Review: Mt. Joy at Merriweather Post Pavilion on Sept. 18
There was something special about hearing the opening lines to “Lemon Tree” under the domed amphitheater at Merriweather Post Pavilion. Though we were racing to our seats as the show started, the sunset behind us and Mt. Joy coming out in front of us made it hard to feel any stress. Under the deep violet sky, the crowd quickly settled into the music, and the worries of the day seemed to float out with chords, dissipating into the balmy evening.
Matt Quinn’s voice rang out across the pavilion, seamlessly moving between softer, more intimate moments and the louder, energetic parts of the set. Songs like “Bathroom Light” and “Orange Blood” moved the audience with their vulnerability, but were balanced by the “stomp-and-holler” energy of “Sheep” and “Jenny Jenkins.” Keyboardist Jackie Miclau had us all enamored with her energy as she performed a soulful solo around the show’s halfway mark. The band even included something for the reluctant parents dragged there by their kids, as they performed covers of “Mary Jane’s Last Dance” (Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers) and “Ain’t No Sunshine” (Bill Withers).
By the time they returned for the encore, the crowd seemed to be moving as one. Phone lights flickered across the lawn, and we watched as generations both past and present held on to each other through the last notes of “Silver Lining.” Mt. Joy has a way of making deeply personal music feel like a shared experience, turning songs about heartbreak, growing up, and getting too high into a moment thousands of people can share. Walking alongside the swarm of people leaving for the night, the feelings, and the music, lingered, leaving us with the remnants of a Joy-ous night.
Natalia Gonzalez-Chelala is a Sophomore in the SFS studying International Politics and English. She is from Texas, so she likes to put on Mt. Joy and pretend she lives somewhere mountainous.
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