By Molly Foster
Photo Credit: Spacey Jane
Joe P opened for Spacey Jane on October 20th, 2022 at the Waiting Room Lounge in Omaha, Nebraska. Joe P is an American singer-songwriter from New Jersey who first gained attention in 2020 with the release of his debut EP, Emily Can't Sing. The EP was praised for its honest and vulnerable lyrics, as well as Joe P's raw and emotional vocals. In 2021, Joe P released his sophomore EP, French Blonde. The EP continued to build on the success of his debut, and Joe P began to tour more extensively. Currently Joe P is working on his debut album, which is expected to be released in 2023. Space Jane
I went into the show knowing two or three Joe P songs but the second he started playing I wished I had known all of them. He played for around 30 minutes and put on a great show while doing so. Many artists come to Nebraska not knowing what to expect crowd-wise, and Joe mentioned that, as well as mentioning he was “surprised” and “in love with this crowd.” Nearly every person in the Waiting Room Lounge knew his music and was singing along to most of the songs. I had a hard time taking photos because it was so fun to just enjoy his show.
One of my favorite aspects of his performance was that he didn’t just play his set straight through with the recorded songs; he changed it up as he went, interacted with fans, did some sing-alongs, and changed pitches, tempos, and rhythms of some of his most popular songs: During Off My Mind, his most popular song with over 19 million streams on Spotify, rather than playing the original recorded version, he played it solo on his guitar at a much slower tempo. He went back to the original version about halfway through the song, at everyone’s favorite lyrics: “I still put my hand around the headrest in my Honda Accord.” The audience went wild in appreciation for his art and left knowing that Off My Mind is a fantastic car-jam song, but even better when you experience it live.
Joe P at Waiting Room Lounge Photo Credit: Molly Foster
Joe P had a great on-stage presence as well. He interacted with many fans during the show, asking them their favorite songs, taking their BeReals, and acknowledging that, although a small crowd, he was so appreciative to be there. Along with that, he was simply entertaining to watch. The chemistry between him, his bassist, and his drummer was insane. Anyone in the audience could tell they were having so much fun on stage and loved doing what they do. With his funky dance moves and crazy hair flips, especially during Leaves, the crowd was engaged in the show and having just as much fun as he was.
Leaves is another one of Joe P’s most popular songs, with over 5 million Spotify streams, and he played it third on his set. I appreciated the familiarity of his music so soon into his performance as the people that didn’t know him, which was few, immediately recognized the song and sang along the rest of the time. With just over a month left of his tour, Joe P will be traveling the rest of the Midwest and both coasts. You can find tickets on his website here and would highly recommend buying tickets to one of his upcoming shows. If you want to learn a few songs before, check out his Spotify so you can sing along with him.
*Updated 4.30.23*
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