Aly and AJ – House of Blues – Orlando (A PopEntertainment.com Concert Review)

Aly and AJ & Miya Folick – House of Blues – Orlando, FL – April 12, 2023

Seeing Aly and AJ perform in the new millennium was both amazing and nostalgic. Aly and AJ Michalka are sisters from Torrance, California who started their music careers when they were 13 and 15 years old, coming out with their first album titled Into the Rush, which featured well known songs “Rush” and “On The Ride.” Being a 90’s baby and growing up listening to them on Radio Disney and watching them on Disney Channel shows and movies like Cow Bells and Phil of the Future, you just have to know who they are, because how could you not?

During the show, the pop rock sister duo played the entirety of their newest album, With Love From, along with a few songs from previous albums, a touch of the beat… and We Don’t Stop. I didn't listen to their new album before attending the show, so my experience felt almost like a live album release party. Of course they also played the classics like “Potential Breakup Song” and “Like Whoa” from their album Insomniatic, along with a couple other songs from the early 2000’s that pretty much everyone knew considering everyone became very excited when they started singing it and they the audience was practically yelling the lyrics word for word.

They were energetic and lively on stage and interacted with the audience like we have all been the best of friends for decades. I loved it when they referenced being Disney kids and spoke about their older music since I'm sure most, if not all, of their fans know them from their Disney acting and music days.

The energy they had with each other on stage was touching and you could really tell how much love they have for each other and performing together. Before they started performing their song “Slow Dancing,” they mentioned the song being meant to slow dance to and told the audience to dance with whoever they came with or if they came alone and were comfortable, to ask for permission to dance with a stranger next to you. Seeing the whole venue either dance with who they came with or even sway on their own, while singing along was so beautiful and toward the end of the song, people started holding up their flashlights on their phones. It was such a beautiful moment of the show.

Their performance has opened me up to their newer music and I think that everyone should “Rush” and experience Aly & AJ live because you will not be disappointed.

Kai Lyan