Maybe Man Tour Concert Review: AJR creates an immersive experience with current tour
By Alex Mcewen
Let's Involve the Crowd
During their Maybe Man Tour AJR has taken getting the crowd involved to new heights, as they go into the stands and play two songs while sitting with the audience. During Ryan Met's trilogy performance of "Turning Out I, II, and III" the biggest surprise of the night occurred, as security began rushing into my section. No, there was no problem, the band was simply preparing to play their viral hit "World's Smallest Violin" and "Steve's Going to London."
Despite this group playing their first largest headlining tour to date, an arena run, this is such an intimate touch to their set and helps create core memories for the fans they join in the stands.
Easter Eggs Galore
To those on the outside of the die-hard AJR bubble, some things may not stick out, but for those select few there are some pretty neat details woven into the group's concert experience. Such as their video that plays prior to the group taking the stage, it featured visuals from OKO World which is on the album cover of their 2021 record OK Orchestra. Along with the underwater visuals that were used during the OKO tour finale.
While it may seem like their theme of being giants was new for their latest album, it seems the band has been dreaming this idea up since their Neotheater Tour back in 2019. Another throwback to their Neotheater tour was the bright purple lights at the beginning of the show.
This may or may not be an homage, but the band did open and close their 2019 set with the first (Next Up Forever) and last song (Finale, can't wait to see what you do next) on the album they were touring. Once again, they are doing the same with their latest record, opening with the title track Maybe Man and closing with 2085.
Another fun easter egg is the large white hand seen in the visuals, the band has been utilizing a version of a large hand in their visuals dating back to their 2020 online-only concert One Spectacular Night. The way the performance and visuals are planned out and put together feels like it is telling a larger story, rather than recycling a previously used graphic.