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The triumphant return of concerts to the Orange County Fair hit a slight bump yesterday when the power suddenly went out just one song into AJR's set.

Right after coming out on stage and performing "Just Hang Out," everything just went black. I was there, and thought for a minute that it might have been part of the set... until it was very clear that it wasn't.

But that wasn't going to stop the band. After a minute, lead singer Jack Met came back and announced they would continue the show acoustically, and that's just what they did. The whole crowd gathered around the stage and, without lighting or amplifiers or anything, the band led everyone in a rendition of their hit "Sober Up." It was an improvised intimate moment that helped save what could have been a disaster.

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And then, by the time the song ended, the power came back! AJR went back on stage and put on a great show. If you've never seen them live, definitely do it. There's a playfulness and an energy that they exude onstage that's just infectious.

(As a sidenote: Big Data also performed last night, and they were awesome. A very cool, very weird set and they turned me from a casual fan into a fan for life.)

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Bonus Video: WRRV Morning Grind

 

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