At TD Garden, Mt. Joy reach a new peak – The Boston Globe

SectionsEpaperSportsRed SoxPatriotsCelticsBruinsHigh SchoolsCollegesTV & RadioMetroWeatherPoliticsTransportationEducationCambervilleAround Mass.InvestigationsObituariesDeath NoticesGames & PuzzlesAlignCrosswordMini CrosswordKenKenSudokuWord FlowerBusinessTechnologyEconomyHousingReal EstateBiotechThe Fine PrintBold TypesPoliticsMoney, Power, InequalityClimateSpotlightOpinionIdeasColumns and Op-edsEditorialsLettersCartoonsSay More podcastNew HampshireBusinessPoliticsEducationCrimeHealthCommentaryRhode IslandThings to DoRhode Island PodcastRI Food & DiningPoliticsBusinessArtsCrimeWorldCOVIDGlobe MagazineMiss ConductDinner with CupidPerspectiveConnectionsLifestyleA Beautiful ResistanceFood & DiningComicsCrosswordGamesTravelPop CultureRelationshipsLove LettersThe Big DayReal EstateArtsBooksMoviesMusicTelevisionVisual ArtsPerforming ArtsCarsReal EstateEventsNews tipsSearch ePaperPodcasts email Created with Sketch. NewslettersMore

Print this Article

View CommentsePaperMetroWeatherPoliticsSportsBusinessPuzzlesRhode IslandGlobe MagazineOpinionHealthArtsLifestyleEducationCambervilleMoney, Power, InequalitySpotlightTechnologyClimateCarsReal EstateEventsAt TD Garden, Mt. Joy reach a new peak

Print this Article

View CommentsMt. Joy performed at TD Garden Saturday night.Brent GoldmanOf all the 2025 TD Garden headliners, Mt. Joy are the only rock band that’s less than a decade old. The L.A.-based five-piece has quietly beaten the odds against young, guitar-driven groups reaching arena status with a more traditional approach: writing memorable songs, then touring relentlessly. After Saturday night’s show at TD Garden — which followed major sets at this summer’s Newport Folk Festival and Green River Festival — there could be no doubt that these players belong in the big leagues.As sincere millennials putting a contemporary spin on vintage roots-rock influences, Mt. Joy occupy a crowded lane. What sets them apart from their peers is their focus on live musicianship – which, combined with their Grateful Dead fandom, suggests a certain kinship with the jam band world. And like a jam band, Mt. Joy broke their two-and-a-half-hour performance into two sets and a brief intermission.The first set was shorter and more focused, as the group tore through a dozen songs in less than an hour. The band’s new album “Hope We Have Fun” dropped in May, but the heart-bursting chorus of “Highway Queen” and the gently pretty “God Loves Weirdos” already sound like future setlist staples. Other early highlights included the good-humored “Johnson Song” and the sultry melancholy of “Orange Blood,” on which the rhythm section grooved with an ease rare among indie-folk acts.Matt Quinn served as a stellar lead singer, melodious and expressive without ever tipping into melodrama. While lead guitarist Sam Cooper’s fierce strumming steered several songs into climactic rave-ups, no instrumentalist stole the show more consistently than keyboardist Jackie Miclau. Her organ-style tone gave “Let Loose” that elusive classic rock feel, while the deliciously ostentatious piano intro to “Dirty Love” could have come straight from a Muse concert.AdvertisementMt. Joy brought their new album “Hope We Have Fun” to TD Garden Saturday night.Brent GoldmanMt. Joy came out swinging for the second set with the joyous rush of “Evergreen,” although they soon gave themselves permission to wander. The first set featured brief Madonna and Velvet Underground interpolations, but the night’s one true jam came when “Mt. Joy” (which, yes, appears on the album “Mt. Joy”) segued into “Reptilia” by The Strokes before becoming a Grateful Dead-style take on Buddy Holly’s “Not Fade Away,” complete with a drum solo.Quinn mostly kept the talking to a minimum, though a sweet speech about the friend whose struggle with cancer inspired the new song “Lucy” devolved into a vague ramble about the need for love despite “what’s happening in the US.” Earlier, the anguished refrain of the band’s 2017 song “Sheep” had wrung catharsis from similar concerns, although Mt. Joy’s most resonant lyrics tended to focus on self-discovery or romance. (Just ask the couple in the crowd who got engaged during “Bathroom Light,” which hilariously preceded a cover of the Wheatus song “Teenage Dirtbag.”)Like a jam band, Mt. Joy broke their two-and-a-half-hour performance into two sets with a brief intermission.Brent GoldmanAfter the second set, the band reconvened on a smaller stage in the middle of the floor for a stripped-down encore, concluding with their biggest hit, “Silver Lining.” Quinn wrote that song as a Northeastern University student, first recording it for the student-run label Green Line Records. Seeing an arena full of happy Bostonians join Quinn in his exhortation to “tell the ones you love, you love them” was a full circle moment that elevated an already satisfying concert into something truly special. AdvertisementMT. JOYAt TD Garden, Saturday.Here’s the setlist from Saturday night, according to setlist.fm. Keep checking back as the list continues to update.
Edit this setlist | More Mt. Joy setlistsFollow Us Subscribe NowDigital AccessHome DeliveryGift SubscriptionsMy AccountLog InManage My AccountCustomer ServiceDelivery IssuesFeedbackContactNews TipsHelp & FAQsStaff ListAdvertiseMoreNewslettersView the ePaperOrder Back IssuesNews in EducationSearch the ArchivesPrivacy PolicyYour Privacy ChoicesTerms of ServiceTerms of PurchaseCareer OpportunitiesInternship ProgramCo-op ProgramDo Not Sell My Personal InformationBoston Globe Media©2025 Boston Globe Media Partners, LLC
(function(){
var getClosest = function (elem, selector) {
for ( ; elem && elem !== document; elem = elem.parentNode ) {
if ( elem.matches( selector ) ) return elem;
}
return null;
};
var footerSocialLinks = document.querySelectorAll(‘[data-footer-onclick]’);

for (var i = 0; i < footerSocialLinks.length; i++) {
footerSocialLinks[i].addEventListener('click', function(event) {
const footerSocialLink = getClosest(event.target, '[data-footer-onclick]');