Concert Reviews

Dad jokes, an “Egg” debut, and an intimate night with friends and family on the Back on You tour? Stranger things have happened.

Newburyport native Djo returned to his home state for an eclectic, intimate show at Roadrunner in Boston on Friday night.

His musician alias is Djo, pronounced “Djo” (that’s a fan in-joke), but you may know him as Joe Keery, who plays America’s heartthrob Steve Harrington in “Stranger Things” and Gator Tillman in “Fargo.”

“This is a very special show. Maybe the most special show we’ve had yet. We’ve got many friends and family here,” Keery, 33, smiled to the crowd at the May 2 show. Wearing a Red Sox hat no less, things certainly felt close to home.

And special it was. Fans, for the first time, got to hear live “Egg,” a particularly vulnerable track off his newly released album, The Crux. Keery’s dad couldn’t resist a little egg joke. Ahead of the show, a text exchange shared to @djotime’s Instagram story, read: “I know you’re a little green on that one.I was hoping for your cover of Gasoline, myself, and so I guess my advice in case of whether or not to play them would be that if you try them back-to-back, you’d probably be the first band in history to play a green Egg and Haim.”

The joke earned an A+ and is worth including here, honestly.

Doors at Roadrunner in Brighton opened at 7 p.m., but by the time the opening act, psych-rock band Post Animal came out, the room was nearly completely full and equally hot. Keery was formerly a member and collaborates closely with Post Animal. Fans didn’t have to wait too long until 9:15 to see their headliner, though. Djo joined Post Animal onstage early for their new song, which he co-produced, “Last Goodbye.” Later, the band rejoined him for a funky and, of course, flashy encore performance of “Flash Mountain.”

Through synth-wave and electric guitar melodies, The Crux waxes and wanes on ideas of transience, self-reflection, and community. These were felt at different points during dance moves, phone flashlight waves, and reverberating basslines. For the most part, the act felt pretty kinetic, but at times felt a little start and stop between bops and ballads.

Did I mention the show was hot? Like, really hot. Water bottles were tossed backward in a sea of outstretched hands. Before continuing to play on “Chateau (Feel Alright),” Djo stopped the show to see that a fan received help, and well, felt alright.

Other moments also felt personal. During “Link” fans shouted along to lyrics “I just graduated, top of my class, furthest from last. So why do I feel so bad?” — many of them likely having just graduated themselves.

There was something healing about hearing a crowd sway and sing “Loneliness is A State of Mind” together, in not-so-lonely circumstances.

“Stranger Things” fans also heard the vocals of Charlie Heaton, who plays Johnathon Byers, on the song “Charlie’s Garden” which is an homage to their friendship.

Later, during “Gap Tooth Smile,” energy was high again as the crowd jumped and shouted, counting along from 1 through “29, 29, 29, 29.”

“Back on You,” a declaration of love, felt all the more intimate with family members in the audience: I’ve known my sisters for a lifetime, I count my lucky stars that I have them, ‘Cause everyday, they’re a lifeline. An inspiration just to be a better man, that’s the truth. Feeling grateful, at one point, Djo asked the audience to give it up for his twin sisters, who provided vocals on the album.

At the beginning of the end, or the end of the beginning, Keery reminisced back to his school days in Newburyport, Massachusetts, and gestured to Mr. Jordan, who used to drive him and his bandmate to a Guitar Center in Danvers. It was sweet. Watch the moment below.

Surrounded by his family, friends, and some of his closest collaborators in music, attendees got to see another version of Djo in Boston during, as he described, a very special night.

Setlist for Djo at Roadrunner Boston, May 2, 2025

• Intro/Runner
• Gloom
• Link
• Charlie’s Garden
• Basic Being Basic
• Fool
• Lonesome Is A State of Mind
• Figure you Out
• Egg
• Fly
• Delete Ya
• Chateau (Feel Alright) 
• Roddy
• End of Beginning
• Gapt Tooth Smile
• Potion

ENCORE:

• Back on You
• Flash Mountain with Post Animal

Source