Many people know Joe Keery as “Steve” from Netflix’s “Stranger Things.” Many know him as his musical persona, Djo. DePaul students know that he’s a The Theatre School graduate, and they wear that as a point of pride.

This weekend, Djo took the T-Mobile mainstage at Lollapalooza — but performing two days later at the festival was his former band, Post Animal, which also features DePaul alumni. After a last-minute bow-out by Wunderhorse due to illness, Post Animal was called up to fill the spot just a few days before the performance.

Wesley Toledo and Jake Hirschland, Post Animal’s drummer and keyboardist/guitarist, graduated from DePaul in 2015 with major in acting and digital cinema, respectively. The DePaulia sat down with Hirschland and guitarist Matt Williams to chat about their experience at Lolla, in Chicago and as a band. The two are clearly close — they were giggly and often played off each other during the interview.

“I mean, it is a lot,” Williams said of the band’s last-minute scheduling. “It’s definitely a lot in a good way, but it’s like, it was not what we were expecting to do with the rest of our weekend. … You know, we were like, ‘oh, that really changes the plan.’”

Hirschland said the band practiced up until the set — that they used past setlists to help in the planning and shoot for songs the band already knew. 

One of those songs, and the opening song for their Lolla set, was “Caving In.” Hirschland and Williams, plus bassist Dalton Alice, guitarist Javi Reyes and drummer Wesley Toledo (the group takes turns singing lead), took the Tito’s stage Sunday with shouts of “Tito’s! Titoooooo’s!” and a lot of fog.

Post Animal’s sound is groovy and full — the crowd at Tito’s was bouncing, bobbing their heads and waving their arms. Vocals often involved harmonies. The group often gave off a nonchalant presence even when their music was not — Williams chewed gum and wore sunglasses while shredding his guitar solos.

Last Friday, July 25, Post Animal released “IRON,” their first album with original member Joe Keery in over seven years. Keery left the band in 2017 to focus on his acting in “Stranger Things,” and on Friday, played Lollapalooza’s T-Mobile stage with support in his band from members of Post Animal. 

Hirschland and Williams, though not on stage, attended and supported their bandmates from the sound booth.

Djo’s set involved a giant recreation of The Bean (or the Cloud Gate) in Chicago. Keery, bathed in green light, launched into “Gloom” off his album “Decide.” The song, with its driving bassline, riled up the packed crowd within seconds. 

“I don’t think I’ve ever seen this many people in my entire life!” Keery said during the set.

But he seemed totally comfortable on the giant stage. From lounging on the ground to taking over as cameraperson to jumping between instruments, he made the show feel much more intimate than a show that big might normally.

Djo’s set often felt like a jam session, with a long intro as band members joined the stage and long musical breaks to highlight each musician. 

Near the end of the set, the large screens at the stage showed a montage, featuring videos of Keery at a young age and during college (while at DePaul). Then the band played “End of Beginning,” Keery’s 2022 viral anthem and love letter to Chicago. Some DePaul students and Chicagoans found it emotional — there were more than a few tears shed in the crowd. 

Keery is not from Chicago, but his work, especially “End of Beginning,” and his time here are a prideful moment for Chicagoans, and it seems we’ve taken him in as one of our own.

DePaul rising sophomore Ainsley Robbins said she loves listening to Djo’s and Post Animal’s music because it feels intensely relatable to her.

“It makes it feel more real,” Robbins said. “Knowing that they went to the same school as I’m going to … I feel like I can actually relate to the experiences that these people are going through … because I’m going through it myself.”

On Thursday, July 31, Djo and Post Animal played an official Lollapalooza aftershow at the Salt Shed. Post Animal, which has been touring with Djo, opened for Keery’s group. Robbins attended. 

“(It was) awesome live,” Robbins said. “The crowd, too, was really so nice and good. At concerts where we’re on the floor, we’re all crowded, and we can still be nice to each other and talk to random people without being jerks, that’s just a refreshing thing.”

Hirschland and Williams said they loved returning to Chicago for a show.

“I was, like, kind of buzzing,” Hirschland said. “It’s nice … for us to play in Chicago — It’s been kind of a long time since we played a hometown gig. It felt like a double whammy. All these Djo shows have been exciting, but this was a little extra.”

Also, Hirschland and Williams would like the reader to know that their favorite cereals are Cinnamon Toast Crunch and something waffle-shaped, respectively.