Reflecting on the Rise of Djo After a Sold-Out Hometown Show

Joe Keery, musically known as Djo, played an extremely sold-out show at Roadrunner last week to 3,500 fans, ready to hear his latest album, “The Crux,” performed live.

Although most may know Keery as the lovable Steve Harrington in Netflix’s “Stranger Things,” his current passion and ever-evolving artistry are coming from his music, loud and clear. Keery’s musical journey began in his early twenties, releasing tracks under the name “Cool Cool Cool,” and later on playing as a guitarist and drummer in psych-rock band Post Animal — which is supporting Keery on tour this year. He began releasing music under the moniker ‘Djo’ in 2019, starting with the self-released singles “Roddy” and “Chateau (Feel Alright)” before the birth of his debut album “Twenty Twenty” later that same year.

photos of Djo performing at Roadrunner — Photo Credit: Adriana Arguijo Gutierrez

Since then, Djo has introduced two more albums to the world: “Decide (2022)” and “The Crux (2025)” — each showcasing his attention to psychedelia, lyrical catharsis, and personal life lessons. Djo’s style has been compared to artists like Tame Impala and Ariel Pink, and yet a distinct ‘Joe’ sound is recognizable in much of his work: a hopeful timbre that isn’t afraid of dipping into nostalgia’s lessons here and there. The viral hit “End of Beginning” off his 2022 album is the full embodiment of that sound, which clearly resonated with people after soundtracking millions of videos on TikTok, becoming No. 1 on the TikTok Billboard Top 50 last year and amassing just over a billion Spotify streams.

One trip around the sun later, and Djo is performing these songs worldwide on the “Back on You World Tour” with Post Animal. The tour began in February in Australia and New Zealand, then moved on to U.S. dates in April and May, including a show in his home state of Massachusetts on May 2nd. Keery was born and raised in Newburyport, MA, so it wasn’t a complete surprise to hear him announce that his family attended the Boston show that night. Right before the start of the show, Djo shared a text conversation between himself and his dad on Instagram stories (@djotime), showing his dad’s encouragement to play “Egg,” a deeply personal track off his latest album, “The Crux,” which Djo performed live for the first time that night.

Boston fans experienced a special night of Djo’s charisma and talent, soaking in cathartic lyrics and dancing away their worries among plenty company.

Although Djo’s U.S. tour dates are coming to a close, you can catch him on “Another Bite Tour” with Post Animal, August through October 2025.

Setlist