Jump to content

OK Orchestra Tour

Add links
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
OK Orchestra Tour
Tour by AJR
Promotional poster for the tour
Location
  • Australia
  • Europe
  • North America
  • Oceania
Associated albumOK Orchestra
Start dateSeptember 7, 2021 (2021-09-07)
End dateOctober 20, 2022 (2022-10-20)
No. of shows71
Supporting acts
Attendance233,849[a]
350,000+[2]
Box office$9,820,167[b]
AJR concert chronology

The OK Orchestra Tour was the fifth concert tour by the American pop band AJR, supporting their fourth studio album, OK Orchestra (2021). It ran from September 7, 2021, to October 20, 2022, and covered 71 shows across four continents. The set list consisted primarily of songs from OK Orchestra, with a few numbers from the band's previous albums The Click (2017) and Neotheater (2019).

Background and development

[edit]
AJR performing "Bummerland" for the "We The People" virtual concert

Following news of the COVID-19 pandemic, AJR canceled the second leg of the Neotheater World Tour and the Everything Everywhere Tour in May 2020.[3] The band performed drive-in concerts and virtual shows as safe alternatives to the tours through to 2021.[4] AJR wrote their fourth album during this time, which released as OK Orchestra on March 26, 2021.[5] On March 31, the band stated plans to tour in 2022,[6] which was formally announced on April 11 as the OK Orchestra Tour.[7] Presale tickets were sold through Live Nation Entertainment beginning on April 13 via a text-provided access code, while general tickets became available on April 16.[8] With 32 shows across the United States, AJR additionally teased international dates in the same announcement.[9]

On July 11, the band announced a 2021 leg of the OK Orchestra Tour with 12 new dates and VIP packages for the entire tour, which from lowest to highest tier included exclusive merchandise, early entry, a group photo, a live master class and Q&A with Ryan Met, and a dodgeball or Pictionary game with the band. These tickets and packages became available on July 16.[10] The OK Orchestra Tour started on September 7 at The Sylvee in Madison, Wisconsin, with the first leg ending in October.[11] On September 13, AJR postponed the September 16 show at the Zoo Amphitheatre in Oklahoma City to June 7, 2022, due to an inability to enforce COVID-19 safety regulations.[12] The night before the band's September 23 concert at Palace Theatre in Albany, the show's changed its venue, instead taking place at Times Union Center.[13] Shows during the 2021 leg were opened by Daisy the Great and Sasha Alex Sloan.[14]

On September 18, 2021, AJR announced eight more dates in the United States for 2022,[15] additionally announcing 18 dates in Europe. Tickets for these shows became available on September 24.[16] On November 21, the band stated they would release new music before the 2022 leg.[17] On February 9, 2022, AJR released a music video for "Ordinaryish People" featuring Blue Man Group, who announced on the same day that they would join the OK Orchestra Tour for five dates.[18] The band later canceled their October 22 concert at the 1930 Moscow Concert hall in Moscow on February 25 due to the Russian invasion of Ukraine.[19] On March 31, tickets for five dates in Australia and New Zealand became available,[20] followed the next day by an additional date in Dublin.[21] On May 9, the tour's May 10 show at Riverbend Music Center in Cincinnati was rescheduled to May 17 due to heavy rainfall in the Ohio River bordering the flood stage.[22] Gayle was the tour's opening act from the start of the 2022 leg up to May 21,[23][24] while BoyWithUke opened shows from May 27 to June 24.[25] Dates in Australia and New Zealand were opened by Alexander 23,[26] and Ryan Mack supported the tour's European leg.[27]

Reception

[edit]

The tour received positive reviews from critics. Brittaney Penney of The Honey Pop praised the show's stage design with a walking treadmill and an interactive LED screen.[28] Dan Garcia hailed the performance of "Bang!" alongside a fireworks show and a story told by the band involving Elton John accidentally complimenting them.[29] Piet Levy of Milwaukee Journal Sentinel complimented Mitchell Schellenger's creative direction for the tour, highlighting the treadmill usage in "3 O'Clock Things" and a Blue Man Group-inspired segment for "Ordinaryish People" which involved the band drumming with digital paint effects behind them. Levy further lauded Ryan Met's solo performance of "Joe" with beatboxing provided by Kenny Urban, the breakdown of the production involved in "Weak", and "Burn the House Down" for its illusory effects where Jack throws various objects and himself through one screen and emerges from another.[30]

Raina Kutliroff of The Daily Illini admired touring trumpeter Arnetta Johnson for her energetic performance and dancing, particularly noting the trumpet interlude in which she played various songs not in the setlist. Kutliroff additionally commended the concert's narrative, surrounding a "Do Not Push" button that lead singer Jack Met later disclosed represented his struggles with obsessive–compulsive disorder before "an explosion of a grand finale" by pushing it.[31] Alex McEwen of Culturess noted that the tour's rescheduled show on June 7 in Oklahoma City differed greatly from other shows, with an absence of the "Do Not Push" button and an encore with "100 Bad Days" re-used from AJR's One Spectacular Night, altering the setlist.[32] This encore was additionally used in New Zealand, with Courtney Tabener of Ambient Light enjoying the show's lighting design and Jack's high-energy performance.[33]

The OK Orchestra Tour Doc

[edit]

Alongside the development of the tour, AJR released The OK Orchestra Tour Doc, a six-episode documentary series that was directed by Austin Roa and published to YouTube between October 24, 2021, and November 6, 2022. Episodes ranged 7–17 minutes in length and showcased rehearsals, fan interactions, concert highlights, backstage footage, and hardships with the tour.[34]

EpisodeDirected byOriginal release dateLength
(minutes)
1Austin RoaOctober 24, 2021 (2021-10-24)17:46
Between August 20 and August 28, 2021, AJR meets with their touring team to plan and rehearse stage acts, including for "Ordinaryish People" and "3 O'Clock Things". Once the tour begins, various fan interactions, performance snippets, and master class sessions from the 2021 leg are shown intermittently. The band celebrates the birthdays of touring drummer Chris Berry and concertgoers, later playing various ball games with their crew. On two dates, some personnel test positive for COVID-19, leading to everyone else being tested to ensure the show can still proceed.
2Austin RoaMay 14, 2022 (2022-05-14)10:11
AJR holds a rehearsal week for the tour's 2022 leg, discussing the visualizer for "I Won't", designing instruments, and practicing "Joe" with Kenny Urban. The band then interacts with fans as more performance snippets are shown. Shortly before the scheduled start time of the 2022 leg's first show, Adam and Ryan go on a scooter ride with Steve Greenberg and get lost with dead batteries, and are lectured by Jack and other personnel upon returning.
3Austin RoaMay 29, 2022 (2022-05-29)7:17
A thunderstorm before the tour's concert at Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion concerns AJR's ability to catch a plane to their next show, leading the team to discuss potentially cutting songs before receiving clearance to perform the full show. Further performance clips and fan interactions are shown, including a celebration of Keith's birthday and a dedication of "The Good Part" to a fan.
4Austin RoaJune 27, 2022 (2022-06-27)12:21
The band celebrates David's birthday. During a concert at Value City Arena, AJR performs "Bang!" without visuals due to a technical failure. Fan interactions and concert snippets are shown, including performances from Blue Man Group. Their dad attends the OK Orchestra Tour for the first time, and he commends their success. After various games, a flash flood warning goes into effect before the show at Red Hat Amphitheater, forcing a majority of visual effects to be removed to prevent equipment damage. AJR holds a ceremony celebrating Adam's graduation from University of Birmingham, and throws the ceremonial first pitch of a baseball game at Petco Park.
5Austin RoaSeptember 10, 2022 (2022-09-10)12:51
AJR ends the United States portion of their tour by fully shaving a crew member. In Australia, the band interacts with fans and performs a shoey, with additional concert highlights being played. They give a radio interview with KIIS 106.5 discussing "I'm Ready" alongside other singles, and later prank drummer Chris and tour personnel Rob and Ezra with fake shaves. AJR gives additional interviews with Sunrise, Nova FM, and ZM Radio before traveling to New Zealand, where the band jokes backstage and plays two more shows.
6Austin RoaNovember 6, 2022 (2022-11-06)8:45
The band performs the tour's European shows and interacts with fans. Adam begins taking naproxen after throwing his back out, as his consistent usage of advil rendered the medicine ineffective. The band rehearses a new routine for "Ordinaryish People" and works on new songs in their tour bus. Technical difficulties during the middle of a show briefly delay "Joe", and Ryan later breaks his glasses before the encore. Tour personnel record claps and stomps for a song and then play toy bowling. The series ends with the band driving in the rain.

Set list

[edit]

The following set lists are adapted from the show in Norfolk on September 19, 2021, and the show in Austin on April 29, 2022. It is not intended to represent all shows throughout the tour.

Tour dates

[edit]
List of 2021 concerts
Date (2021) City Country Venue Opening act Attendance[1] Revenue[1]
September 7 Madison United States The Sylvee Daisy the Great
Sasha Alex Sloan		 2,352 / 2,413 $140,938
September 8 Grand Rapids DeltaPlex Arena & Conference Center N/a N/a
September 12 Peoria Peoria Civic Center 2,986 / 6,059 $155,895
September 14 Des Moines Wells Fargo Arena N/a N/a
September 15 Wichita Hartman Arena
September 19 Norfolk Atlantic Union Bank Pavilion
September 23 Albany Palace Theatre
September 24 Portland Cross Insurance Arena
September 25 Wallingford Toyota Oakdale Theatre
September 28 Louisville Palace Theatre
October 1 Jacksonville Daily's Place 3,817 / 5,237 $168,183[35]
List of 2022 concerts
Date (2022) City Country Venue Opening act Attendance Revenue
April 28 Dallas United States Toyota Music Factory Gayle 8,036 / 8,228 $356,222
April 29 Austin Circuit of the Americas N/a N/a
April 30 Houston Cynthia Woods Mitchell Pavilion 7,560 / 16,087 $359,274
May 3 Orlando Addition Financial Arena 6,251 / 6,251 $363,689
May 4 Tampa MidFlorida Credit Union Amphitheatre N/a N/a
May 6 Atlanta Ameris Bank Amphitheatre
May 7 Raleigh Red Hat Amphitheater 5,609 / 5,800 $267,625
May 8 Charlotte PNC Music Pavilion N/a N/a
May 11 Cleveland Wolstein Center
May 13 Columbus Value City Arena 7,182 / 7,436 $405,855
May 14 Washington, D.C. Merriweather Post Pavilion 14,857 / 15,000 $491,065
May 15 Philadelphia TD Pavilion at the Mann 11,723 / 12,035 $490,245
May 17 Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center N/a N/a
May 18 Pittsburgh Petersen Events Center 6,286 / 8,025 $354,821
May 20 Mansfield Xfinity Center Gayle
Blue Man Group		 N/a N/a
May 21 New York City Forest Hills Stadium 11,328 / 12,650 $660,336
May 27 Detroit Pine Knob Music Theatre BoyWithUke 13,920 / 14,929 $451,889
May 28 Indianapolis Ruoff Music Center N/a N/a
May 29 Nashville Ascend Amphitheater 6,830 / 6,830 $253,611
May 31 St. Louis Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre N/a N/a
June 1 Kansas City Starlight Theatre 7,178 / 7,262 $334,486
June 3 Chicago Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre BoyWithUke
Blue Man Group		 N/a N/a
June 4 Milwaukee American Family Insurance Amphitheater BoyWithUke 10,802 / 23,410 $563,656
June 5 Minneapolis Minneapolis Armory 6,543 / 6,877 $315,649
June 7 Oklahoma City Oklahoma City Zoo and Botanical Garden 6,000 / 6,000 $264,707
June 8 Omaha Baxter Arena N/a N/a
June 10 Denver Fiddler's Green Amphitheatre 16,661 / 16,661 $624,947
June 11 Salt Lake City USANA Amphitheatre 19,416 / 20,097 $569,668
June 12 Boise Ford Idaho Center N/a N/a
June 14 Seattle White River Amphitheatre 8,850 / 9,326 $366,943
June 15 Portland RV Inn Style Resorts Amphitheater 6,852 / 7,413 $405,586
June 17 San Francisco Concord Pavilion 10,605 / 12,097 $354,713
June 19 Irvine FivePoint Amphitheatre BoyWithUke
Blue Man Group		 10,863 / 11,695 $345,912
June 21 Phoenix Ak-Chin Pavilion BoyWithUke N/a N/a
June 22 San Diego Petco Park
June 24 Las Vegas Cosmopolitan of Las Vegas BoyWithUke
Blue Man Group		 3,267 / 3,267 $165,284
June 26 Honolulu Neal S. Blaisdell Center N/a N/a N/a
August 19 Melbourne Australia Palais Theatre Alexander 23
August 21 Brisbane Fortitude Music Hall
August 23 Sydney Hordern Pavilion 3,257 / 5,550 $132,734
August 27 Auckland New Zealand Spark Arena 2,002 / 3,477 $81,071
August 28 Wellington Michael Fowler Centre N/a N/a
September 25 Dublin Ireland Olympia Theatre Ryan Mack 1,602 / 1,615 $43,950
September 26 1,613 / 1,613 $44,258
September 28 Glasgow Scotland O2 Academy Glasgow 2,243 / 2,550 $55,157
September 29 Manchester England O2 Apollo Manchester N/a N/a
October 1 London Brixton Academy
October 2 Birmingham O2 Academy Birmingham
October 4 Leeds O2 Academy Leeds
October 5 Nottingham Rock City
October 7 Southampton Southampton Guildhall
October 9 Paris France Le Trianon
October 11 Brussels Belgium Ancienne Belgique 1,506 / 1,935 $38,309
October 12 Cologne Germany E-Werk 1,891 / 2,000 $55,581
October 13 Tilburg Netherlands Poppodium 013 N/a N/a
October 14 Munich Germany Neue Theaterfabrik 1,400 / 1,400 $41,149
October 16 Zurich Switzerland X-Tra 995 / 1,840 $50,731
October 17 Milan Italy Alcatraz N/a N/a
October 19 Berlin Germany Huxley's Neue Welt 1,566 / 1,600 $46,028
October 20 Warsaw Poland Progresja N/a N/a

Cancelled dates

[edit]
List of cancelled concerts, showing date, city, country, venue and reason for cancellation
Date City Country Venue Reason
September 13, 2021 Oklahoma City United States Zoo Amphitheatre COVID-19 safety restrictions, rescheduled to June 2022
May 10, 2022 Cincinnati Riverbend Music Center Danger of flooding, rescheduled to one week later
October 22, 2022 Moscow Russia 1930 Moscow Concert Hall Russian invasion of Ukraine

Notes

[edit]
  1. ↑ Attendance over the reported 35 dates[1]
  2. ↑ Amount grossed over the reported 35 dates[1]

References

[edit]
  1. 1 2 3 4 "AJR - Tour History". Pollstar. Retrieved August 5, 2026. Closed access icon
  2. ↑ "Multi-platinum Chart-topping Band AJR First-ever Arena Tour Release the Maybe Man". Wells Fargo. November 10, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  3. ↑ Levy, Kayla (April 15, 2021). "AJR Choose Forest Hills As Their Only NYC Tour Stop In 2022". Patch Media. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  4. ↑ Kaufmann, Andy (May 24, 2021). "Q&A with AJR". Music Connection. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  5. ↑ Atkinson, Katie (January 19, 2021). "AJR on Following Top 10 Hit 'Bang!' With the 'Most Extreme' Album They've Ever Made". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  6. ↑ Ceballos, Celina (April 21, 2021). "AJR's new album "Ok Orchestra" breaks political and musical boundaries". The Current. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  7. ↑ Mims, Taylor (April 12, 2021). "AJR Announce 2022 'OK Orchestra' Tour". Billboard. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  8. ↑ Therrien, Alyssa (April 13, 2021). "Indie alternative band AJR to play White River Amphitheater Summer 2022". Daily Hive. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  9. ↑ Lew, Audrey (April 12, 2021). "News Flashes 04.12.21: AJR OK Orchestra Tour, Bebe Rexha & JinJoo at Wrestlemania, The 21st Black Reel Awards". idobi Radio. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  10. ↑ Goodwin, Victoria (July 12, 2021). "AJR add 2021 dates to The OK ORCHESTRA Tour". Melodic Magazine. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  11. ↑ Anthenelli, Matthew (July 12, 2021). "AJR × The OK Orchestra Tour". 360 Magazine. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  12. ↑ "AJR cancels 2021 Oklahoma tour stop at Zoo Amphitheatre, citing lack of COVID-19 precautions". KFOR-TV. September 14, 2021. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  13. ↑ Valerie (September 29, 2021). "A Reflection: Experiencing My Daughter's First Live Concert". WRRV. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  14. ↑ Pettitt, Taylor (September 8, 2021). "AJR's OK ORCHESTRA 2021 & 2022 Tour Dates". Concert Crap. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
  15. ↑ Hopkins, Earl (September 20, 2021). "Pop trio AJR adds Columbus concert to next year's North American tour". The Columbus Dispatch. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  16. ↑ Johnson, Laura (September 20, 2021). "AJR Line Up UK And Ireland Leg Of The OK Orchestra Tour For Autumn 2022". Stereoboard. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  17. ↑ Fisher, Kelly (November 22, 2021). "AJR Has New Music In The Works Ahead Of Tour 'Beyond Our Wildest Dreams'". iHeartRadio. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  18. ↑ News 3 Staff (February 17, 2022). "Blue Man Group to join pop band AJR on tour, star in trios new music video". KSNV. Retrieved July 23, 2025.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: numeric names: authors list (link)
  19. ↑ Aswad, Jem (February 25, 2022). "AJR Cancels Russian Tour Due to Ukraine Invasion — Will Others Follow?". Variety. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  20. ↑ Gallagher, Alex (April 14, 2022). "AJR Have Announced An Australian Tour For This August". Music Feeds. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  21. ↑ AJR [@AJRBrothers] (April 1, 2022). "Our 2nd Dublin show is on sale now" (Tweet). Retrieved July 23, 2025 – via Twitter.
  22. ↑ Moorwood, Victoria (May 9, 2022). "Riverbend Music Center reschedules AJR concert due to rising Ohio River level". The Cincinnati Enquirer. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  23. ↑ Pittman, Sarah (February 8, 2022). "From TikTok To Hard Tickets: The ABC's Of GAYLE's Success". Pollstar. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  24. ↑ Mims, Taylor (January 25, 2022). "GAYLE Extends Headlining Tour, Adds Dates With Tate McRae". Billboard. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  25. ↑ Vigil, Dom (February 8, 2022). "BoyWithUke Announces International Headline Tour". Prelude Press. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  26. ↑ Bleach, Thomas (August 29, 2022). "INTERVIEW: Alexander 23". Bleached. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  27. ↑ "Behind the music - Ryan Mack". RTÉ. February 15, 2023. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  28. ↑ Penney, Brittaney (May 13, 2022). "GAYLE + AJR: A Match Made In Live Show Heaven". The Honey Pop. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  29. ↑ Garcia, Dan (June 5, 2022). "5 reasons why you shouldn't have missed AJR's AmFam Amp show". OnMilwaukee. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  30. ↑ Levy, Piet (June 5, 2022). "AJR shows it's one of music's most imaginative live acts at Milwaukee's American Family Insurance Amphitheater". Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  31. ↑ Kutliroff, Raina (September 16, 2021). "AJR's tech stuns fans at OK Orchestra tour". The Daily Illini. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  32. ↑ McEwen, Alex (June 11, 2022). "AJR was A-OK in Oklahoma City: An OK Orchestra concert review". Culturess. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  33. ↑ Tabener, Courtney (August 28, 2022). "Concert Review: AJR, Auckland New Zealand, 2022". Ambient Light. Retrieved July 23, 2025.
  34. ↑ Becker, Sarah (May 18, 2024). "AJR reveals shocking backstage footage in tour documentary series". AudioPhix. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
  35. ↑ Pittman, Sarah (February 28, 2022). "Green Day, AJR & Louis Tomlinson Cancel Concerts In Response To Russian-Ukrainian War". Pollstar. Retrieved July 22, 2025.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=OK_Orchestra_Tour&oldid=1367803682"