At 9pm sharp, to the east of San Francisco in the dry hilly lands of Concord, the AJR show came to life, and it was big. Big lights, big graphics on the screen before the brothers hit the stage, and then big personalities from the boys themselves. AJR are three formerly busking brothers who are filled with fun pop talent and want to share it with their fans after years of no recognition and working hard and never giving up. They took a moment to happily reflect on the amount of people in the crowd (12,500), they told personal stories between songs, and performed in general as if there wasn't a place they'd rather be than right there, right then. They brought the house down with their big hits, and played a new song that will be added to that hits list in no time judging from the crowd's reaction, which all made for a memorable live music evening from these three talented and humble-accomplished brothers.
BoyWithUke opened for AJR to a packed pit of fans of all ages. The masked 19-year-old TikTok sensation dived right in to a fun set that included hits "Toxic" and "Two Moons" and "Long Drive" and "Shy." And while it's difficult to hear a song called Toxic and not think of Britney - Britney's Toxic and BoyWithUke were born in the same year - BoyWithUke has his own style and fanbase and talent needed to allow him to claim the Toxic title for himself. His masked persona adds to his mystery and lets all of his young fans imagine themselves onstage, no matter what they look like, feeling like they too could be living the TikTok dream.