something again
But “Three O’Clock Things” has this great ending:
Isn’t this obvious? Am I insane?
Let’s blame our parents ’cause they taught us their ways
Stay out of politics, stay on the fence
Stay out of all of it to keep half your fans
Isn’t this obvious? Am I insane?
There might be two sides to everything that you say
It’s all a bit cloudy but there’s one thing I know
That if you’re fucking racist then don’t come to my show
And “Sober” has the super catchy “hey now hey now” part and everyone sang along. To everything.
Jack did a fun live remix of “I’ve Got No Strings” (from Pinnochio) on his sampler.
Looking at the setlist, I’m surprised that the songs I know best are not from the past album but the previous one.
“Way Less Sad” is again, pretty dark but fun. There was a great trumpet solo and Arnetta came from the back to dance out front.
I also didn’t quite realize how much trumpet was in their songs (I gather that Ryan makes most of the music on his sampler). But “The Dumb Song” is full of even more trumpets.
They played a sampled message from their dad (which is even more touching since he died just a month earlier, which they didn’t address at all).
Ordinaryish People is kind of a fun number with some clever lyrics
Your hippie friends call you a sellout
‘Cause you buckle down and get a job
You still get high, but you’re no hippie, no hippie
But all your work friends think you are
After this song, Jack interacted with the audience. He said that during the above song he sings “you’re not stupid, you’re just special” and usually points to a section of the crowd. This time the person he pointed to had like a Ratatouille moment and Jack could see him flashback to being 9 years old and bringing home a report card with all D’s on it and his mom saying “you’re not stupid, you’re just special.” Ryan said the woman in frnt of him was staring at him for the whole show–like uncomfortably staring at him. So when it came to his part of the song where he sings something like “this is for you” he waved right to her and… she was on her phone!
Then Jack asked for a hat to come up from the audience and Ryan wore the cat in the hat style hat for the next couple of songs.
They followed that with a cover of “the greatest song ever written” (All Star by Smash Mouth) and then the first song that I knew really well: “100 Bad Days.”
When the song was done, all five gathered around one mic in the center for an acoustic version of “World’s Smallest Violin.” After a couple more sings I didn’t know, they played “Burn the House Down,” a massive song that I was delighted to hear live. It was followed by “The Good Part,” a fun song that is fun to sing along to.
They introduced “Bang” with a visual description of how they make their songs. It was fun and funny and somewhat informative. When the song was finally ready to go (that insanely hooky trumpet) the whole crowd was ready to “Bang!” along with them.
They took an encore break and came back to play “Weak.” This is an older song that has had some recent success and the crowd loved it. They ended the song by leaving and then coming back with marching band instruments and parading the stage.
The show was really quite short–about 75 minutes. And considering there were lots of things between songs (crowd interactions and whatnot), they probably only played an hour’s worth of music. But that’s all fine for me as they played all the songs I wanted to hear and it let me get home at a decent hour.
The only real gripe I have about the show is that the people in front of me moved over one seat each to take advantage of some empty space and it meant that the one tall guy at the show was right in front of me. And he was a dancing fool, so he was constantly blocking my view. Even from row E, I couldn’t see that great. Thanks a lot, jerk.
SETLIST
OK Overture [taped intro]
- Bummerland Ø
- 3 O’Clock Things Ø
- I’ve Got No Strings Remix (Dickie Jones cover)
- Sober Up €
- Way Less Sad Ø
- The Dumb Song [single]
Message from Dad [tape]
- Ordinaryish People Ø (followed by audience interaction (see Note) & Ryan getting a Cat in the Hat hat)
- All Star (Smash Mouth cover)
- 100 Bad Days Δ
- World’s Smallest Violin {acoustic) Ø
- I Won’t [single]
- Karma Δ
- Burn the House Down €
- The Good Part €
How We Made Bang
- Bang! Ø
Encore
- Weak €
Ø OK Orchestra (2021)
Δ Neotheater (2019)
€ The Click (2017)
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I’ve had Sylvan Esso on my list of bands to see for a while, even though I’ve never been a huge fan of the band. I like a lot of their songs, but I don’t really listen to them all that much.
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