AJR’s members enter the stage and are greeted with countless “woos” from audience members. The bands jokes, as they did for most of their set, about the scattered woos they often receive at their shows and how they all usually come from one guy in the back corner of the audience. After some more clever banter between the brothers, Ryan asks the audience “to keep the woos coming” as they continue their set. Those woos were certainly well-deserved as the band’s set last night was electric.
AJR consists of three brothers from NYC: 23-year-old Adam (bass/vocals), 19-year-old Ryan (guitar/piano/vocals), and 16-year-old Jack (vocals/guitar). Their stage presence was impressive objectively – but was even cooler considering their age. The brothers have so much personality individually, and the chemistry that they clearly share seeped into every facet of their set, making it all the more enjoyable. The charisma of lead singer Jack was evident from the ease with which he conversed with the audience members, like they were family or old friends. He ran frantically around the stage as he sung, holding the snowcap he wore tight on his head. His youthful energy was contagious and his voice remained pure and powerful throughout the marathon he must have run on stage.
“For this next song I’m going to use a melodica,” explains Jack as he was met with scattered claps, likely due to the confusion about the strange instrument he held up. It looks like a handheld keyboard with a mouthpiece coming out one end. “That isn’t a melodica applause,” Jack says. “Let’s hear it!” After the responding enthusiastic cheer, the band let into an astounding cover of The Weeknd’s “The Hills.” Jack’s bright voice blended well with the eclectic sound generated around him, making for an extraordinary and unique cover of the song.
The penultimate song in their set was their fantastic new single “Weak”; the mixture of genres – pop, electric, hip-hop—along with strong vocals made for what is sure to be a hit. At the close of the song Jack emerged from backstage with a snare drum strapped to his shoulders, capturing the zany yet endearing stage presence that the band maintains. AJR closed on their most popular song “’I’m Ready” which brought the audience to their feet. The song samples from Spongebob and spans a wide variety of genres with a sound the audience can’t quite place but can most certainly dance to.
AJR returned to the stage for a duet with Ingrid Michaelson and the uproarious applause that coincided with their reappearance represented the phenomenal performance they had. One of their songs discusses how they enjoy not being famous—I would urge them not to get used to a lack of fame.
AJR consists of three brothers from NYC: 23-year-old Adam (bass/vocals), 19-year-old Ryan (guitar/piano/vocals), and 16-year-old Jack (vocals/guitar). Their stage presence was impressive objectively – but was even cooler considering their age. The brothers have so much personality individually, and the chemistry that they clearly share seeped into every facet of their set, making it all the more enjoyable. The charisma of lead singer Jack was evident from the ease with which he conversed with the audience members, like they were family or old friends. He ran frantically around the stage as he sung, holding the snowcap he wore tight on his head. His youthful energy was contagious and his voice remained pure and powerful throughout the marathon he must have run on stage.
“For this next song I’m going to use a melodica,” explains Jack as he was met with scattered claps, likely due to the confusion about the strange instrument he held up. It looks like a handheld keyboard with a mouthpiece coming out one end. “That isn’t a melodica applause,” Jack says. “Let’s hear it!” After the responding enthusiastic cheer, the band let into an astounding cover of The Weeknd’s “The Hills.” Jack’s bright voice blended well with the eclectic sound generated around him, making for an extraordinary and unique cover of the song.
The penultimate song in their set was their fantastic new single “Weak”; the mixture of genres – pop, electric, hip-hop—along with strong vocals made for what is sure to be a hit. At the close of the song Jack emerged from backstage with a snare drum strapped to his shoulders, capturing the zany yet endearing stage presence that the band maintains. AJR closed on their most popular song “’I’m Ready” which brought the audience to their feet. The song samples from Spongebob and spans a wide variety of genres with a sound the audience can’t quite place but can most certainly dance to.
AJR returned to the stage for a duet with Ingrid Michaelson and the uproarious applause that coincided with their reappearance represented the phenomenal performance they had. One of their songs discusses how they enjoy not being famous—I would urge them not to get used to a lack of fame.