Joji: Smithereens Tour Recap

Joji brought the Smithereens Tour to the 713 Music Hall this past Wednesday with special guests Rei Brown and SavageRealm. The doors to the sold-out show promptly opened at 6:30 p.m, with SavageRealm taking the stage for the first set of the night – doing a great job at warming up the crowd with fun jokes and a freestyle set. Acting as his own DJ by playing tracks off and iPod Classic, the Houston-native capped off his set with the unreleased songs and “Gary Come Home” from SpongeBob Squarepants.

Up next was Rei Brown, who played tracks from his latest debut album Xeno, which included songs like “Thinking Bout You” featuring Joji himself. Rei Brown is known for their R&B/Pop tunes – a great leeway to Joji’s more melancholic sounds.

After Rei Brown left the stage, the fans who had been waiting in line for hours to get into the venue were packed in and ready for the headlining act, especially since Joji hadn’t performed in Houston since the 2018 88 Rising Tour at Smart Financial Centre. Joji took the stage and kicked the night off with “Sanctuary,” followed by “Yeah Right” and “will he.”

Throughout the night, Joji played a combination of songs from his first two albums, Ballads 1 and Nectar, as well as playing bits from his upcoming third album Smithereens. Proving that he has retained an air of comedy since he retired his YouTube career in 2017, Joji spent an entire song cruising the stage on an e-scooter, and having McDonald’s brought out to his riser halfway through the show. He ended his set with a rendition of his biggest hit “Slow Dancing in the Dark,” as well as his latest hit “Glimpse of Us” from his upcoming album.

Joji’s third album is set for release this November, embarking on the current tour to promote the release. If you get a chance, we recommend you to buy tickets to see Joji in a city near you.