Encore, Emotions, and Egg Hats: DJO’s Unforgettable Irving Show

On what fans thought to be a cool October night, the Texas weather kicked into full heat this last Thursday as fans eagerly lined up as early as 9 am to see DJO’s Iviring performance. Once inside the venue, the crowd buzzed, waiting for the music to drown out all noises and excited chatter within the enclosed space. Within an hour of eagerly waiting and making friends with those around them, the opener, and Jo Keery’s original band, Post Animal, takes the stage. Cheers erupt as they kick off the set with a few oldies, before filtering their most popular song, ‘Setting Sun’ from their latest release, Iron. With blue lights encapsulating the stage and band, the photographers exit the pit, allowing fans to clearly see the artist in front of them and to see the sheer amount of fun and love Post Animal has for their music and shows.

After a short break, the anticipation starts to buzz once again throughout the crowd, as fans eagerly talk about who is about to be on stage in front of them. The lights dim, and from fans located at the left stage, they could see the glowing crimson lights and a silhouette of the artist they have been waiting for, DJO. The lights cut except for the ones pointed down at the stage, the crimson fog creating strong silhouettes as the band takes their places. There is a pause before they start their first song as rays of red light illuminate the singer, Jo Keery, as he plays ‘Awake.’ Throughout the whole set, Jo Keery was very attentive to fans, continuously pointing out egg hats, homemade signs, and even pausing to say ‘you can’t love me more than I love you’ after a fan shouted ‘I love you more’ during the silence between songs. As the night wore on, DJO had an excellent mix of both slow and fast-paced songs, taking fans through the emotional rollercoaster of his recent album ‘The Crux’ while still playing songs such as ‘Basic Being Basic’ and even ‘Gap Tooth Smile.’

After the upbeat song ‘Back on You,’ the band exits, bidding Toyota Music Factory goodnight. The lights come back, bringing fans back into the stark reality of being inside a venue, and a few of the crowd from the back of the pit start to clear. Although the majority of the crowd stays cemented in place as a chant starts, ‘Encore.’ The chant rings out for longer than usual, bidding the question of ‘will they come back?’ until suddenly Djo comes back out to end the night with high-energy fun. Starting the short two-song encore with the heart-wrenching and highly emotional song ‘Chateau.’ The emotions were quick to disperse, the song quickly over as he brought Post Animal back out for a headbanging final song, ‘Flash Mountain’. Throughout the final song, you could see the camaraderie that made ‘Flash Mountain’ feel more like a garage jam than simply just a performance; it was chaotic, heartfelt, and real.

In the final bow, there was no overdone theatrics, just a group of friends doing what they love and sharing it with Irving, Texas, a city that gave all of its love right back.