A shot of a man clad in an oversized camo shirt, black Nike joggers and a baseball cap blinks onto the screens of the Moody Center. As techno music begins, the figure whips around to reveal himself. Cameras follow as Japanese singer-songwriter Joji darts towards the stage entrance to greet the eager crowd. 

Joji began the Austin stop of his Pandemonium North American tour with “Sanctuary.” The crowd eased into the R&B music as the pit shone with turquoise light beaming from the stage. Joji encouraged everyone to put their hands up, unifying the crowd and setting the mood.

After two songs, Joji formally greeted his audience. Joji introduced his drummer, keyboardist and electric guitarist, who each played a solo to show off their skills. Additionally, rapper and DJ SavageRealm, whose solo included spamming the soundboard and his fondness for the ironic airhorn sound effect, joined Joji for the North American portion of the tour. Joji and SavageRealm spent the night riffing off each other during crowd work. 

The show started off with most of the audience’s energy in the pit, but, by the third song, everyone stood on their feet. Joji settled into a rhythm of singing fan favorites with interludes that included firing his t-shirt cannon, fielding a call from an AI-generated former president Obama and playing clips of someone lassoing a malfunctioning segue. Going from frenzied to impassioned in an instant, each transition added novelty to the performance.

Halfway through the show, Joji took a break from singing solo songs and gave the floor to Yebi Labs, Joji’s DJ group that debuted in 2022. The near 20-minute DJ set mixed songs such as “1AM FREESTYLE” and “Glimpse of Us” while memes, video game clips and fancams played on the screens.

Jumping into “Die For You,” Joji returned to his previous cadence until the encore. While shifting from angelic singing to boyish madness seemed unfitting to some, long time Joji fans recognized the haphazard energy from his satire YouTube channel, TVFilthyFrank. Though Joji moved from the content creator space to pursue music, the homage to his roots communicated that he remains the same person through it all.

Kicking off the encore, the first note of “SLOW DANCING IN THE DARK” sent a roar through the crowd. A mirrorball descended from the ceiling, scattering white light in every corner of the stadium. Backed only by a keyboard, Joji sang “Glimpse of Us,” the voices of audience members blending beautifully with the singer’s vocals and bringing the night to a harmonious close.