AJR amps St. Louis fans for new album beside Quinn XCII & more

It was another busy (and scorchingly hot) night at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater. The final Saturday of July was celebrated with a total of five performances, with the headliner being the very anticipated, quirky, and colorful AJR.

The crowd was coming in steady as the first performers completed their sets.

Madilyn Mei was the opener, bringing their indie whimsy pop sound — a nice vibe to walk in to. Mei transitioned nicely with Valley’s turn on stage next. I, along with the rest of the audience, was pleasantly surprised to hear Valley begin to play the first notes of MGMT’s “Kids”, covering the song superbly while still maintaining their own identity. It definitely captured the attention of the audience early on, amping up the energy and getting people movin’ and groovin’.

Things got interesting once the third act, Lawrence, started up. And I say “act” because this band is truly like they came right off from performing on Broadway… but in the best possible way (that might also be because lead vocalist Gracie Lawrence literally has sung on Broadway). This sibling-duo — comprised of Clyde and Gracie Lawrence — has been performing together since they were kids and, with the successful movie director and screenwriter Marc Lawrence as their father, the spotlight clearly comes naturally to these two. While the band’s eight members — including saxophonists and trumpet players — were particularly impressive, it was the presentation and sheer in-your-face enthusiasm which made the Lawrence siblings so noteworthy. Every song packed an even larger punch than the last, with Gracie’s incredible vocal range leaving chills over your entire body. Lawrence received a standing ovation from the crowd when their set was up and the band most certainly deserved it. I recall looking at the audience around me, my jaw on the floor in awe, thinking ‘is this really happening right now??’… it was that crazy amount of talent.

Before AJR’s big entrance, there was one more performance to take place.

While much of the audience was clearly there awaiting AJR, I noticed quite a few people who were greatly anticipating Quinn XCII. The crowd was still hyped from Lawrence’s set, so the moment Quinn XCII stepped onstage, the audience was booming with excitement. Known for his easygoing hip hop-meets-reggae style, Mikael Temrowski (aka, Quinn XCII) began his music career in 2011, releasing seven studio albums, including most recently Look! I’m Alive out July 25th of this year. Quinn did an amazing job despite the suffocating humidity, noting that his glasses kept “falling off because of the sweat”. He gave the audience a special treat by bringing out a surprise harmonica to perform his most recent song, having been released only one day prior.

Flowing seamlessly into the main act, this crowd of all ages (there were as many children as there were adults!!) awaited the eccentric Met brothers to make their appearance. This concert is part of AJR’s Somewhere In the Sky Tour, a lead up to their upcoming album What No One’s Thinking being released in just nine days on August 29th! While Adam Met — the “A” of AJR — wasn’t present that evening, Jack and Ryan had no issues carrying on in his absence to put on one of the more interesting performances I’ve ever seen. They came in bold, bringing the entire amphitheater full of people dancing and singing to “Way Less Sad”; the venue started collectively rejoicing with immense excitement as it was the perfect song choice to start the set off.

AJR’s performance was nothing less than brilliant. It wasn’t only with their music, it was their ability to capture their audience. Incredible reality-bending videos were shown on giant screens behind the performers, including a demonstrative segment of their process piecing together their recorded songs during production. AJR went above and beyond the traditional concert, taking the term as ‘entertainers’ to new heights. It’s no wonder they have so many fans… when they would occasionally pause the show, Ryan would compete in a planking competition with an audience member or engage with various people in the crowd. There is something very special about artists who break that fourth wall of celebrity and fame, taking the time to get to know their audience and make them feel like they’re actually a part of the performance — not just idly watching it in the shadows.

Overall, it was another great night for music at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheater.

One of the best aspects of live music, in my opinion, is getting to discover new bands and new music to get excited about. This show highlighted a handful of performers that were previously completely unknown to me, leaving me wanting to listen them more! This evening was a great reminder of what makes music so special and unique, and while I wasn’t one of the lucky ones who got to win a planking competition against a member of AJR in front of thousands of people, just being present in that audience made me feel special and unique, too.

Photography by Sean Rider; Article by Michelle Zigler

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