BETHLEHEM, Pa. — An indie-pop trio who sold out the main stage at Bethlehem's Musikfest festival in 2023 will return to headline the 2026 festival, it was announced Monday.
AJR, a brother trio known for its hits "I'm Ready," "Weak," "Burn Down the House" and "Bang," will perform at 6 p.m. Aug. 9, ArtsQuest, the nonprofit that presents Musikfest, said.
Tickets go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Friday at the ArtsQuest website and the ArtsQuest Center box office at 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem.ArtsQuest release
Tickets go on sale to the public at 10 a.m. Friday, Dec. 19, at the ArtsQuest website and the ArtsQuest Center box office at 101 Founders Way, Bethlehem.
For its 43rd year, Musikfest will run July 31-Aug. 9. It has not been announced whether there will be a preview night on July 30.
The six headline acts announced by December are by far the earliest that so much of Musikfest's headliner lineup has been announced.
It means half the lineup will be available to buy as holiday gifts.
Previously announced headliners are former "Saturday Night Live" comedian John Mulaney on Aug. 1, soft-rockers Train for Aug. 3, iconic comedy musician Weird Al Yankovic on Aug. 4, fast-rising country music star Bailey Zimmerman on Aug. 6 and country music chart-topper Parker McCollum on Aug. 7.
AJR plays tonight, Dec. 15, at Philadelphia's Xfinity Mobile Arena as part of the Q102 Jingle Ball concert.
A decade of music
The three brothers, native New Yorkers, use the initials from their first names — Adam, Jack and Ryan Met (nee Metzger) — to call themselves AJR.
AJR released its debut album, "Living Room," in 2015, with its double-platinum hit "I'm Ready."
But it hit the charts in 2017 its platinum sophomore album, "The Click," and its triple-platinum hit "Weak" and the platinum follow-up "Sober Up" in 2017.
The group's most recent release was the EP "What No One's Thinking" in September. Its most recent single, "The Big Goodbye," also released in September, peaked at No. 27 on Billboard's Adult Pop Airplay chart.Billboard music charts
Its single "Burn Down the House" in 2018 went double platinum.
Its 2019 album "Neotheater" went to No. 1 on the Indie albums chart, and produced the platinum hit "100 Bad Days."
Its 2021 album "OK Orchestra," also hit No. 1 on the Indie albums chart and No. 10 on the overall albums chart and had sold gold status.
It produced the double-platinum hit "Bang," which gave the trio its first Top 10 overall hit, as well as the platinum hits "Way Less Said" and "World's Smallest Violin."
The group's most recent release was the EP "What No One's Thinking" in September.
Its most recent single, "The Big Goodbye," also released in September, peaked at No. 27 on Billboard's Adult Pop Airplay chart.
In addition to headlining Musikfest last year, AJR headlined Allentown Fair in 2021.
