“We’re here to take you back to your childhood and into the future.” Aly and AJ Michalka called out to the crowd kicking off a nostalgic night in Boston.
In shadow, a vintage radio scanned through static until it eventually tuned to a suspenseful hum.
With drumbeats and guitar shreds reserved for rockstars, the sister duo strolled on to the stage to assume their spots at their ribbon wrapped mic stands.
Surrounded by a set of beautifully painted and carved cliffside backdrops, Aly & AJ began performing a very apropos “Pretty Places.”
They continued with songs like “Listen!!!” and “Lost Cause” from their latest studio album, a touch of the beat gets you up on your feet gets you out and then into the sun.
This indie-pop project, is a display of their evolution as artists who began their music career 17 years ago.
As a nod back to where it all started, Aly & AJ played “No One.” The emotional song for those who are “imperfect” is not only moving in its message, but for the reasons the duo wrote it. They never had any idea of the impact that it would have, all their music was just “beautiful songs that we were writing for ourselves,” Aly shared. The acoustic guitar driven track led into “Promises,” the theme of their recent tour.
Unlike that previous tour, this venue was double the size and the sisters took advantage of the larger stage singing at all sides, and even from the drum platform.
Keeping with tradition, Aly and AJ dedicated a portion of their show to highlighting charities, one being the Trevor Project. Aly explained “we lift up the communities that we care deeply about.”
The crowd’s support also extended to AJ who opened up with a song very “near and dear to [her] heart” about trauma that she “can’t put into words.” Recognizing and supporting her vulnerability, the crowd intently listened to the song that she wrote, “to help me cope and get through the trauma.”
After a 16 song set, including a Tegan and Sara cover, Aly & AJ paused before a three song encore.
It wouldn’t be a true Aly & AJ concert without their 2007 breakup anthem “Potential Breakup Song,” which they closed the night out with.
Catch Aly & AJ on tour. Tickets here!
Amelia Cordischi, Founder and Editor-in-Chief of Juice Box Press, is an accomplished digital marketing professional with over a decade of experience in media and communications. Her work has been featured in notable publications, including The Boston Globe. A communications graduate of Simmons University in Boston, Amelia served as manager of Simmons College Radio (“The Shark”), where she also launched and co-hosted her radio show, The Find.
In addition to her editorial work, Amelia is an established freelance photographer, with bylines in Blended Magazine and CelebMix, capturing artists and cultural moments across the music and media landscape. Her career began at WCVB-TV’s Chronicle, the ABC affiliate in Boston, where she gained firsthand experience in broadcast journalism and storytelling.
When she’s not taking photos from the photo pit, interviewing emerging artists, or crafting the next Juice Box Press feature, Amelia can be found thrifting and exploring the world of sustainable fashion.