Photos provided by Jeff Berger / 101.9 FM The Mix

Getting a chance to check out or compete in 101.9 FM The Mix’s “Eric In The Morning Grab Your Bags Tournament,” with all proceeds benefitting Lurie Children’s Hospital Of Chicago, would’ve been enough of a reason to pack the Parkway Bank Park, especially after the pandemic made it temporarily impossible.

But adding a post-competition performance by red hot rockers AJR easily put the event over the edge as the hottest ticket in town for donors, contest winners and faithful radio listeners since summer concerts finally started up again.

After famed morning host Eric Ferguson, a longtime staple of Chicago radio, crowned the champions and presented thousands of dollars’ worth of donations from a pot that continues to grow, the band of witty-bantering brothers took to the stage with their backers for a generous and engaging semi-acoustic set.

Though the concert was anchored around 2021’s lush and quirky “OK Orchestra,” marking amongst the earliest performances of “Bummerland, “Way Less Sad” and other newcomers in front of an actual audience, the almost hour-long show also touched on several prior tunes.

Whether it was a sunny cover of Smash Mouth’s “All Star,” their own “100 Bad Days,” “Burn The House Down” or “Weak,” AJR absolutely capped off the festivities with a “Bang,” all while offering their appreciation for the cause, the station’s ongoing support and fans who’ve followed them from the Taste Of Chicago to the House Of Blues and the Aragon Ballroom.

To illustrate just how far AJR has come in the last half-dozen years and what a massive score this was for The Mix, the group will be back at the humungous Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Tinley Park on June 3, 2022, which will exponentially open up additional chances to catch these electronically-infused hits with stadium-sized hooks come to life.

Those who didn’t make the “Eric In The Morning Grab Your Bags Tournament” but still want to lend a hand to Lurie can head over to The Mix’s website and socials, plus experience key flashbacks from both the blast of the competition and the epic opportunity to see AJR in such an exclusive setting.

For additional information on 101.9 FM The Mix, Lurie Children’s Hospital Of Chicago donations and AJR, visit WTMX.com, Donate.MyGift4Kids.org and AJRBrothers.com.

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