Photos by Cam Cavagnaro
Words By Abby Stanicek
On May 2, Joe Keery arrived in Boston, MA, for his first headline show in his home state. The Newburyport native is touring his recently released third album under the Djo moniker, The Crux. Fans of the singer rapidly sold out the show at Roadrunner, eager to hear his new album live and show him a warm Massachusetts welcome.
Opening the show was Chicago garage rockers Post Animal, with whom Keery played guitar and drums before being cast in Stranger Things. The band immediately filled every inch of Roadrunner with experimental guitar effects, unique synth moments, and booming drums. The rapid start of “Ralphie” sent a wave of excitement through the crowd, as it was recognized by many. The group further prepared the crowd for Djo’s set by bringing Keery out for their last three songs, reuniting the original Post Animal lineup. They played “Last Goodbye” together, the lead single on their new album, Iron, that Keery wrote and played on. Iron is out on July 25 and Post Animal will return to Boston for a headline show at the Sinclair on November 4.
Keery began his set in darkness, the only light being sporadic flashes programmed to the synth-forward start of “Runner.” Once Keery and his band were settled on stage, the lights were coordinated with strong guitar chords. Keery started in on the lyrics with a powerful chest voice and belted at the end of the track to create a dramatic transition to “Gloom.” The unmistakable bass line from bassist Trent Prall cut in just as the stage was bathed in green light. Keery appeared animated while articulating every lyric and interacting with the crowd. His undeniable stage presence made itself known early on and didn’t falter for the rest of the show.
Taking the all gas, no breaks approach, Keery and the band transitioned directly into “Link,” which prompted a burst of cheers from the crowd. Keery, guitarist Sam Jordan and multi-instrumentalist Javier Reyes came together to generate expansive sound on guitar throughout the track. The resounding finish caused Keery to end the song atop one of the speakers with his arms out to the crowd, taking in their energy.
Despite being a track from Djo’s new album, the crowd sang every word back to him from the first lyric of “Charlie’s Garden.” Keery’s Stranger Things co-star Charlie Heaton’s voicemail feature sent the crowd into a frenzy. It also prompted a fan nearby to explain the lore of how Heaton’s onscreen love affair with Natalia Dyer has crossed over into real life to their friend over the instrumental that follows the voicemail. Keyboardist Adam Thein executed an engaging organ part that contributed well to the light mood of the song. Prall also played an intricate bass part that alluded to the influence Paul McCartney and The Beatles’ discographies had on this track.
“Basic Being Basic”—the lead single off of The Crux—elicited deafening audience participation. Keery and his fans powered through the track’s wordy, fast-moving lyrics with unwavering energy. The strutting drum beat kept everyone on beat until the very last note, where the crowd screamed Keery’s “I’m not funny,” which abruptly ends the song. In response, Keery laughed and said “exactly” into the mic. Keery carried this amusing energy directly into “Fool,” where he dances and sings in an animated way that fits well with the song’s foolish context.
Keery and his band flowed into a jazzy, cymbal-heavy intro for “Figure You Out.” Prall’s bass line has even more of a punch to it than the studio version. Jordan and Reyes matched his audible prowess on guitar and locked in with each other by forming a triangle, facing one another. It became clear that extensive thought was put into the live arrangement of the song. The song met an epic end, with white spotlights gazing around the crowd, a rolling drum outro and a rapidly ascending synth part that ended on a high note.
Keery then performed a streak of songs from The Crux and started by surprising the crowd with the live debut of “Egg.” The track featured deep vocals from Keery, smooth Rhodes chords and Keery’s powerful tone at the end when he jumps up an octave. He then picked up an acoustic guitar for “Fly” and played a beautiful live rendition of the serene song. Taking advantage of the calm setting, Keery stepped back to take in his hometown crowd as phone flashlight “lighters” swayed back and forth. For “Delete Ya,” the stage became bathed in blue light and the crowd shrieked at the sound of the quick guitar riff that begins the song. Keery’s fans sang along as loudly as they could for this track, but the impressive instrumental effects exhibited by the band were still distinguishable.
Keery returned to his roots by performing two tracks from his debut album, Twenty Twenty. “Chateau (Feel Alright)” began with a rounded guitar sound and floating synths. Keery’s notable vocal range was once again featured through his effortless headvoice. Veering away from the studio version, the band ended with an instrumental jam that included a showstopping belt from Keery. For “Roddy,” Keery held on to his acoustic guitar to play the rhythm part and engaged in a smooth, sliding vocal tone that fit well with the song’s atmosphere.
Prior to playing his hit “End of Beginning,” Keery emphasized the importance of his hometown show and having so many family and friends present for his first headline show in Boston. Keery also informs the crowd that he and guitarist Jordan have been friends since high school and used to go to the Guitar Center in Danvers, MA, with their music teacher. As expected, the audience roars as the song begins with crisp synth and acoustic guitar. At the lyrics “Enter Caroline,” Keery gestures towards his sister Caroline in the audience.
“Gap Tooth Smile” carried a great groove to maintain the audience’s energy, which resulted in the loudest time a crowd of people has counted to the number 29. The synth and guitar parts effortlessly blend together where Keery sings “Freddie said it right, ‘cause she’s my killer queen,” referencing Queen’s frequent approach to instrumentals. The synthesizer presence continued into “Potion,” which featured orchestral synths and strong backing vocals from the band.
“Back On You” begins the encore by sending the audience to heaven with white lights and a choral start to the song. The angelic environment quickly dissipates with bass-forward drums and strong, fuzzy guitar. Keery enticed the entire crowd to clap along with him during the bridge, which led directly into the track’s major instrumental finish and created a wall of sound. The encore continued with “Flash Mountain,” which proved a brilliant choice to end the show. Post Animal joined Keery for the finale and band member Dalton Allison entered the stage with a disco helmet and megaphone to yell the lyrics into. By the song’s end, at least four guitars were being played and a party had ensued throughout Roadrunner. Fuzzy guitar and raucous drums powered through to the very end of the show.
Though no other city may match the energy of his first Boston headline show, you can still catch Keery on his Another Bite tour this fall or at an array of festivals this summer.
Check out all of Cam’s photos from the show below.
