ALY & AJ LIVE!! | RITZ
Coverage by Larissa Blankenship
March 3rd was a night filled with nostalgia and great music as Aly and AJ brought their Places to Run tour to The Ritz in Raleigh, NC. After an extended hiatus from the music scene the sister duo, Alyson “Aly” and Amanda Joy “AJ” Michalka, is back and better than ever. The pair began their music journey in 2005 with the release of their debut studio album Into the Rush. The album was met with praise and led to the release of two more albums, one in 2006 and another in 2007. The sisters also began their acting careers around this time, performing songs and acting in multiple Disney Channel projects; one of the most notable being Cow Belles which the pair starred in. The band later went on hiatus and the sisters explored other opportunities including acting in multiple movies and TV shows for ABC and The CW. Aly also got married during this time and later gave birth to her son in 2024. 2017 brought the pair back together with the release of their single “Take Me”, which was the lead single off their EP Ten Years. Since then then band has released three more albums, the most recent being Silver Deliverer in 2025.
The sisters walked on stage to a cheering crowd and performed the first song of the night, “Take Your Time”. The pair was having a great time, smiling at each other as they sang. The crowed appeared to be having even more fun, swaying to the music and singing the lyrics back to the sisters. Each singer took time throughout the night to speak on their experiences in the music industry and how thankful they were to the fans for continuing to show up for them over the years. Later in the night Aly spoke about how the pair survived a mass shooting at their Sacramento, CA concert in 2022. The singer explained how the experience led to the band working closely with Everytown, an organization focused on ending gun violence. The experience also led the pair to write their song “Sirens” which they then performed. The night continued with some of the band’s hits such as “Chemicals React” and “Rush”. During the last song, “Places to Run”, Aly borrowed a cowboy hat from a fan at the barricade, wearing it for the duration of the song.
The twenty-two-song set list spanned the pair’s entire discography and had something for every fan. The night closed with their iconic track “Potential Break Up Song” which had the crowd jumping. The duo will continue touring throughout the rest of this year and will be stopping in a number of cities throughout the country. Whether you have been a fan from the beginning or just recently discovered this powerhouse duo, an Aly and AJ concert will not disappoint.
