Joyce Manor stopped in Boston on Saturday for not one, but two performances – first to connect with the community (alongside Nate Ruess and Sam Means of The Format), and again later that evening to celebrate the release of their seventh studio album, I Used to Go to This Bar. Their new album was released in late January on Epitaph Records, and the band is currently on tour with Militarie Gun, Teen Mortgage and Combat.
Joyce Manor’s career has ebbed and flowed over their 18-year tenure; even their past three Boston appearances have fluctuated between Roadrunner, Royale, and now the House of Blues. Regardless of the venue, Boston shows up and supports the band as if they weren’t from the opposite corner of the country. It’s hard to deny the tenacity of a band that writes the music they want to write, even seven albums later. Joyce Manor has had plenty of chances to sell out over the years, but they have proven time and time again that they don’t care about the fame, they just want to play their music to the people that enjoy it.
For some bands, it’s a tough pill to swallow to return to your earlier catalog – not Joyce Manor. Their eponymous debut LP is often heralded as a fan favorite, so the band continues to play the songs they know people want to hear. They came onto the stage with minimal fanfare and immediately ripped into the album opener, “I Know Where Mark Chen Lives,” before traveling right back to their first two albums with “Falling In Love Again” and “Beach Community.”
It’s hard not to notice the brevity of Joyce Manor’s songs, which lends itself to long setlists (on paper), but they truck right along in practice. Twenty-four songs may seem like a marathon set until you realize it’s only been 45 minutes! The band was able to play nearly every song from their new album plus 16 others from the rest of their discography – including a special live debut of “Angel in the Snow” from their 2016 album Cody, featuring a guest appearance from Nate Ruess, following their “Saturdays in the Park” event earlier in the day at Boston Common.
Joyce Manor continue their headlining tour across North America through May before joining Hot Mulligan on the road. The band will also be back in Nashua, NH on June 6th for a one-off show with Saturdays at Your Place and Koyo! Their new album, I Used to Go to This Bar, is out now on Epitaph Records.
Check out Cam’s photos from the show below.
