Hojean shows us that he cares at the Royale, Sept. 30, 2023
Graphic by Julia Norkus
By Lily Suckow Ziemer
I don’t usually go into shows expecting them to be one of the best of my life, but Hojean’s show at the Royale lived up to this. I’d never been to the Royale before this show and climbing up its giant, empty, steps made me question why I’d chosen to come to another concert alone. As I slowly merged into the crowd, my mind telling me to leave while anxiously texting my friends, I’d soon lose these worries.
Opener, Kevin Holliday, came out two minutes early. I’d never heard of him but I was pleasantly surprised by his talent. Holliday had smooth vocals and I was immediately looking him up on Spotify to listen to songs like “Expensive Taste” and “UH-HUH” after the show. His drummer, Jacques Smith Jr., had amazing stage presence, goading the audience on as they sang Holliday “Happy Birthday,” and drumming intricate fills to keep things interesting between songs.
Hojean didn’t wait long to take the stage after Holliday, immediately greeting the crowd and encouraging audience participation as he jumped into his first song, “You Ain’t Gotta.” He wore baggy pants, a sweatshirt and flannel which he described as looking “like a 1995 Gap advertisement.” The outfit was admittedly very cool and he even gave his hat to someone who called out asking to wear it.
Fan interaction became a theme through the night. Hojean was amazing at making the audience a part of the show. He interrupted himself in the middle of a song to speak to the crowd, waited at the merch table to meet fans after the show, and took multiple people’s outstretched phones (and at one point, a Nintendo DS) to film videos for fans. Between nearly every song he spoke casually, as if to friends, and the whole concert felt all the more enjoyable. Hojean even got into the emotions and deeper meanings behind songs, making it feel like the concert was sectioned between slower moods and songs that made you jump. He equipped each song with a clever lead-in: “this song is about someone not showing you care, so… I’m gonna show you that I care,” had the crowd cheering as “Show Me That You Care” began.
This concert was a testament to Hojean’s impeccable discography (literally, no skips). Each song was amazing, whether you knew the lyrics or not, though most of the crowd did. Hojean himself seemed surprised by this. No matter the song, I found a chorus of voices singing along just as happily as me. As the concert progressed and he began to play songs from his latest album, Cherie, released only eight days before the concert, he repeated that it was okay if we didn’t know the new songs. To his surprise, we did. The only time the crowd danced without singing along was when he introduced an unreleased song, asking what we thought of it.
Hojean’s vocals were incredibly spot on. Most of his songs feature falsetto, despite his naturally low speaking voice, and not only did he hit every note, he went on to improvise impressive riffs that truly demonstrated the reason you see live music. He made it easy to sing along (this definitely wasn’t an Alex Turner situation) while adding something you can’t get from recorded tracks.
As Hojean walked off stage the crowd immediately began to shout for “one more song!” Under the guise of “looking for his phone” he quickly came back out, accompanied by his band. With a brief huddle, they decided to play “Cherie” and “Lock Me In.” Before singing the first, he told the audience “If you guys wanna know who Cherie is, hit my dms.” The audience thoroughly enjoyed his newest title track and “Lock Me In” before the show actually ended.
Hojean succeeded in putting on one of the best shows I’ve been to with his humor, personability, and talent. I’m counting down the days until he comes back to Boston.