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| AJR @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
The Met brothers of AJR brought their good vibes and bombastic melodies to an adoring, near-capacity crowd at Chase Center on Monday night. “Ladies and gentlemen. We’ve been headlining in the Bay Area for 10 years,” lead vocalist Jack Met told the crowd as he then listed all the venues the band had previously played including Berkeley’s Cornerstone (“for about 50 people”), The Masonic, Bill Graham Civic and Concord Pavilion. But he marveled at the size of the crowd on their first arena tour. “There are over 11,000 people here tonight!” he exclaimed – enticing a large audience that was at the ready to sing and cheer all night long.
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| AJR's Jack Met @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Touring in support of their November 2023 album The Maybe Man, AJR made the most of the arena space and energy of the crowd. The crowd’s unabashed enthusiasm was reflected back by the entire band throughout the 90-minute show. While Jack Met took most of the front-man duties, brothers Adam on bass and Ryan on keyboards and ukulele were constantly engaging with the crowd, trumpeter Arnetta Johnson and violinist Ginny Luke were also in motion as drummer Chris Berry provided thundering percussion.
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| AJR's Adam Met @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
The show began with an intro that leaned heavily into the capabilities of the modern video screen and then played with audience as the title track began with spotlights going back and forth across the stage to shine on crew members dressed in Jack’s hat and coat faux-singing with their back to the audience. The lights went completely down and then the pause was followed by the Met Brothers being thrust into the air from under the stage. Given that exciting launch point, they continued to build momentum throughout the performance. “Sober Up” from 2018’s The Click then led into “Yes, I’m a Mess” which featured Jack atop the video board as Johnson and Luke came forward to the front of the stage. It was one of 10 songs featured from the latest album on this night. As testimony of their audience’s devotion, every song seemed to be met with the crowd very well-versed in the lyrics lustily singing along as though the songs were old classics.
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| Ryan Met of AJR @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
The crowd was incredibly interactive and filled with many younger attendees with their parents. The positive spirit along the rail was evident throughout the evening as people danced and sang all the way at the top of the arena. Judging by Monday’s concert, it’s no surprise that AJR’s appeal spans multiple generations. AJR’s live performance was something to behold – blending the feel-good elements of Jason Mraz with the comedic self-effacing irony of Blink-182 and the angst of Linkin Park together in a manner that makes them an extremely compelling live act. So many of their songs featured a chemist’s touch in combining fun lyrics, BIG choruses and high energy with a terrific formula that connected again and again with the cord and filled the entire setlist with songs that each felt like they could have been the main set closer. Jack’s hat must have some sort of space engineering to it, as he was constantly in motion throughout the night and it seemed impossible that he wouldn’t overheat.
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| The crowd at AJR @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
A spirited “The DJ Is Crying for Help” led nicely into “God Is Really Real” – a touching, personal song that Jack admitted they weren’t sure if there was a right place for it in the night. Judging by the crowd’s reaction, they got it right. A fun “Inertia” had the audience on their toes with arms up as Jack roamed from side to side of the stage with his arms frantically waving along. It felt like a big production number in all the right ways with captivating video and high audience interaction. “Touchy Feel Fool” saw the stage reset with an astronaut motif that demonstrated the production team’s ability to craft visuals that were equally interesting whether watched from the furthest reaches or right in front of the stage.
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| AJR's Jack Met @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
“Karma” followed with Jack raised above the stage via wire flying, falling and spinning as he sang “I’ve been so good” repeatedly as his acrobatics were nicely enhanced by a video that simulated a fall to Earth from outer space. Ryan gave Jack a breather as he took center stage. “I’m going to sing you a trilogy,” he declared. “The first song is about thinking I was in love. Then the next is about realizing I wasn’t in love and the third is about actually falling in love.” He then launched into parts I – III of "Turning Out" – mostly solo with just his keyboard but ending with beautiful violin accompaniment from Luke.
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| AJR @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
“Hey. We’re up here!” came a voice as the spotlight shown all the band members except Ryan and Luke sitting in the top corner section of the arena with their instruments. They performed a sing-along version of “World’s Smallest Violin.” Ryan and Luke arrived from making the journey from the stage before the band went into another fun-filled anthem of “Steve’s Going to London.” As the rest of the band had exited and returned to the stage, Jack told them “Just keep playing until I get there,” and began his return. Once back on stage, the song reached a huge finish.
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| Ryan Met of AJR @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
A powerful “Burn the House Down” was followed with a unique version of “Way Less Sad” where the brothers reenacted how they had composed the song by breaking down each of its components and the stories of their inclusion. It was accompanied by old home videos of the brothers. “Don’t Throw Out my Legos” and “100 Bad Days" ended the main set on a thrilling note before the band returned to chants of “AJR” to perform an encore of “Weak” and “2085.”
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| Dean Lewis @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
Opening the show, Australian singer Dean Lewis who captivated the crowd with a set that included both his originals and covers of Taylor Swift and Goo Goo Dolls. Lewis' good-natured persona and passionate vocals latched in the crowd’s attention and kept it through the entirety of the set. The man who headlined the Fillmore last October played a tight 10-song set that featured his most recent song, the very tender “Last Bit of Us.”
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| Dean Lewis @ the Chase Center (Photo: Sean Reiter) |
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