Photos by Darrell Lloyd
Words by Casey Carlson
Before Joe Keery even played a note at the sold-out Palace Theatre in Saint Paul, the buzz in the room was undeniable. People showed up expecting a solid show, sure — but many, like me, weren’t prepared to walk away as full-blown fans of Djo, the musical moniker of the Stranger Things star.
Wearing a simple yellow zip-up, a hat pulled low, and carrying the kind of low-key charm that doesn’t need to announce itself, Keery stepped onstage and immediately set the tone: unpretentious, heartfelt, and dialed in. There’s no Hollywood polish here, no “actor-turned-musician” cringe. Just a guy who clearly loves making music — and happens to be damn good at it. If this whole acting thing doesn’t work out….
Like a lot of people, I had no idea that the breakout hit “End of Beginning” — a track with more than a billion Spotify streams — was even his. I was here mostly out of curiosity. But what started as “Hey, that’s Steve Harrington” turned into “Wait… this is actually beautiful.” By the end of the night, I was already digging through his back catalog.
Keery’s songs have this hazy, introspective quality. They drift, but never feel lost. Tracks like “Chateau (Feel Alright)” and “Charlie’s Garden” carried the crowd between a dream and a day trip, while “Basic Being Basic” — a standout from his latest album The Crux — hit with a bit more edge, a bit more muscle. People were locked in, eyes up, phones down, just soaking in the moment. That doesn’t happen much anymore.
Live, the songs breathe differently than they do on the records. “Figure You Out” stretched into an extended jam, and “Delete Ya” came across more playful, almost sarcastic, without losing any of its weight. There’s something refreshing about watching an artist play with their own material, not just replicate it.
But maybe the most joyful part of the night came when Keery reunited with his old band, Post Animal, who opened the show. Midway through the encore, the band returned to join him for a couple of songs — including the psychedelic closer “Flash Mountain.” It felt less like a guest spot and more like a celebration, like watching old friends slip effortlessly back into something that still fits.
That chemistry, that joy, that authenticity, runs through everything Djo does. Keery doesn’t lean on his fame to sell tickets. If anything, he seems to sidestep it entirely. And in a landscape full of crossover acts trying to convince us they’re more than their IMDb page, it’s striking how little convincing he actually needs to do. He’s not chasing a trend, or a brand, or trying to prove a point. He’s just making music he believes in, and inviting people to come along for the ride. After seeing him live, I’m all in.
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