Joyce Manor Turns a Day Off Into a Sold-Out Night at Toad's Place
Two weeks before the end of the school year for Connecticut, Sunday evening at Toad's Place was filled with exactly the kind of crowd you'd expect. Angsty youth ready to begin their summer by getting their fill of midwest emo and post-hardcore.
While Hot Mulligan played Gov Ball in Queens, New York, Joyce Manor took their other tourmates, Saturdays At Your Place and Koyo, and headed an hour north to the historic New Haven venue. Only certain bands take a day off by booking more shows. And only certain bands sell out a nearly 1,000-cap room doing it.
KOYO
The evening kicked off with Long Island's own Koyo, who wasted no time filling the room with their energy. For a room that largely hadn't seen them live before, it didn't take long for them to win the crowd over. Frontman Joey Chiaramonte did an incredible job leading the charge and hyping up the crowd. At one point he threw the mic into the pit, letting the crowd sing while he kept screaming from the stage. The crowd surfers and mosh pit wasted no time starting things off. What a strong way to kick off the night.
SATURDAYS AT YOUR PLACE
Saturdays At Your Place brought a different energy to the stage. The Kalamazoo three-piece leaned more melodic coming off Koyo, but more melodic didn't mean the energy in the room dipped. For a trio, they brought a cohesive, full sound that filled Toad's. The crowd surfers never slowed down either. The band looked comfortable and completely in the zone. It was at this point you start to think it must have been an easy vote by these bands to take the extra show.
Drummer Gabe Wood did a phenomenal job carrying vocals while keeping the band on beat. Not an easy job at all. A highlight of their set was “what am i supposed to do?," which I wasted no time adding to my playlist after the show. They closed out their set with the crowd clapping to the beat as they played out the final notes of their set. So much for a day off!
JOYCE MANOR
I have collected a scientific sample and I am pretty sure it is impossible to leave a Joyce Manor show in a bad mood. And by scientific sample, this was my second time seeing them since they released I Used To Go To This Bar in January of this year, the first being another sold-out show at Brooklyn Paramount, a venue at least three times the size of Toad's.
Maybe it's the Southern California sunshine in their genuine smiles, but both shows were good vibes with a crowd that matches their energy beat for beat. The band made its way through twenty or so songs, covering both their latest hits and fan favorites. During “Constant Headache," frontman Barry Johnson handed the mic to an incoming crowd surfer, who didn't miss a single lyric. It was that kind of night, and the encore only confirmed it.
Cleverly disguised as “Wild Card?!" on the setlist taped to the stage, Joyce Manor called for crowd requests and just kept taking them, seven in total. By the fourth and fifth the band was laughing, fumbling through chords and lyrics before steering things back toward “Orange Julius" and “End of the Summer," closing out with their planned final song “Five Beer Plan."
I have been to well over 100 shows in the last couple of years. Not once did I see a band just enjoy the moment and take that many requests like it was a backyard party. A lot of legends and noteworthy bands have taken the stage at Toad’s over the last 50 years. Joyce Manor definitely proved they belong on that stage!
Keep scrolling for the full list of fan requests and a bonus gallery of crowd pics!
Next on their summer schedule, Joyce Manor will reunite with Hot Mulligan, as both bands and Saturdays At Your Place have official spots on the Washington D.C. stop of Warped Tour. Although it wouldn't surprise me if Koyo finds its way onto the card as a late addition. The tour will then continue through the Northeast and Midwest to wrap up a jam-packed June.
JOYCE MANOR SETLIST
Toad’s Place, New Haven, Connecticut (6/7/2026)
I Know Where Mark Chen Lives
Falling in Love Again
Beach Community
Heart Tattoo
Grey Guitar
Eighteen
I Used to Go to This Bar
Last You Heard of Me
NBTSA
Big Lie
The Opossum
Well, Don't It Seem Like You've Been Here Before?
Christmas Card
All My Friends Are So Depressed
House Warning Party
Schley
Constant Headache
Leather Jacket
Well, Whatever It Was
Catalina Fight Song
Encore / Fan Requests
The Jerk (fan request)
Derailed (fan request)
Did You Ever Know? (fan request, first verse only)
21st Dead Rats (fan request, first verse only)
Fighting Kangaroo (fan request, small portion played)
Orange Julius (fan request)
End of the Summer (fan request)
Five Beer Plan
If you spot yourself in the crowd, we want to hear from you! Let us know in the comments!
