By Zach Goins
April 26, 2025
By the time the 25-second countdown clock flashed onto the screen at Skyla Credit Union Amphitheatre Friday night, the sun had already dipped below the Charlotte skyline. A light breeze drifted through, temperatures hovered in the low 70s, and a sold-out crowd buzzed with that unmistakable first-outdoor-show-of-the-season energy.
Friday marked stop three on Mt. Joy’s Hope We Have Fun Tour, and the indie folk rockers delivered just that: a night of groovy jams, gnarly guitar solos, and all-out fun.
Without an opening act, Mt. Joy went straight to business at 8:30 p.m., catching a few late arrivals off guard as they wandered in. Meanwhile, the lawn was packed and primed to rock. The stage setup was simple: a few overhead lasers, a screen displaying trippy, eclectic visuals, and a casual haze of smoke. No pyrotechnics, no over-the-top theatrics — just five musicians ready to remind Charlotte why outdoor concerts are so special.
They eased into the night with “Julia,” a smooth, groovy number that served as the perfect warm-up before kicking into the more rock-driven “Jenny Jenkins.” It didn’t take long for the band to find their stride — or for the jam sessions to start flowing. If you’ve listened to Mt. Joy on streaming platforms, their songs typically run three to four minutes in length. But live? You’re getting the extended edition every time. Solos, guitar face-offs, spontaneous riffs — nothing was rushed, and no one was complaining.
One of the night’s early standout moments came courtesy of two unreleased tracks from the band’s upcoming album Hope We Have Fun, out May 30. First was “Pink Lady,” a sprawling, playful groove complete with an electric piano solo that let Jackie Miclau absolutely shine. Then came “Lucy,” a heartfelt tribute to a friend of the band who lost a battle with brain cancer, with Matt Quinn delivering gut-punching lines like “I want to live like Lucy died” that hung heavy in the night air. If these two songs are any indication, Hope We Have Fun might be their most heartfelt and poignant album to date.
Part of the Mt. Joy experience is watching the songs evolve — stretching, bending, and sometimes going completely off script. “Johnson Song,” their goofiest track by design, morphed into a barn-burner by the end, culminating with bassist Michael Byrnes stepping into the pit to let fans literally slap the bass.
With Friday marking only their third night on the road, Mt. Joy’s setlist was still a work in progress — new songs like “Roly Poly” made their live debut, and the order shifted noticeably from the first two shows. The first set ended on a soft, intimate note, with Matt Quinn taking the stage solo for an acoustic rendition of “Cardinal,” offering the crowd a rare, reflective pause before the 20-minute intermission.
Set two delivered some of the night’s biggest highlights, igniting massive crowd singalongs with “Sheep,” “Lemon Tree,” and the tender, more affectionate “Bathroom Light.” Embracing the spirit of fun, the band also threw in a few covers with ABBA’s “Dancing Queen” and Wheatus’ “Teenage Dirtbag” — two beloved anthems that had the crowd dancing one moment and shouting every word the next.
Instead of saving all their classics for the encore, Mt. Joy closed out Set Two with a one-two punch of “Strangers” and “Silver Lining” — essentials for any true fan. But the night wasn’t over yet. When they returned for the encore, they continued a new tour tradition: covering a song tied to the city they’re playing in. In Charlottesville, it was the Rolling Stones’ “Sweet Virginia.” In Columbus, Gillian Welch’s “Look at Miss Ohio.”
And for Charlotte? After some playful teasing about maybe covering Good Charlotte, they went with a true Carolina staple: Old Crow Medicine Show’s “Wagon Wheel.” They closed out the night just as any true Mt. Joy fan would dream — with their debut single “Astrovan,” leaving the crowd drifting home, blissful and buzzing on pure good vibes.
Set One
“Julia”
“Jenny Jenkins”
“Orange Blood”
“Pink Lady” (unreleased)
“Lucy” (unreleased)
“I’m Your Wreck”
“Rearrange Us”
“Dirty Love”
“God Loves Weirdos”
“Johnson Song”
“Roly Poly”
“Cardinal”
Set Two
“Coyote”
“Lemon Tree”
“More More More”
“Sheep”
“Mt. Joy”
“Dancing Queen” (ABBA cover)
“Let Loose”
“Teenage Dirtbag” (Wheatus cover)
“Highway Queen”
“Bathroom Light”
“Strangers”
“Silver Lining”
Encore
“Wagon Wheel”
“Astrovan”
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