‘Way up’ on Mt. Joy

Indie-rock band puts on unforgettable show

Pictured: Mt. Joy performing live at Fenway Park’s MGM Music Hall.  PHOTO CREDIT: Maddie Bataille | Photo Editor

10 months ago, I saw Mt. Joy live at the Strand in Providence. It was my first concert since the pandemic.

I remember I had reflected on the feeling of going back to live music after a few years. Oct. 25 I saw Mt. Joy at MGM Music Hall at Fenway Park. 

Standing on the general admission floor, I looked up behind me and saw how much larger this venue was. In a sea of people, who all love the same music as me, I thought about how much this band has grown over the past year. 

Putting aside my gatekeeping problem, to see one of your favorite bands, who you have listened to for years, finally grow and receive the recognition they deserve is an amazing feeling to have as a fan. 

Not only do I feel that I have watched Mt. Joy grow musically, and expand their fanbase, I have also seen that their presence and confidence in who they are as a band grow immensely. 

I don’t think they were ever not confident, however, I can see a difference in just shy of a year in how they present themselves on stage. 

Last year the band performed, they sounded great, however there was little to no interaction with the audience. 

This year, I feel like I got to really feel their gratitude for their fans, and I feel more connected to them as one of their fans. 

During the show they would pause to talk to the audience, and maybe explain a song a bit. One of my favorite times that they did this was introducing “Johnson Song.” Which is one of their songs from their newest album, “Orange Blood.” 

Lead singer and Guitarist, Matt Quinn, explained how when he had written this song, he wanted it to be very freeing and fun. When he had played it for one of their producers, he had asked Quinn if he was aware of the “dick joke” in the chorus. 

Not having realized, the band laughed it off but decided to really lean into it. 

To know the story behind this song makes it even better, and made me even more excited to hear it live. Then, they invited their opener The Brook and The Bluff up in addition to surprise guest Ashe. 

A fan of all three of these artists, this moment almost felt surreal. 

While Mt. Joy was touring their new album; they never failed to stick to their roots, as they opened the show with their self-titled song, “Mt. Joy.”

What I also enjoyed about this show is that they expanded their set lists to include some covers. Their covers included “Fire on the Mountain” by the Grateful Dead, and a mashup of their own song “Julia” with the songs “Crazy” and “Ain’t No Sunshine.” I think this shows some growth in the way the band can make music their own. 

Last year, their encore song was “Silver Lining,” my top song on Spotify Wrapped.  Personally it couldn’t have gone any better live. 

This time around, the band came out for an encore with three songs as opposed to one. The encore included “Strangers,” “Bathroom Light” and “Astrovan.” 

Singing the lyrics to the bridge of  “Astrovan,” was one of my favorite parts of the night. 

“Maybe you’re famous in heaven, maybe there is no heaven, maybe we’re all along together now,” ironically, felt like a religious experience. 

Truly, Mt. Joy never disappoints.