On Feb. 8 in Downtown Indianapolis, the neon lights of the HI-FI’s marquee lit up the faces of excited fans as they stood in line mingling with each other.
Fans lined the block outside the venue in uncharacteristically warm February weather to see Ohio native, up-and-coming indie artist Knox, and opener maryjo, on his “I’m So Good at Being Alone” tour.
Some fans who were waiting in line had previously seen Knox open for Nightly and The Band Camino.
“We saw him in Columbus in the fall… During Nightly’s set, Knox came out and they played [“Miss When You Missed Me”] which was really fun,” said Hannah Geissinger. “It was his hometown show, basically, and so we were standing in front of one of his middle school best friends, which was so fun.”
This time, Knox was the headliner. In addition to this being his first headlining tour, this stop was his first show in Indianapolis.
maryjo opens for Knox
Fellow Ohio native maryjo opened for Knox, infusing the crowd with energy from the moment she stepped out.
The spirit she brought to the stage added soul to the songs that gave them a life of their own.
Starting with an unreleased song, the former American Idol contestant pumped up the audience with her raspy and powerful live vocals as well as her humorous rapport with the crowd.
During the second verse of her song “Drunk Tattoo,” maryjo asked the crowd to do the macarena along with her. While thanking Knox for asking her to open on this tour, she joked that “he heard I was going on tour and he was like… ‘Hey, maryjo can I close for you?’”
Among other songs on maryjo’s setlist were a cover of Paramore’s “Still Into You,” and her song “I Woke Up,” which had just been released earlier in the day.
Then, with cutouts of Squidward and Mr. Krabs from the HIFI’s green room propped up behind them, Knox and his band took the stage. At the beginning of Knox’s set, fans lined the stage to dance and sing along and continued tirelessly throughout the entire night.
Knox kicked off his set with 2023 hit “Love Letter,” a song that showcases what fans appreciate so much about his lyrics.
Knox sings passionately into the microphone
Siblings Tyler and Grace Hoffman praised Knox’s songwriting abilities and his play on words.
“I think that’s why I’m hooked on Knox so much, cause I usually don’t listen to music so much for lyrics… but his music kind of forces you to at least interact with them somehow cause they’re just so well thought-out,” Tyler said.
“And it’s like every time you listen to it you kinda hear something new,” Grace added.
Knox and his band brought such enthusiasm from the very start that guitarist townsend’s hat fell off during the first song. Knox played guitar himself off and on throughout the show, including an acoustic rendition of an unreleased song called “Me, Myself, and Your Eyes,” which came out in late February 2024.
Knox's guitarist townsend plays on stage
Knox navigated the transitions between songs with incredible skill for an artist who has only been performing live for a short time. The intimate 400-person venue allowed Knox to maintain a great rapport with the audience. After the third song, he gave a fan by the stage one of many beaded friendship bracelets he was wearing.
Knox and his band’s passion was more than matched by the audience, which he said “might be the loudest crowd that we’ve ever played for.” Throughout the show, the crowd was so lively that the floor shook.
“Thank you for making our first time so special,” Knox said while closing out the show.
Both Knox and maryjo’s music is available to stream on Spotify, Apple Music and YouTube.
Hanne Brandgard (she/her) is a junior journalism major minoring in interior design. She is the Culture Editor of The Campus Citizen. In her free time, she enjoys watching movies, baking, and meticulously curating playlists.
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