Aly & AJ arrived recently arrived in DC for a show in support of their latest Tour, the Silver Deliverer Tour at The Anthem. A lot of major acts visiting DC play The Anthem nowadays, and this was the perfect setting for the dynamic show put on by Aly & AJ.
Amanda Shires, who is an outstanding vocalist and fiddle player, opened the show on Oct. 22. Amanda is currently opening shows for Aly & AJ in support of her latest release, Nobody’s Girl. Shires came out soaring on vocals and talked to the crowd after her first few songs about the importance of supporting women in music and relationships that may not be the best but moving forward. Shires played and sounded great during her set, with some amazing fiddle along the way. Shires was a great choice as opener for Aly & AJ.
After a 30-minute intermission, Aly & AJ came on. The stage set-up was very colorful, and the concert was a major production. They walked onto stage from both sides and after the third song, admitted playfully that they had drank a shot of tequila before taking stage. While not sure if helped or not, they were definitely fired up and remained throughout the show playing a very inspired concert for the several thousand fans in attendance.
Aly & AJ started the show with a great version of “Take Your Time”, which highlights the smooth mellow sound of the band — and it was one of my favorites from the evening. The set was filled with great songs, but others I really enjoyed were “Silver Deliverer” and “Lasso,” and the great vocals on “What It Feels Like.” The entire setlist was full of well-constructed songs of inspiration and very upbeat.
Watch the official music video for “What It Feels Like” by Aly & AJ on YouTube:
Aly & AJ were very talkative to the fans during the show. They were very thankful having Amanda Shires support them for the tour, even asking the fans to give up a great round of applause for her. Shires later came out and played two songs with Aly & AJ before departing the stage for the evening. Honestly, they all played so well together, another song or two together would have been nice!
However, arguably the most profound moment from the evening was when the band discussed the trauma they felt being involved in a mass shooting situation in 2022 in Sacramento. Their song “Sirens” was emotionally sung to highlight their stance against gun violence. They also asked the audience to donate to support the cause even if it was just $5. The band also auctioned off an opportunity for the chosen winner to come backstage for a meet and greet after the show.
Aly & AJ finished the show in great form with “PBS.” It was an excellent night of pop music of the highest caliber featuring the great vocals of the band, AJ’s great guitar, and the excellent band that supports Aly & AJ nightly. This band should be on your list of excellent modern bands to see. They perform with great precision and professionalism and leave the fans inspired at each part of the show.
Setlist:
1. Take Your Time
2. Silver Deliverer
3. Dandelions
4. What it Feels Like
5. Next to Nothing
6. Slow Dancing
7. Hold Out – No One
8. Blue Dress
9. Lasso
10. Chemicals React
11. With Love From
12. Sirens
13. Listen
14. Pretty Places
15. Don’t Need Nothing
16. Rush
17. Something More/ Out of the Blue
18. I Don’t Know What It Is
19. Last Town
20. Places to Run
21. PBS
Here are some photos of Aly & AJ performing live at The Anthem in DC on Oct. 22, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.
Here are some photos of Amanda Shires opening Aly & AJ at The Anthem in DC on Oct. 22, 2025. All pictures copyright and courtesy of James Todd Miller.
