After a gorgeous evening last Saturday night, there was a stirring energy in the air outside Royale as CHON fans packed the venue’s floor sporting fresh new merch. Coming up on the end of their joint tour, CHON and DOMi & JD Beck treated Boston to an impressive night of complex neo-soul jazz fusion and math rock. Kicking things off, French keyboardist DOMi and Texan drummer JD Beck graced the stage with a bubbly energy, making silly sounds and laughing with the crowd. They played a mix of funky covers and original songs, all featuring fat polyrhythmic grooves and fast melodic riffs. And by the end of their set, the crowd was ecstatic, sharing their satisfaction with audible “ohs” and “wows.”

But the buzzing excitement in the air turned to a roar as CHON made their entrance, opening with “Bubble Dream” and “Story.” After leading off with songs from their 2019 self-titled album, the band played tracks from their previous records, as fans sang along to the melodies and “woo’d” during the musical breaks. CHON said their “goodbyes” and “thank yous” before coming back on stage to play “Can’t Wait,” followed by a final encore performance of “Perfect Pillow” after the crowd chanted for one more song.

See below for photos from the show (in order: CHON and DOMi & JD):