Concert pairing that just clicks
AJR and Robert Delong dazzle audience on Halloween
As their show comes to a close, the techno indie-pop trio AJR prepare to take a bow for their cheering audience. Their Atlanta concert, which took place on Halloween, was a magnificent display that featured the talent of Robert Delong as the opening performance.
November 5, 2018
Last Wednesday, on Halloween, AJR returned to perform in Atlanta for The Click Tour part two. AJR, paired with Robert Delong as their opener, delivered a concert experience that astonished the audience and easily replaced trick-or-treating as the best way to spend the holiday.
Lead vocalist Jack Met begins AJR’s performance with the song “Come Hang Out.” This first song, featured on AJR’s latest album “The Click,” kicked off the main event of the night by starting slowly and beautifully, then turning up the tempo to a breakneck pace that sent the crowd into a wonderful frenzy.
After the release of their album “The Click,” AJR went on a full-length tour that took them across the country. As the tour approached its end, AJR shocked their fans with a surprise announcement: they would continue The Click Tour into a second full-length tour cycle. This second part brought the band back to many cities they had performed in only several months prior, including Atlanta. What’s amazing is that between part one and part two, AJR had grown in popularity so much that the venue sizes they were performing in almost doubled.
The Halloween show took place at the Coca-Cola Roxy, a comfortably-sized music hall that was large enough to hold the hundreds of adoring AJR fans without being so large that the fans in the back of the crowd felt removed from the performance. Adorned with chandeliers and a raised balcony for the seated crowd, the Roxy was a fine upgrade from the Buckhead Theatre, where AJR performed in February for the Click Tour part one.
The general admission floor was packed with high school and college-aged fans. At the request of AJR, the majority of us were dressed up for Halloween. This improved the experience greatly. There was something indescribably fantastic about Mario enjoying the show next to the Joker, with a man dressed as a pizza behind them and Spider-Man a few feet away in the crowd. When dedicated fans put judgement aside and join in each other in ridiculous costumes to enjoy beautiful music, the result is a night to remember.
Robert Delong, a techno-heavy indie artist with music that’s designed to energize, was the only opening performance before AJR. Robert DeLong was a fantastic choice to tour with AJR, as both bands feature synthesized music that has too many lyrical melodies to be classified as EDM. At Music Midtown in September, Robert Delong blew the crowd away as he single-handedly created his music with two drum sets, a Wii remote, a keyboard, an autotuner, his own voice, and a guitar.
The costumed crowd sang along with the passion that only excited fans can have.
— A&E Editor Ian Fertig
Last Wednesday, Robert Delong’s performance was equally astonishing, but more concise, as he had less time to perform. DeLong’s arsenal of music-making equipment only grew since he was in Atlanta last. This time, he had a Gamecube controller and flight joystick, and he used lasers as if they were keys on a keyboard. He energized the crowd with his top hits and music from his latest EP, “See You in the Future,” and set the stage for AJR perfectly.
A short break later, the lights dimmed, the audience began to cheer, and “Overture,” a melodious mashup of the songs from “The Click” album, began to play. The costumed crowd sang along with the passion that only excited fans can have. The three Met brothers — Adam, Jack, and Ryan — ran on stage and began their brilliant show, which featured trumpets, ukuleles, drums, vocals, bass guitar, dancing, lights, and fog machines.
AJR made a name for themselves by creating music about things no one else was making music about, resulting in something that’s emotional, vibrant, and delightfully weird. Their performance was the same way. It was spectacular to witness. Between their songs, AJR spiced up the performance with a message from their dad, a recognition of the best Halloween costumes, and an impromptu dance to “Gucci Gang” as the entire band dressed up as famous SoundCloud rappers. By the show’s end, nothing was left undone. AJR had performed their hearts out.
As their tour moves on to new horizons, fans in the Atlanta area must eagerly await AJR’s next album, which is set to release in early 2019, and the band’s return for another great show.
