On September 26th & 27th indie-rock band Mt. Joy returned to the city of brotherly love to conclude their ‘Hope We Have Fun’ tour, which celebrates their newest LP of the same name. Hailing from just outside of Philadelphia proper, Mt. Joy oozes Philly pride and were welcomed back with open arms as they took over the city’s premiere amphitheater venue for two back to back nights. The band’s homecoming was more than just an evening onstage - the weekend’s festivities included pop up pre-show events where fans could socialize with the band, guest appearances by local Philly artists, including none other than the famed Phillie Phanatic, and even custom Mt. Joy x Wawa merch. (For those unfamiliar, Wawa is a gas station/convenient store chain on the East coast. It originated in the Philadelphia metropolitan area and is a cultural staple and source of local pride to this day.) The band even joined fans outside in The Mann’s expansive parking lot to tailgate and perform a few stripped-down acoustic songs before the show each night.

Made up of Matt Quinn (vocals, guitar), Sam Cooper (guitar), Jackie Miclau (keys, piano), Sotiris Eliopoulos (drums), and Michael Byrnes (bass), the five-piece band has been making music together out of Los Angeles since 2016. Mt. Joy’s music is a compelling fusion of indie-rock and contemporary folk, infused with hints of Americana and the occasional psychedelic flourish. Their work sits somewhere between intimate reflection and an open-air roadtrip sing-along, inviting listeners to join them on a journey that is both contemplative and celebratory.

Released in May of 2025, the band’s newest LP, “Hope We Have Fun,” explores the high, lows, and intimate moments of a life lived on the road, with Quinn’s soulful vocals floating over intricate, rootsy instrumentals. “The album is a realization that we pushed ourselves into this crazy world, sometimes for better and sometimes for worse,” Quinn says. “It's a lot about sticking together in relationships, living a crazy lifestyle and just kinda saying, ‘I hope we have fun.'" And have fun they did.

For these special homecoming shows, Mt. Joy abandoned the tradition of having an opener(s) for their performance and instead played two back to back sets joined by a brief intermission. Coming in at 24 tracks long, the evening successfully honored the newest album while offering a celebratory retrospective of the band’s entire discography, a fitting tribute to the band’s hometown. In place of the aforementioned opening acts, Mt. Joy brought out two Philly-based artists to join them on several songs throughout the night. Funk and soul band SNACKTIME took the stage for three songs - “Let Loose,” “Lucy,” and a cover of Bruce Springsteen’s “Dancing in the Dark,” during which they were also joined onstage by the iconic fuzzy green creature, the Phillie Phanatic, who is the official mascot for Philadelphia’s Major League Baseball team. Singer-songwriter Amos Lee accompanied the band for one of their biggest hits, “Astrovan.” Old and new fans alike were delighted by favorites like “Orange Blood,” “Highway Queen,” “God Loves Weirdos,” and “Bathroom Light” before bringing it home with the band’s most popular song off of their self-titled album, “Silver Lining.”

These two nights were a love letter from Mt. Joy to the city of Philadelphia. It’s clear that the band has so much love and admiration for the city where they got their start, and that sentiment was amplified through the venue as fans came together to cheer on their hometown heroes. The ‘Hope We Have Fun Tour’ seemed to overflow with a sense of joy and camaraderie, while still embracing the tumultuous nature of the time’s were living in and treating fans with care. As this chapter comes to a close we may not know what’s next for Mt. Joy, but one thing’s for sure - they will always be keeping Philly in mind.