Joe P has gained a lot of recognition with the release of his song “Off My Mind” in 2021. Posting clips of songs he is writing at the moment, performing songs he has already written and not released, and even revamping older songs from his band Deal Casino, Joe has gained an incredible amount of followers and attention in such a short amount of time. Before Joe P, I hadn’t really seen an artist grow so naturally on social media, especially on an app like TikTok. His songs are truly meant to be listened to, and I can say with confidence that I see Joe P continuing to grow and expand his audience to the extreme, as he deserves to.
When I saw that he was performing at The Drake, I knew there was no way that I was going to miss it. I would’ve honestly driven insanely far to see him and I feel incredibly privileged for him to perform so close to UMass. This venue was so small for someone I view as such a big artist that it felt surreal. My friends and I arrived about 30 minutes after the doors opened, and we were quite literally right against the stage. I even sat on it while waiting for his opening act to come out. He ran onto the stage right by us, just like any other person; however, when he got on the stage he was anything but.
I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again, small venues like The Drake are electrifying. Being surrounded by a small crowd all gathered together for a shared love of music is so intimate and dreamlike. This is especially true if it’s an artist you have loved for so long and never thought you would see. It was almost like it was a conversation between artist and audience, and the performance itself felt so much more genuine because of it. The interactions between him and the audience had so much more of an impact without the limitations of big stadiums and thousands of people screaming around you.
Joe P is a natural performer. The arrangement of his songs live created an energy in the room that was felt by everyone. The only way to describe it was that it felt like a proper concert experience. Although I would have been more than content to hear his songs exactly as they were recorded, there was something special the way he chose to perform live. His guitar skills were front and center, a gift that deserves to be highlighted. He looked as if he felt every note of the guitar while playing it, like it was part of him.
I wasn’t the only one who was having a good time. When Joe got to his last and most popular song, “Off My Mind,” the whole room was filled with people screaming the lyrics. It was a unifying few minutes and I would love to relive those moments. However, this was not the end of the concert as intended. The second he ran off stage, a chant of “ENCORE” echoed throughout the bar. Being a man of the people, he ran back to the stage without his band readying himself to perform once again. Someone from the crowd shouted the song “bangbangbang,” which is a song from his band Deal Casino. This unexpected surprise was amazing, and the fact that so many people from the audience knew the lyrics is telling of just how many people love his music. His concert was quite possibly one of the best concerts I’ve ever been to, and I can’t recommend it enough.
Can’t get enough of HC UMass Amherst? Be sure to follow us on Instagram, listen to us on Spotify, like us on Facebook, and read our latest Tweets!