Djo “Takes Control” in Philly: A Review

Joe Keery may be best known for his role in Stranger Things as Steve Harrington, but on stage as Djo (pronounced “Joe”), the Hawkins native is nowhere to be seen. What’s there, instead, is a genuine musical artist who fully controls his aural persona and brings his appreciation for music to life.

Djo graced Philadelphia with his presence on May 3, and two hours before doors opened saw a boa constrictor of bright outfits and glittered faces snaked around the block. Whether the fans were already sunburned for Steve or Djo, it was hard to differentiate, but one thing is for certain: Franklin Music Hall was choked from the inside out. Of course, this was if an elbow to the face and a runoff of people through the security detectors were anything to go by. Pressed against a supporting balcony beam, I could only spot the stage by timing my own careening head tilt opposite to that of everybody else.

After an opening performance by Post Animal, it was Djo’s turn to face the zealous crowd. Ditching his typical performance wig and sunglasses, Djo walked out to flashing lights, donning a black baseball cap, and first reminisced on his pop-synth album DECIDE—the predecessor to his most recent, Beatles-adjacent album The Crux—when opening with the first two tracks off of the former album. The audience immediately thrummed along to the driving, earworm bass that grounds “Gloom,” before diving into the opposite end of the ’70s.

A majority of the songs performed during the show were from The Crux, with only two songs not making the live cut. While this is no doubt a testament to Djo’s pride regarding his newest release, which is certainly warranted as it is an amazing record, any longtime fan would have appreciated more love shown to his earlier works. Of the whole setlist, only three songs originated from his debut album TWENTYTWENTY and five from the aforementioned DECIDE. Thus, a concert that was perhaps once incredibly synthesizer-heavy proved to lend itself more towards the whimsy of the Magical Mystery Tour with songs like “Lonesome Is A State of Mind” and “Charlie’s Garden” in the mix.

Nevertheless, this doesn’t at all subtract from Djo’s overall performance. A man of few spoken words in front of a mic, save for a couple of well-received jokes, Djo spends his stage time streamlining one song into another. There was never a lull in the music, as he continuously presented the audience with another tune to dance to. Songs such as the classic “Chateau (Feel Alright)” contained a special, longer cut of its instrumental interlude, and transitions from one song to the next mirrored a similar execution.

Not to mention, while each of Djo’s albums is a masterpiece in and of itself, every song sounds better live. Djo’s vocal improv makes each one a first-time listen, and the hypnotic stage lighting and booming speakers make what was once a one-sense experience into a multi-sensory excursion. Fans sang along to every word, whether it was the TikTok sensation “End of Beginning” or the lesser-known “Figure You Out.” Never once did the energy lower to a simmer from a rolling boil.

The end of the night came full circle with Post Animal returning to the stage for “Flash Mountain,” a guitar-heavy rock hit that leaves little to sing along to. Rather than screaming in tandem with Djo, the crowd was forced to revel in the music itself, perhaps reminding them why they were there in the first place.

If Djo’s studio albums weren’t evidence enough, his live show proved he’s not just a side project, but a musical force in his own right that should be regarded as such. Not chasing stardom and fame, Djo brings an undeterred and contagious passion for creating that hopefully permeates itself into the rest of the music industry. And as the crowd cleared the venue, the post-concert silence that followed only heightened the suspicion that we had the privilege of watching not Djo or Steve, but all facets of Joe Keery melding into one.

-Gabrielle Sangataldo

Photo: Djo performance, May 3, courtesy of the author