We Met Aly & AJ!

Updated: Dec 23, 2022

Monthly Adventures: May 2022

As I begin my final two courses before graduating this summer, I'm excited to introduce a new series to Kimi's Travel Thoughts! The series will be called Monthly Adventures and you will be able to find all monthly adventure posts under the "Monthly Adventures" category on the homepage. With the inclusion of this series, I will begin posting bi-weekly to my blog. You will soon see content each month for both the Monthly Adventures series and my standard blog content. The idea behind Monthly Adventures is to take a day or weekend to focus on myself and participate in an activity that is relaxing, adventurous, or brings me joy. I started doing this as my senior year of undergrad came to a close after attending a workshop. Unfortunately, that got put on hold once the pandemic came around about a year later. We're still in the pandemic at the time this series is starting, but it is reasonably safer than before to be out and about places. The important thing to remember is that local events, activities, and staycations can be just as fulfilling as traditional travel. I'm looking forward to getting back to doing my Monthly Adventures and I can't wait for you to read all about them!

Aly & AJ: A Touch of the Beat Tour

I finally got to live out a childhood dream of seeing Aly & AJ perform live in concert! Even better, I got to go with one of my best friends from college and we met them!

Backstory

Back in March, I decided I wanted to see Aly & AJ when I found out they would be performing in my area. I asked my friend if she would be interested in going with me. We both love Aly & AJ so much that we decided on VIP Paradise Package tickets. I got the tickets just in time because the show was sold out within a couple of weeks after I purchased our tickets!

Day of the Concert

Being that the show was on a Friday, my friend and I both had to work all day. We were both working from my apartment and at some point realized we really had no idea what time we needed to arrive for the show. I did some Google searching and sifted through Twitter and found that the VIP Paradise Package check-in time would be 4:45pm. I wouldn't even be finished with work until 4:30pm and we were hoping to get tacos from our favorite restaurant (Rosita's Al Pastor) just a block away from the concert venue. However, a couple of hours before the work day was set to end, I saw that there was a new update and the check-in time was delayed to 6:30pm. That worked out well for us because we could get ready for concert after work, drive to the other side of town where the venue is located, and get tacos before the show.

At the Concert

We arrived right at check-in time since we just had to drive one block over (the equivalent of a large parking lot). As we were parking, we noticed the crew rolling everything into the building and and that's when it clicked that the artists were delayed in getting to the venue –– which explains the change to the check-in time. The lines were overall well-organized and they handed us some of the items from our VIP package while we waited to enter the building. Those items included a laminate VIP lanyard and a signed 7" vinyl of Aly and AJ's "Pretty Places" (Remix). Once inside, we got lined up for our masked, socially distant meet and greet and I honestly would've been satisfied with that moment if nothing else came with the VIP package! We've been fans of Aly & AJ for nearly 2 decades and have truly, as Aly said, "grown up together". They were so sweet and they had a fantastic soundcheck for which they played "Pretty Places" for us.

Once it was showtime, we got to see The Brummies, an indie rock band, perform as the opening act for the tour. They were the perfect compliment to Aly & AJ and gave an amazing performance! The performed for about 40 minutes and quickly removed their instruments off the stage before heading to their merch table to help with sales and meet the concertgoers. We took a few moments to meet them after the show at the merch table and they were so kind! It's obvious that they just love having the opportunity to perform in front of a crowd whether anyone knows who they are or not, and they genuinely appreciate each new fan they gain.

Around the time of the changes between sets, we find out that some people we knew in college who were in the same student organization as us had been standing behind us the entire time! The power of Facebooks Stories helping people put the pieces together! Aly & AJ came on a few minutes later with a 22-song setlist. They performed a mix of old songs, new/current songs, and even performed an unreleased song! It was so fun to see their dynamic on stage as they performed. Aly appears to feed off the music itself whereas AJ feeds off the energy of the audience. Naturally, they are a well-balanced duo and it was cool to see them interact not just as a music group but also as sisters. Oh, and Mama Michalka was in the crowd and watching the show along with the rest of us! As you may have expected, they did end the show with "Potential Breakup Song", performing the explicit version that was released last year. That was such a fun closing to an incredible concert and I'm so glad I had the opportunity to go!