Djo performs at the Outside Lands Music Festival on Saturday Aug. 9, 2026.
Djo performs at the Outside Lands Music Festival on Saturday Aug. 9, 2026.
When actor Joe Keery, aka Djo, trotted onto the Outside Lands stage on Saturday evening, he inspired a high-pitched howl from the crowd that made me think of what it must’ve been like to be at a Beatles concert in the 1960s. It wasn’t as deafening, but the fervor felt somehow different than your average rock star arrival — this was a celebrity. Fans were very, very excited, with a near headliner-sized crowd gathering at the Lands End stage before the sun set.
It’s likely you know Djo by the name Steve Harrington, his character in the uber-popular Netflix sci-fi series “Stranger Things.” His real name is Joseph David Keery, hence the Djo moniker (pronounced Joe). Keery began his music career with a project called Cool Cool Cool, of which only two songs remain online — one sounds a little like a lo-fi Interpol demo, the other like a bluesy version of fellow Outside Lands act Geese. He was a member of the band Post Animal, which formed in 2014, two years before his breakout in “Stranger Things.” So although this isn’t necessarily an example of an actor-turned-rock star, it’s near impossible to separate Djo from Steve Harrington, even if early in the band’s trajectory, Keery adopted a wig to try to mask his on-camera persona and boyish charms (which somehow still linger at age 34).
Fans react to Djo taking the stage at the Outside Lands Music Festival on Saturday Aug. 9, 2026.
Fans react to Djo taking the stage at the Outside Lands Music Festival on Saturday Aug. 9, 2026.
Djo performs at the Outside Lands Music Festival on Saturday Aug. 9, 2026.
Djo performs at the Outside Lands Music Festival on Saturday Aug. 9, 2026.
Leading up to the set, I dove into Djo’s catalog with an open mind. Like most millennials, I’ve binged my fair share of “Stranger Things,” and it’s hard not to have an affinity for Harrington’s heel-turned-hero story arc. As someone with a general distrust of musical side projects, I didn’t exactly expect to fall in love with Djo’s music. But in the week leading up to Outside Lands, I’ve got to admit that I did find myself humming “End of Beginning” to myself, his saccharine hit that’s clocked nearly 3 billion Spotify streams.
Wearing a bright red hoodie under a workwear vest, Keery looked every bit Steve Harrington as he entered the stage during a pulsing synth bass intro to “Awake.” The honied harmonies and minimal guitar work gelled together well, but I could hardly decipher a single lyric. Keery beamed into the crowd, playing hypeman between songs as he amped up the already very amped up crowd. The synth pop of “Change” evoked Toro y Moi, but with a vanilla polish that somehow took all the power out of the grooves.
Djo performs at the Outside Lands Music Festival on Saturday Aug. 9, 2026.
Djo performs at the Outside Lands Music Festival on Saturday Aug. 9, 2026.
Over the squelchy melodies of “Basic Being Basic,” Keery worked the length of the stage, his magnetism brimming up despite the paint-by-numbers hooks. “Lonesome Is a State of Mind” was a standout, a tidy slice of '60s-influenced pop that had fans in the front row erupting into a huge singalong. “Potion” doubled down on the '60s vibes, as Harrington — I mean, Keery — took to an acoustic guitar to channel the Kinks. At one point, Charli XCX appeared on the screens with a cheeky thank you video as an intro to the song’s “Charlie’s Garden."
It was around halfway through the set that I thought to myself that this Keery fellow seemed like a pretty cool dude. He removed his sweatshirt to show his button-down drenched in sweat, an impressive feat given the chilly temps. Here was a hardworking frontman. But the halfway mark was also where the set started to unravel.
Djo performs at the Outside Lands Music Festival on Saturday Aug. 9, 2026.
Djo performs at the Outside Lands Music Festival on Saturday Aug. 9, 2026.
His crowdwork was endearing, but most of his singing was impossible to understand. His backing musicians sounded bulletproof, but there was something ultimately hollow about the whole production. By the time Djo hit the hook on closer “End of Beginning,” I’d come to the realization that I don’t ever need to hear any of these songs again, which is about the most damning thing you can say about pop music.
Djo performs at the Outside Lands Music Festival on Saturday Aug. 9, 2026.
Djo performs at the Outside Lands Music Festival on Saturday Aug. 9, 2026.
I didn’t hate the set. It just felt like it lacked substance, and Keery’s natural charisma couldn’t save the music from coming off as algorithm fodder. The thousands of fans got what they came for, but for me there wasn’t a lot to like — except, of course, the charming actor behind it all.