Wikipedia

Neotheater World Tour

The Neotheater World Tour was the fourth concert tour by the American pop band AJR, supporting their third studio album, Neotheater (2019). It ran from September 20, 2019, to January 21, 2020, and covered 41 shows across Europe and North America. The set list consisted primarily of songs from Neotheater, with a few numbers from the band's second album The Click (2017) and brief appearances from their debut studio album Living Room (2015). A second leg of the Neotheater World Tour with 21 more shows was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Neotheater World Tour
Tour by AJR
Promotional poster for the tour
Location
  • Europe
  • North America
Associated albumNeotheater
Start dateSeptember 20, 2019 (2019-09-20)
End dateJanuary 21, 2020 (2020-01-21)
No. of shows41
Supporting actsTessa Violet
Attendance130,000+[1]
AJR concert chronology

Background and development

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AJR performing in Amsterdam to promote Neotheater.

On March 10, 2019, AJR released a trailer for their third studio album, Neotheater, which would release on April 26.[2] Shortly after this, the band announced the Neotheater World Tour on March 15, with tickets becoming available for sale on March 22.[3] Band member Ryan Met stated in an interview with Atwood Magazine that the tour was conceptualized at the same time as the album, stating "we wanted it to be one whole cohesive piece of art".[4] Two release shows prefaced the tour, with AJR performing at Bowery Ballroom in New York City on April 29 and Hoxton Hall in London on May 14.[5]

The Neotheater World Tour started on September 20 at Harrah's Stir Cove in Council Bluffs, Iowa, remaining in the United States through November.[6] In December, AJR traveled to Europe to perform in Russia, Poland, Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands,[7] the United Kingdom, and Ireland.[8] Shows on the tour were opened by Tessa Violet.[9][10][11] On November 13, 2019, AJR announced a 2020 leg of the Neotheater World Tour, consisting of 21 dates in the United States and 4 dates in Canada throughout May and June.[1] The leg was scheduled to feature Almost Monday as a supporting act.[12]

On November 19, AJR postponed the final four November shows due to lead singer Jack Met having symptoms of strep throat.[13] These shows were re-scheduled to dates in mid-January 2020 as part of the second leg,[14] with tickets going on sale on November 22.[15] Following the outbreak of COVID-19, all the shows in May and June 2020 were canceled alongside the band's Everything Everywhere Tour, which would've taken place in July and August 2020 with Quinn XCII, Hobo Johnson & the LoveMakers, and Ashe as supporting acts.[16]

Neotheater World Tour Doc

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Alongside the development of the tour, AJR released Neotheater World Tour Doc, a five-episode documentary series that was directed by Austin Roa and published to YouTube between October 2, 2019, and January 6, 2020. Episodes ranged 7–14 minutes in length and showcased rehearsals, fan interactions, concert highlights, backstage footage, and hardships with the tour.[17]

EpisodeDirected byOriginal air dateLength
(minutes)
1Austin RoaOctober 2, 2019 (2019-10-02)9:19
AJR finalizes the tour's six-month development period through September 2019 with rehearsals, guiding a production team on visual effects for various sections of the show including "Bud Like You". Session and touring musician JJ Kirkpatrick gives a backstory on his career, and band member Adam Met campaigns at a climate strike in Omaha, Nebraska.
2Austin RoaOctober 17, 2019 (2019-10-17)14:27
The band experiences technical difficulties with the video wall at Shrine Expo Hall, delaying the tour's second concert by over 23 minutes. They perform more shows from late September through early October, showcasing fan interactions and testimonials. Earlier rehearsals are shown for "Sober Up". AJR spends a day off kart racing and holds a ping-pong tournament with the backstage crew. During the tour's concert at the Great Saltair on October 3, a female fan faints, and the show is stopped for the duration of medical treatment.
3Austin RoaOctober 30, 2019 (2019-10-30)13:20
Clips of the AJR's performances at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Radio City Music Hall are highlighted, with the latter overviewing the concert's preparation. More fan interactions are shown, and the band holds a dodgeball tournament with the backstage crew. Jack sprains his ankle on-stage in Grand Rapids, Michigan, though the show is still performed as scheduled.
4Austin RoaDecember 4, 2019 (2019-12-04)11:47
The episode begins with footage of AJR recording a new song, featuring whistles, claps, trumpet, and bass. This would later be released as "Bummerland" on August 31, 2020.[18] At the Criterion in Oklahoma City, a technical failure delays the concert briefly. After more fan interactions and tour highlights are shown, the band goes to Walt Disney World. On November 19, Jack showed symptoms of strep throat, leading to the cancellation of the night's show at Shea's Performing Arts Center to prevent the singer from getting vocal cord nodules. After a hospital visit, Jack tests negative for strep and receives a recommendation to get imaging at a specialized facility.
5Austin RoaJanuary 6, 2020 (2020-01-06)7:45
In Europe, the band performs the tour's December shows and interacts with fans, later recording a video for a climate change campaign. A montage of Europe concert highlights is shown before a text monologue ending the series.

Set list

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  1. "Next Up Forever"
  2. "Birthday Party"
  3. "Sober Up"
  4. "The Entertainment's Here"
  5. "Netflix Trip"
  6. "Break My Face"
  7. "Come Hang Out"
  8. "Weak"
  9. "Karma"
  10. Trumpet medley ("Three-Thirty" / "I'm Not Famous" / "No Grass Today" / "Pretender" / "Call My Dad" / "Growing Old on Bleecker Street" / "I'm Ready" / "Bud Like You" / "Let the Games Begin" / "Beats")
  11. "Turning Out Pt. ii" / "Turning Out"
  12. "Wow, I'm Not Crazy"
  13. How We Made / "Don't Throw Out My Legos"
  14. "Dear Winter"
  15. "Burn the House Down"
Encore
  1. "Finale (Can't Wait To See What You Do Next)"
  2. "100 Bad Days"

Tour dates

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List of 2019 concerts
Date (2019) City Country Venue
September 20 Council Bluffs United States Harrah's Stir Cove
September 26 Los Angeles Shrine Expo Hall
September 28 San Francisco Bill Graham Civic Auditorium
September 30 Seattle The Paramount Theatre
October 1 Portland Theater of the Clouds
October 3 Salt Lake City The Great Saltair
October 5 Morrison Red Rocks Amphitheatre
October 10 New York City Radio City Music Hall
October 16 Detroit The Fillmore
October 18 Columbus Express Live! Amphitheatre
October 19 Indianapolis Indiana Farmers Coliseum
October 20 Grand Rapids 20 Monroe Live
October 22 Minneapolis Armory
October 23 Madison The Sylvee
October 25 Kansas City Uptown Theater
October 26 St. Louis The Pageant
October 27 Oklahoma City The Criterion
October 29 Dallas Toyota Music Factory
October 30 Austin ACL Live
October 31 Houston Revention Music Center
November 6 New Orleans The Fillmore
November 8 Orlando Hard Rock Cafe
November 9 Tampa Yuengling Center
November 12 Atlanta Infinite Energy Center
November 14 Philadelphia Metropolitan Opera House
November 15
November 16 Boston Agganis Arena
December 1 Moscow Russia 1930 Moscow
December 3 Warsaw Poland Niebo
December 4 Berlin Germany Kesselhaus in der Kulturbrauerei
December 6 Antwerp Belgium Zappa
December 7 Paris France La Maroquinerie
December 8 Amsterdam Netherlands Melkweg
December 10 London United Kingdom O2 Forum Kentish Town
December 12 Glasgow SWG3
December 13 Dublin Ireland The Academy
December 14 Manchester United Kingdom Manchester Academy
List of 2020 concerts
Date (2020) City Country Venue Attendance Revenue
January 17 Chicago United States Aragon Ballroom — —
January 18 Buffalo Shea's Performing Arts Center
January 20 Washington, D.C. The Anthem 6,000 $213,099[19]
January 21 Pittsburgh UPMC Events Center — —

Cancelled dates

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List of cancelled concerts, showing date, city, country, venue and reason for cancellation
Date City Country Venue Reason
November 19, 2019 Buffalo United States Shea's Performing Arts Center Medical issues, re-scheduled to January 2020.[14]
November 21, 2019 Washington, D.C. The Anthem
November 22, 2019 Pittsburgh UPMC Events Center
November 23, 2019 Chicago Aragon Ballroom
May 6, 2020 Jacksonville Daily's Place COVID-19 pandemic[16]
May 8, 2020 Charlotte Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre
May 9, 2020 Raleigh Red Hat Amphitheater
May 10, 2020 Charlottesville Sprint Pavilion
May 12, 2020 Syracuse Landmark Theater
May 13, 2020 Portland Cross Insurance Arena
May 15, 2020 Wallingford Toyota Oakdale Theatre
May 16, 2020 Providence Bold Point Pavilion
May 19, 2020 Louisville Iroquois Amphitheater
May 20, 2020 Cincinnati PNC Pavilion
May 22, 2020 Cleveland Jacob's Pavilion
May 23, 2020 Nashville Ascend Amphitheater
May 24, 2020 Birmingham Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex
May 27, 2020 Wichita Hartman Arena
May 29, 2020 Des Moines Water Works Park
May 30, 2020 Milwaukee BMO Harris Pavilion
May 31, 2020 Green Bay Resch Center
June 2, 2020 Winnipeg Canada Burton Cummings Theatre
June 4, 2020 Calgary MacEwan Hall
June 5, 2020 Edmonton Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium
June 7, 2020 Vancouver Queen Elizabeth Theatre
June 9, 2020 Boise United States CenturyLink Arena
June 11, 2020 San Diego California Coast Credit Union
June 12, 2020 Las Vegas The Cosmopolitan
June 13, 2020 Phoenix Comerica Theater

References

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  1. ^ a b Dieckelman, Julie (November 13, 2019). "AJR Announces 2020 Neotheater World Tour Part II". BMO Pavilion. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  2. ^ Legaspi, Althea (March 12, 2019). "AJR Bring Exuberant '100 Bad Days' Performance to 'Kimmel'". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  3. ^ LaScola, Ben (March 19, 2019). "AJR Announces 'Neotheater' Tour Dates, Album Tracklist". Red Roll. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  4. ^ Steeves, Audrey (July 5, 2019). "Interview: AJR Will Be Next Up Forever". Atwood Magazine. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  5. ^ Hudelson, Molly (March 15, 2019). "AJR Share Dates For Neotheater World Tour". Substream Magazine. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  6. ^ Blistein, Jon (March 15, 2019). "AJR Plot Headlining North American Headlining Tour". Rolling Stone. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  7. ^ Tolles, Carrie; Smith, Alison (November 18, 2019). "AJR Announces 2020 Neotheater World Tour Pt II & Confirms iHeart Live-Stream For December 16, 2019". Live Nation Entertainment. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  8. ^ Stickler, Jon (March 19, 2019). "AJR Confirm UK And Ireland 'Neotheater' Tour For December". StereoBoard. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  9. ^ Timko, Alexis (September 29, 2019). "AJR electrifies crowd with high energy performance". Daily Trojan. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  10. ^ Westrom, Piper (September 29, 2019). "AJR transforms Bill Graham Civic into a "Neotheater"". Riff Magazine. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  11. ^ Frank, Katie (October 5, 2019). "AJR and Tessa Violet at Moda Center on Oct. 2, 2019". Vortex Magazine. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  12. ^ "Canceled: AJR: The Neotheater World Tour – Part 2 with almost Monday". Des Moines Water Works Park Foundation. May 29, 2020. Retrieved April 30, 2024. {{cite web}}: Unknown parameter |people= ignored (help)
  13. ^ "AJR postpones concert in Buffalo". WGRZ. November 19, 2019. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  14. ^ a b Blinn, John (November 25, 2019). "Update: AJR postpones concert at UPMC Events Center". RMU Sentry Media. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  15. ^ Corcoran, Nina (November 15, 2019). "AJR announce 2020 North American tour". Consequence of Sound. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  16. ^ a b McEwen, Alex (April 13, 2021). "AJR announces OK Orchestra US Tour dates for 2022". Culturess. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  17. ^ Becker, Sarah (May 18, 2024). "AJR reveals shocking backstage footage in tour documentary series". AudioPhix. Retrieved May 20, 2024.
  18. ^ Mamo, Heran (September 1, 2020). "AJR Vacation in 'Bummerland' For Their Only Summer Plan in New Single & Video: Watch". Billboard. Retrieved April 30, 2024.
  19. ^ Pittman, Sarah (April 12, 2021). "AJR Announces Dates For 2022 Trek 'The OK Orchestra Tour'". Pollstar News. Retrieved June 10, 2024.
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