Joywave “Here To Perform…” live in Jersey City’s White Eagle Hall.
Here To Perform Tour | May 21, 2025 | Jersey City, NJ
Emily McCormack
Leaving the show with my friends, we asked ourselves: “Why doesn’t everyone love Joywave?”
Supporting their fifth studio album “Permanent Pleasure,” Rochester’s own Joywave embarked on their “Here To Perform…” tour in Spring 2025. They saved best for (second to) last on their stop in Jersey City, NJ.
The show opened with Little Image, an indie-pop trio from Dallas, Texas. From their 2023 album “SELF TITLED,” they performed their hit “OUT OF MY MIND,” and some of my newly found favorites in “BLUE” and “WORTH IT.” My favorite of their set was their unreleased track “KILL THE GHOST,” that strayed a bit from their usual indie vibe for more of a hardcore one, which I am totally here for!
Joywave opened their set with their alternative chart-topping single “Scared,” revealing the band in their blue sleepytime attire and the cat from their cover art displayed on stage!
Some people prefer to stay away from setlist spoilers, and I must admit I am not one of them. I love listening to the setlist on the way to the show and getting myself hyped up, but this also means I know when there is a change in plan! Unlike some other recent dates, NJ heard “Yellowish Sunbeam” replace “He’s Back!” both from "Permanent Pleasure.” At first, I was a little disappointed since the original song is one of my favorites from the record, but I’m glad the band got to do a little switch, and we got to hear a song not usually performed!
The show's real star took center stage the whole night: the cat, coming to life from the cover of “Permanent Pleasure.” Midway through the show, front man Daniel Armbruster asked, “Do you want to see him spin?” What a silly question, Daniel. Of course, we do. And for the rest of the show, spin he did! The little guy was available in little clay form for their vinyl pre-order in 2024, and I’m glad to have claimed a little cat of my own (I named him Influencer Daniel!).
I enjoyed how Joywave performed a great balance of their latest and earliest songs. They began with songs like “Buy American” from “Cleanse” (2022), “Obsession” and “Funny Thing About Opinions” from "Possession" (2020), to “It’s A Trip!” from “Content” (2017), “Somebody New” from their 2015 album “How Do You Feel Now?” – They even went back to their 2011 single “Traveling at the Speed of Light.”
Since this headline tour supports their latest album, it was no surprise that I would get to see some of their most recent songs live for the first time! It was a pleasure seeing songs like “Brain Damage,” “787 Dreamliner,” and their explicit track “Hate to Be a Bother” (so scandalous).
Of course, their setlist also included fan favorites like “Tongues” and their feature on Big Data’s “Dangerous.” Armbruster explained that their bassist, Kevin Mahoney, barely made it to the show on time due to many Uber driver cancellations… they had to face the possibility of playing the bass-heavy track without Mahoney!
New Jersey is significant to the New York band for one important event in their lore: Destruction x7. One of my favorite facts about this band that I share with anyone who wants to get to know them is their performance at the PNC Bank Arts Center in Holmdel, NJ, in 2018. On this night, the then-openers decided to play their hit “Destruction” not once, not twice, but seven times in a row. Receiving mixed reviews from the audience members, even hitting one with “Oh, you’ve heard this one before?” halfway through, performing their 2015 single multiple times is an ongoing bit in their setlist. Needless to say, I was extremely pleased to hear “Destruction” at the end of their set before Joywave appeared to leave the stage, returned, and played the track once more.
If you’re interested in attending a show with a band that radiates incredible energy at their shows and delivers a fair share of humor, sarcasm, and true talent, then a Joywave concert is for you. It would be a shame to live your life, never having seen them live and in person.
I have only one suggestion for their next tour… With the ongoing trend of bands performing albums in their entirety (Green Day, My Chemical Romance, etc.), I would strongly suggest a full album tour for the tenth anniversary of “SWISH” in 2026. New Jersey deserves it.
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