Jack Kays live at the 9:30 Club in Washington, DC review

It’s always magical to witness an artist perform in their hometown, and it gets even more electrifying when a rock musician finishes the last concert of a lengthy tour. Fans and friends of Jack Kays experienced this double dose of excitement as the Cincinnati native concluded the six-week North American leg of his “Washed Up Dried Out” tour at Washington’s 9:30 Club on Wednesday evening.

Under Kay’s energizing influence, the mosh pit expanded throughout the 90-minute performance. It started off as routine midweek mosh dancing, but by the end had morphed into a towering wave of crowd surfers, teetering on the brink of overpowering the dedicated staff trying to catch them when they neared the stage.

But like everyone leaving the show, no one was dropped, and all were smiling.

Jack Kays leaves the crowd at the 9:30 Club with lots of smiles

Last year, I was blown away by Kays’ debut full-length studio album, “DEADBEAT!“. Since then, his fan base has grown significantly. He’s got this unique blend of being a bit laid-back and edgy all at once, with an undeniable flair for the dramatic when he takes the stage with his four-piece pop-punk band. He dons a reversed baseball cap and starts off softly playing “Throwaway”, before ramping up the energy on “Get a Job”.

It seems like you’re suggesting I find a job, but I dislike the idea of working for someone named Bob, who I find difficult due to his behavior that I perceive as unjust.

The baseball cap sails into the spectators, uncovering Kay’s bald head, which I’ll tell you more about later.

The majority of the night is dedicated to the play of “DEADBEAT!”, a two-disc collection with a total of 17 tracks. This music offers an incredibly intimate glimpse into Kays’ aspirations, desires, frustrations, and remorse. Throughout, it maintains a melodic punk rhythm that starts off gently and sweetly before building up to an intense, energizing, foot-tapping strength.

At his last performance, Kays sported a “Drugs Suck” t-shirt. He structured his set into approximately three parts. The initial segment concludes with the poignant song titled “Plan B.” It starts off in a deeply emotional tone, reflecting on lost childhood aspirations, and gradually escalates to anthemic levels as it progresses.

Afterward, he sets aside his electric guitar for “Deadbeat!”, a fiery tune that symbolizes a slacker anthem, which he noted sparked a creative surge in his recent work. A few tracks later, he reveals one of his primary inspirations – the tragic overdose death of a childhood friend, alluded to in “Plan B”. “My Promise (90 Days)” is a heartfelt letter addressed to that very same friend.

Following his narration of friend Sam’s tale, he manages to elicit an astonishing moment of quiet from the boisterous audience, creating a chilling prelude for his acoustic performance. Like many of Kay’s contemplative pieces, it effortlessly transitions between tender acoustic passages and electrifying outbursts.

After that, it’s straight to an all-electric, continuous drive towards the finish line. This stretch featured his energizing “Caffeine” number and the unique rendition of Katy Perry’s “Hot n Cold” for the night. To perform this tune, he invited fans on the floor into the stage pit.

During his early performances, one traditional element that Kays incorporated was a unique stage act. Prior to performing “End of the Road (DC Version),” he would invite a spectator onto the stage for a haircut. As this tour was wrapping up, on a Wednesday night, he picked two enthusiastic fans, Jay and Marco, to participate in this amusing activity. The task assigned to them was to shave each other’s heads before the band completed playing the quick and brief song. Interestingly enough, Marco had quite a lot of hair.

Although they hadn’t completed it initially, Kay graciously repeated the song for Jay and Marco. As a result, the two freshly shaved enthusiasts rode the wave of people back towards the crowd.

Kays made a single appearance for an encore, performing solo. The song “Morbid Mind” from his 2021 EP titled “Mixed Emotions” was the number that initially caught Blink 182 drummer Travis Barker’s eye, contributing significantly to the rise of the young punk artist-composer in 2021.

In simpler terms, the show reflected Kay’s style perfectly. It was melodious and heartfelt, blending feelings of optimism and despair. Meanwhile, the rest of the band danced delightfully while the audience sang along to every lyric, creating a lively scene behind the singer.

Kay concluded with a succinct, pointed political statement that strikes a chord in Washington, D.C., at this specific moment. With one last enthusiastic response from the crowd, Jack Kay left for the first time in six weeks to rest in his own bedroom.

Kays now has a little time off before traveling to Europe for two weeks at the beginning of May.

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2025-03-20 17:00