Photos and Review by Emma Redinger

 

On Sunday evening, a sold-out group of fans lined the entrance of Minneapolis’ State Theatre, taking photos with friends under the historic marquee. The anticipation of seeing Vance Joy on his In Our Own Sweet Time international tour was in full force. 

The Melbourne-born artist brought sunshine, warmth, and his ukelele along with him to the snowy city. For a moment, everyone at State Theatre was transported away from the cold and windy Midwestern weather; Joy’s setlist full of bright, harmonious songs had the entire room on their feet, despite it being a seated venue. 

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This tour featured Joy’s most recent album, In Our Own Sweet Time, which was written during the pandemic lockdown and explores the idea of finding love and hope amidst chaos. Joy kicked off the evening with “Missing Piece”, a heartfelt hit from the album. The setlist quickly mixed in several old fan favorites, such as “Mess is Mine”, “Saturday Sun”, and “Riptide”, but what really cultivated hype among fans was a cover of “Gimme! Gimme! Gimme! (A Man After Midnight)” by ABBA. During this song, the lighting became chromatic and vibrant. Suddenly everyone who wasn’t already standing got on their feet, and those who were dancing began dancing harder. There was a radiating sense of collective joy–all thanks to Joy. 

Joy’s rich vocals were backed by a brilliant band. Among the members was the fan-favorite trumpet player, Kelly O’Donohue, who fiercely nailed every note. Sam Woodbury joined on bass and guitar, Will Morrissey supported on saxophone and guitar, Dani Ivory provided backing vocals and piano, and Trent Bower kept it all in line on drums. 

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Smiles, tears, laughter, hand-holding, and dancing all became commonplace throughout the evening. There’s no question that Joy had captivated the audience and brought us along for the journey of his music. In an anecdote about his songwriting journey, Joy explained that he recently worked with a producer who was determined to get the “vibe right.” This new experience, which involved candles and a remote location, helped push Joy out of his songwriting comfort zone. Yet the resulting work still fits comfortably within the landscape of his celebrated discography. This felt like an ode to his music we know, love, and keep coming back to relearn and re-love, for different reasons each time. 

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It’s safe to say that Joy instilled a renewed sense of warmth in the crowd. As live music starts to find its way again, life looks a little brighter these days. In Our Own Sweet Time will certainly be on repeat for me, reminding me of a winter evening filled with joy.