AJR is my favorite band, and I love going to see them on tour, when possible, but something about their live shows is missing.
I can’t listen to their live music whenever I want…well, until now.
AJR dropped their first-ever live album on Friday titled “Live at the Hollywood Bowl,” which was recorded in Los Angeles as part of their “Somewhere in the Sky Tour,” which I watched in person myself in St. Louis last year.
Having seen it in person and being a fan of their music, it’s hard to determine what the best song on the album would be, but three criteria help narrow it down.
First, the vocals need to be consistent. A faulty voice is natural in live performances as there isn’t any post-production to be done to smooth things over, but having it falter too much results in poor quality.
Second, there needs to be variation in the way the song sounds compared to the studio version. That seems counterintuitive compared to the first criterion, but the difference is meant to emphasize the live factor by providing an aspect you haven’t experienced before.
Finally, there needs to be some form of audience participation. If the audience isn’t engaged with the music, there’s no clear indication that the song is being performed live.
As an additional note, the visuals of each song during the live show will not be considered in the ranking, as the album doesn’t include the visuals to accompany the songs.
With the criteria laid out, these are my picks for the top three best songs on AJR’s first live album.
#3: “Wow, I’m Not Crazy”
Hailing from AJR’s second album, “Neotheater,” “Wow, I’m Not Crazy” takes the third place spot.
“Wow, I’m Not Crazy” is about finding someone in your life that you can relate to and get along with to the point where nothing seems crazy with them.
Lead singer Jack Met’s voice doesn’t consistently hit the high notes in the song, but his voice maintains a consistent tone for the majority of the song.
Despite the occasional slips, it’s not enough to knock the song out of the top three, as the song occurs midway through the concert, so Jack is likely getting exhausted by this point.
Compared to the original, the song starts with more of an acoustic style before later matching the rapidly edited and distorted vocals and sound toward the end of the song.
Another gimmick differentiating the two is how the band sat in the audience before returning to the stage and doing solos for trumpeter Arnetta Johnson and drummer Chris Berry, who assist AJR on their concerts.
This allows the song to have a unique aspect that can’t be heard anywhere else, similar to how the audience’s cheering during the solos and at the end of the song can’t be heard anywhere else.
#2: “A Bunch of Songs We Haven’t Played In a Long Time”
This song is more of a collection of songs across AJR’s discography compared to a singular track that, as the title suggests, hasn’t been played in a long time.
This segment features “Come Hang Out,” “I’m Not Famous,” “I’m Ready,” “Break My Face” and “Next Up Forever,” all of which have a variety of different meanings, from not being popular and enjoying it to always wanting to be coming up next rather than stopping.
The song that hasn’t been played for the longest time out of those included is “I’m Ready,” which is the first song the band ever created and performed. It hasn’t been played in eight years.
Vocals are consistent throughout, primarily due to the amount of recorded backup vocals that are present throughout the piece.
While that may be a turnoff for some, I find it adds emphasis to the songs and makes them stand out much more than they would’ve on their own.
Some of these backup vocals come from the audience as well, which is mostly heard during the chorus section of “Break My Face.”
While the songs sound similar to their studio versions, certain piano keys played by Ryan Met and trumpet horns from Johnson sound much crisper, especially during transitions between songs.
Additionally, the novelty of not hearing these songs for such a long time lessens the problem of them sounding like the studio recordings.
#1: “Sober Up”
“Sober Up” is a song from AJR’s third album, “The Click” and is about wanting to sober up from the despair of adult life and feel childlike wonder again.
The beginning of the song starts slow with a steady drum kick and ukulele strings before the violin joins and speeds the pace along, adding a nice layer of complexity to the song without being overbearing.
The audience once again gets involved here during the chorus alongside recorded backup vocals to make the chorus feel grander than it actually is compared to the rest of the song.
Adding to the vocals, we hear both Jack and Ryan sing different parts of the song, which adds more variety to the song.
Tying these two aspects together makes for a perfect example of a live performance of a song done right.
But there’s more.
When the song reaches its studio counterpart’s endpoint, the beat suddenly drops to an imposing pace with singular drum beats echoing throughout the Hollywood Bowl.
Eventually, their beats mix into a tempo that sounds like it’s bouncing around the stage before matching Edvard Grieg’s “In the Hall of the Mountain King” for a short period.
As this occurs, the tempo slowly speeds up, building to the release of what is effectively a remix of “Sober Up’s” chorus and leading into AJR’s famous false finales.
AJR’s first live album in its entirety highlights the magic of how their music sounds when performed live, but experiencing it in-person is a whole different animal.
By releasing a live album, more fans of the band are able to experience the sounds of the concert…well, part of it anyway. Certain bits, like interacting with the audience and making one of their songs, were cut from the album.
Despite that, my top three songs from the album still manage to highlight the experience and provide more people with an audio experience unlike anything they can hear elsewhere from the band without being at the concert themselves.
Luke Brewer can be reached at 581-2812 or at [email protected].
