A ‘Joy’ous occasion at Verizon Theatre

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Vance Joy performs at the Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie on May 3.

Angela Hargreaves, Journalism 1 Reporter

Australian singer, Vance Joy, released his second studio album, Nation of Two last November and performed May 3 at the Verizon Theatre at Grand Prairie, TX. His setlist included songs from his last album, Dream Your Life Away as well as from his most recent album.

Opening for him was indie pop group, Lovelytheband, whose high energy music got the audience ready to rock. Lead singer, Mitchy Collins, began the show by saying, “First I want everyone to stand up, this is a rock show!” Their setlist included songs such as Broken and These Are My Friends.

Following Lovelytheband was, of course, Vance Joy. His appearance made the crowd go wild. Verizon Theatre was the perfect setting for his intimate, personal performance. The audience consisted of a great number of couples enjoying Joy’s romantic and gentle vibe. Not only was his live performance exceptional, but his stage presence was extremely humble and down-to-earth.

The stage was decorated with neon lights and contour line drawings which match his latest album cover. Colorful beams of light swept across the stage and audience which correlated with each song that played. His performance of Fire and the Flood was accompanied by bright red and orange lights which enhanced the song.

Joy’s dialogue with the audience was charming, as expected, when he told the audience about the inspiration behind his song, Little Boy. At age 10, Joy “swerved [his] bike and lost control” and was brought to the hospital by a stranger. He lost a front tooth, which he said was replaced by an “extra large replacement tooth.”

The song was very touching, and included the lyric, “I’ll always be that little boy.” His very personal setlist and kind attitude made the concert quite a sentimental experience.

As a whole, Joy’s show was delightful. Anyone in the audience could see that Joy has great character and does not lack talent or drive. Fans will surely look forward to his next album and tour.

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