On Tuesday, October 25th, 2022, Mt. Joy stepped onto the MGM Music Hall stage and was greeted by a chorus of cheering fans. Groovy lights flashed, creating a kaleidoscope of color that cut through thick fog spilling out from the stage. Without any formal introduction, lead singer Matt Quinn launched into the biggest hits from their latest album Orange Blood.
Mt. Joy quite literally started off with a bang; the energy in the room was palpable as they played “Lemon Tree” and “Evergreen.” The excitement continued to build as they switched up the vibes and performed “Sheep,” one of their earlier, more mellow songs. The voices of dedicated audience members enthusiastically singing along to every word echoed from the midst of the crowd.
Mt. Joy was originally formed in Philadelphia, PA, the hometown of the lead singer and guitarist. Having attended Northeastern University, frontman Matt Quinn repeatedly expressed his excitement to be back in Boston and underneath Fenway Park. The band has been around since 2016, and have since released three albums: Mt. Joy, Rearrange Us, and Orange Blood. The band has also been outspoken and involved in various forms of activism, such as donating all of their album profits from the first week of Rearrange Us towards Campaign Zero, a nonprofit dedicated to ending police violence.
The beauty of the band’s performance is from their ability to stay dynamic and experiment with new material, while staying timeless and keeping the audience engaged. The band kept the audience on their toes as they switched between covers such as “Fire on the Mountain” by the Grateful Dead and their original music. The crowd roared with excitement as pianist Jackie Miclau took control of the keyboard and dominated a piano solo in the middle of “Dirty Love.” Then, towards the end of the set, Matt Quinn led a shocking yet beautiful transition from his original song “Julia” straight into the bridge of Bill Whither’s “Ain’t no Sunshine.” It was apparent that this band’s recorded music is only a small glimpse into their musical prowess, as each and every song was embellished well beyond its studio version.
Between guitar solos and covers, the band was clearly having fun jamming out, and the audience eagerly fed off of their playfulness. Before playing one of their new hits, “Johnson Song,” Matt joked about the unintentional phallic humor in the chorus. Their opener, The Brook & The Bluff, along with the singer Ashe, proceeded to join them, filling the stage with musicians jumping around singing “Oh-la-la-la, Dance away ’cause a Johnson’s coming.”
After ending the official set with their most popular song on Spotify, “Silver Lining,” Matt Quinn and the rest of the band exited the stage to a sea of cheers and applause. They were not gone for long. They returned to the stage for an encore, performing three final songs: “Bathroom Light,” “Strangers,” and “Astrovan,” their first ever single, released in 2016.
Mt. Joy noted they were lucky to have The Brook & The Bluff as the opening act. Indeed, the opener shared Mt. Joy’s musical vibes. Their hit song “Halfway Up” captured a cool indie sound that could have been straight off of a Mt. Joy album.
MGM Music Hall Fenway recently opened in August 2022. From the outside, bright lights on a street corner beneath Fenway Park make for an obvious arrival. Inside, it feels both chic as well as comfortable. A mid-sized concert hall with a 5000 person capacity is perfect for a wide variety of artists, who want some more room than the House of Blues across the street but more intimate than TD Garden. While packed at the peak of Mt. Joy’s set, there was breathing room on the sides, and clear views even from the very back. The Brook & The Bluff were able to foster a great sense of intimacy in the space with their slightly smaller crowd.
Beyond their musical display, Mt. Joy’s lyrics are at once humorous, inspiring, and extraordinarily down-to-earth. The music is guitar-driven and frequently upbeat. The demographic of people at the concert, ranging widely in age, suggested that Mt. Joy, although a fairly young band, appeals to the masses with their unique indie rock sound. The fact they can cover the likes of Pink Floyd and The Grateful Dead with ease is testament to this flexibility, alongside My Joy’s clear modernity.
Mt. Joy’s Orange Blood US tour comes to an end this week, but hopefully they will be back with more soon enough.
Andrew Spielmann ’25 (andrewspielmann@college.harvard.edu) and Hannah Frazer ’25 (hannahfrazer@college.harvard.edu) learned how to take a photograph just for this show.