# Neotheater World Tour

The Neotheater World Tour was the fourth concert tour by the American pop band AJR, supporting their third studio album, Neotheater (2019). It ran from September 20, 2019, to January 21, 2020, and covered 41 shows across Europe and North America. The set list consisted primarily of songs from Neotheater, with a few numbers from the band's second album The Click (2017) and brief appearances from their debut studio album Living Room (2015). A second leg of the Neotheater World Tour with 21 more shows was canceled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

## Background and development

On March 10, 2019, AJR released a trailer for their third studio album, Neotheater, which would release on April 26. Shortly after this, the band announced the Neotheater World Tour on March 15, with tickets becoming available for sale on March 22. Band member Ryan Met stated in an interview with Atwood Magazine that the tour was conceptualized at the same time as the album, stating "we wanted it to be one whole cohesive piece of art". Two release shows prefaced the tour, with AJR performing at Bowery Ballroom in New York City on April 29 and Hoxton Hall in London on May 14.
The Neotheater World Tour started on September 20 at Harrah's Stir Cove in Council Bluffs, Iowa, remaining in the United States through November. In December, AJR traveled to Europe to perform in Russia, Poland, Germany, Belgium, France, the Netherlands, the United Kingdom, and Ireland. Shows on the tour were opened by Tessa Violet. On November 13, 2019, AJR announced a 2020 leg of the Neotheater World Tour, consisting of 21 dates in the United States and 4 dates in Canada throughout May and June. The leg was scheduled to feature Almost Monday as a supporting act.
On November 19, AJR postponed the final four November shows due to lead singer Jack Met having symptoms of strep throat. These shows were re-scheduled to dates in mid-January 2020 as part of the second leg, with tickets going on sale on November 22. Following the outbreak of COVID-19, all the shows in May and June 2020 were canceled alongside the band's Everything Everywhere Tour, which would've taken place in July and August 2020 with Quinn XCII, Hobo Johnson & the LoveMakers, and Ashe as supporting acts.

### Neotheater World Tour Doc

Alongside the development of the tour, AJR released Neotheater World Tour Doc, a five-episode documentary series that was directed by Austin Roa and published to YouTube between October 2, 2019, and January 6, 2020. Episodes ranged 7–14 minutes in length and showcased rehearsals, fan interactions, concert highlights, backstage footage, and hardships with the tour.
| Episode | Directed by | Original air date | Length (minutes) |
| 1 | Austin Roa | October 2, 2019 (2019-10-02) | 9:19 |
| AJR finalizes the tour's six-month development period through September 2019 with rehearsals, guiding a production team on visual effects for various sections of the show including "Bud Like You". Session and touring musician JJ Kirkpatrick gives a backstory on his career, and band member Adam Met campaigns at a climate strike in Omaha, Nebraska. ||||
| 2 | Austin Roa | October 17, 2019 (2019-10-17) | 14:27 |
| The band experiences technical difficulties with the video wall at Shrine Expo Hall, delaying the tour's second concert by over 23 minutes. They perform more shows from late September through early October, showcasing fan interactions and testimonials. Earlier rehearsals are shown for "Sober Up". AJR spends a day off kart racing and holds a ping-pong tournament with the backstage crew. During the tour's concert at the Great Saltair on October 3, a female fan faints, and the show is stopped for the duration of medical treatment. ||||
| 3 | Austin Roa | October 30, 2019 (2019-10-30) | 13:20 |
| Clips of the AJR's performances at Red Rocks Amphitheatre and Radio City Music Hall are highlighted, with the latter overviewing the concert's preparation. More fan interactions are shown, and the band holds a dodgeball tournament with the backstage crew. Jack sprains his ankle on-stage in Grand Rapids, Michigan, though the show is still performed as scheduled. ||||
| 4 | Austin Roa | December 4, 2019 (2019-12-04) | 11:47 |
| The episode begins with footage of AJR recording a new song, featuring whistles, claps, trumpet, and bass. This would later be released as "Bummerland" on August 31, 2020. At the Criterion in Oklahoma City, a technical failure delays the concert briefly. After more fan interactions and tour highlights are shown, the band goes to Walt Disney World. On November 19, Jack showed symptoms of strep throat, leading to the cancellation of the night's show at Shea's Performing Arts Center to prevent the singer from getting vocal cord nodules. After a hospital visit, Jack tests negative for strep and receives a recommendation to get imaging at a specialized facility. ||||
| 5 | Austin Roa | January 6, 2020 (2020-01-06) | 7:45 |
| In Europe, the band performs the tour's December shows and interacts with fans, later recording a video for a climate change campaign. A montage of Europe concert highlights is shown before a text monologue ending the series. ||||

## Set list

* "Next Up Forever"
* "Birthday Party"
* "Sober Up"
* "The Entertainment's Here"
* "Netflix Trip"
* "Break My Face"
* "Come Hang Out"
* "Weak"
* "Karma"
* Trumpet medley ("Three-Thirty" / "I'm Not Famous" / "No Grass Today" / "Pretender" / "Call My Dad" / "Growing Old on Bleecker Street" / "I'm Ready" / "Bud Like You" / "Let the Games Begin" / "Beats")
* "Turning Out Pt. ii" / "Turning Out"
* "Wow, I'm Not Crazy"
* How We Made / "Don't Throw Out My Legos"
* "Dear Winter"
* "Burn the House Down"

### Encore

* "Finale (Can't Wait To See What You Do Next)"
* "100 Bad Days"

## Tour dates

List of 2019 concerts :
| Date (2019) | City | Country | Venue |
| September 20 | Council Bluffs | United States | Harrah's Stir Cove |
| September 26 | Los Angeles | United States | Shrine Expo Hall |
| September 28 | San Francisco | United States | Bill Graham Civic Auditorium |
| September 30 | Seattle | United States | The Paramount Theatre |
| October 1 | Portland | United States | Theater of the Clouds |
| October 3 | Salt Lake City | United States | The Great Saltair |
| October 5 | Morrison | United States | Red Rocks Amphitheatre |
| October 10 | New York City | United States | Radio City Music Hall |
| October 16 | Detroit | United States | The Fillmore |
| October 18 | Columbus | United States | Express Live! Amphitheatre |
| October 19 | Indianapolis | United States | Indiana Farmers Coliseum |
| October 20 | Grand Rapids | United States | 20 Monroe Live |
| October 22 | Minneapolis | United States | Armory |
| October 23 | Madison | United States | The Sylvee |
| October 25 | Kansas City | United States | Uptown Theater |
| October 26 | St. Louis | United States | The Pageant |
| October 27 | Oklahoma City | United States | The Criterion |
| October 29 | Dallas | United States | Toyota Music Factory |
| October 30 | Austin | United States | ACL Live |
| October 31 | Houston | United States | Revention Music Center |
| November 6 | New Orleans | United States | The Fillmore |
| November 8 | Orlando | United States | Hard Rock Cafe |
| November 9 | Tampa | United States | Yuengling Center |
| November 12 | Atlanta | United States | Infinite Energy Center |
| November 14 | Philadelphia | United States | Metropolitan Opera House |
| November 15 | Philadelphia | United States | Metropolitan Opera House |
| November 16 | Boston | United States | Agganis Arena |
| December 1 | Moscow | Russia | 1930 Moscow |
| December 3 | Warsaw | Poland | Niebo |
| December 4 | Berlin | Germany | Kesselhaus in der Kulturbrauerei |
| December 6 | Antwerp | Belgium | Zappa |
| December 7 | Paris | France | La Maroquinerie |
| December 8 | Amsterdam | Netherlands | Melkweg |
| December 10 | London | United Kingdom | O2 Forum Kentish Town |
| December 12 | Glasgow | United Kingdom | SWG3 |
| December 13 | Dublin | Ireland | The Academy |
| December 14 | Manchester | United Kingdom | Manchester Academy |
List of 2020 concerts :
| Date (2020) | City | Country | Venue | Attendance | Revenue |
| January 17 | Chicago | United States | Aragon Ballroom | — | — |
| January 18 | Buffalo | United States | Shea's Performing Arts Center | — | — |
| January 20 | Washington, D.C. | United States | The Anthem | 6,000 | $213,099 |
| January 21 | Pittsburgh | United States | UPMC Events Center | — | — |

## Cancelled dates

List of cancelled concerts, showing date, city, country, venue and reason for cancellation :
| Date | City | Country | Venue | Reason |
| November 19, 2019 | Buffalo | United States | Shea's Performing Arts Center | Medical issues, re-scheduled to January 2020. |
| November 21, 2019 | Washington, D.C. | United States | The Anthem | Medical issues, re-scheduled to January 2020. |
| November 22, 2019 | Pittsburgh | United States | UPMC Events Center | Medical issues, re-scheduled to January 2020. |
| November 23, 2019 | Chicago | United States | Aragon Ballroom | Medical issues, re-scheduled to January 2020. |
| May 6, 2020 | Jacksonville | United States | Daily's Place | COVID-19 pandemic |
| May 8, 2020 | Charlotte | United States | Metro Credit Union Amphitheatre | COVID-19 pandemic |
| May 9, 2020 | Raleigh | United States | Red Hat Amphitheater | COVID-19 pandemic |
| May 10, 2020 | Charlottesville | United States | Sprint Pavilion | COVID-19 pandemic |
| May 12, 2020 | Syracuse | United States | Landmark Theater | COVID-19 pandemic |
| May 13, 2020 | Portland | United States | Cross Insurance Arena | COVID-19 pandemic |
| May 15, 2020 | Wallingford | United States | Toyota Oakdale Theatre | COVID-19 pandemic |
| May 16, 2020 | Providence | United States | Bold Point Pavilion | COVID-19 pandemic |
| May 19, 2020 | Louisville | United States | Iroquois Amphitheater | COVID-19 pandemic |
| May 20, 2020 | Cincinnati | United States | PNC Pavilion | COVID-19 pandemic |
| May 22, 2020 | Cleveland | United States | Jacob's Pavilion | COVID-19 pandemic |
| May 23, 2020 | Nashville | United States | Ascend Amphitheater | COVID-19 pandemic |
| May 24, 2020 | Birmingham | United States | Birmingham–Jefferson Convention Complex | COVID-19 pandemic |
| May 27, 2020 | Wichita | United States | Hartman Arena | COVID-19 pandemic |
| May 29, 2020 | Des Moines | United States | Water Works Park | COVID-19 pandemic |
| May 30, 2020 | Milwaukee | United States | BMO Harris Pavilion | COVID-19 pandemic |
| May 31, 2020 | Green Bay | United States | Resch Center | COVID-19 pandemic |
| June 2, 2020 | Winnipeg | Canada | Burton Cummings Theatre | COVID-19 pandemic |
| June 4, 2020 | Calgary | Canada | MacEwan Hall | COVID-19 pandemic |
| June 5, 2020 | Edmonton | Canada | Northern Alberta Jubilee Auditorium | COVID-19 pandemic |
| June 7, 2020 | Vancouver | Canada | Queen Elizabeth Theatre | COVID-19 pandemic |
| June 9, 2020 | Boise | United States | CenturyLink Arena | COVID-19 pandemic |
| June 11, 2020 | San Diego | United States | California Coast Credit Union | COVID-19 pandemic |
| June 12, 2020 | Las Vegas | United States | The Cosmopolitan | COVID-19 pandemic |
| June 13, 2020 | Phoenix | United States | Comerica Theater | COVID-19 pandemic |