I saw Joji at Moda Center this past weekend and it was excellent.

Joji has been putting the work in and it showed. I believe he sang live and he sounded lovely. Primarily a baritone, I don’t think his voice has a lot of range, but he delivers and his live voice was a pleasant surprise.

The rest of him? I don’t know. I can’t tell if he’s lazy, doesn’t care, thinks he looks fine, or if he’s playing a caricture of himself – but his physical persona is lacking. He had a small stage for a moderate sized venue and he was…I don’t even know the word. Torn jeans, tour jersey, baseball cap, sunglasses, needed a haircut, needed a shave. Maybe that’s who he is? As Pink Guy, he was cute. As an adult, he’s handsome. I feel like he should cash in on that and add it to his show. On the other hand, his fans are a good 30 years younger than myself, so, maybe he’s playing into their aesthetic.

I’ve skipped seeing Joji because he hasn’t taken touring seriously. I don’t need a shitty hype man, I’m not interested in a DJ. If you’re touring stadiums, bring it and present yourself accordingly. And that is precisely what he and his band did. They played well and the drummer was especially fun to watch.

Despite a small stage, the visuals were astounding. Joji opened with Pixelated Kisses, a song I don’t care for, but the light show dialed me in. And for every single song, the lighting was fucking perfect. I was thoroughly encapsulated from start to finish.

And it’s always a delight to hear fans sing to their favorites and the crowd delivered on “Sanctuary,” “Glimpse of Us,” and “Die For You.”

I started out a Filthy Frank fan, appreciated Pink Guy and his horribly offensive rap, wanted more of the Chloe Burbank tracks, and found myself happily full circle with this most recent version of himself. I genuinely can’t say enough nice things about this show.