Ahead of the release of the third and final record in the Philly Special Christmas trilogy, former Eagles center Jason Kelce and Philadelphia’s own Mt. Joy put on a surprise concert within the walls at Lincoln Financial Field.
With plenty of buzz already about the building as the Eagles prepared to face the division rival Washington Commanders, the excitement multiplied as fans began to learn of the impending concert that had only been announced to the public earlier that day.
Before the band took the stage, Matt Quinn, lead vocalist and rhythm guitarist for the group, sat down with Metro Philadelphia to discuss the pop-up concert, and the band’s work on the upcoming addition to the Philly Special Christmas trilogy.
How did the band’s involvement in this album come about?
I think Connor Barwin maybe reached out and asked if would be interested in in being a part of the record. And of course, I’d [heard] the first two and as an Eagles fan and a fan of the records, it was something we were super excited to be a part of. And yeah, just went down to the studio in Conshohocken that they were working on the record, and went down there listen to some of the songs. I think I was actually listening to Jordan Mailata sing, and I just randomly had this idea of, what if we did Astrovan, but it was Santa instead of Jesus. That’s kind of what got it going.
Producer Charlie Hall mentioned the excitement of the Astrovan pitch. What was that process like?
Between Charlie, Connor, Jason, they all have that perfect blend of creativity, and then I just approach everything with so much joy. I think, as soon as the idea was in, and I could tell that they thought it was good, they just started attacking it with other ideas and with the great energy that they all have, and just felt really good about it from from that point on.
For the public at least, the pop-up show came about suddenly. What went into the idea behind creating this experience for the fans?
Jason [Kelce] and Jordan [Phoenix]—Jordan’s the director of the music video— kind of had a vision of there being some sort of performance of the song. And there were a number of ideas that got thrown around. We eventually had to put our heads together, and I think the Eagles were super helpful, and helped us secure this space here at the stadium and the rest was history.
Do you have a favorite song off the latest Philly Special Christmas album?
I’m really excited to hear the song they did with Stevie Nicks. There’s another original song that is excellent that I’ve heard that I don’t want to say too much, because I don’t know if they’ve announced it yet, but that one’s going to really get get people excited as well.
Mt. Joy has a history of giving back. What does it mean to team up with a group like the Philly Specials who have donated over $4 million to charities and nonprofits benefitting children in and around Philly?
I think, like so many people, we have looked up to Jason [Kelce] and Connor [Barwin] and the things that they’ve done in the community. Obviously, winning the Super Bowl and the sports legend is one thing, but I do think that Jason and Connor have cemented their legacy in this town by being real pillars of the community and always going above and beyond, to give back to the city that loves them so much. So I think for us to be a part of that is an honor, honestly. So it just brings more joy to the project when you know that you’re doing it and you’re it’s ultimately going to help people, too.
Mt. Joy then would go on to take the stage at Lincoln Financial Field’s Pepsi Plaza, playing in front of a packed in crowd of fans attending the game. Playing some of their greatest hits including ‘Silver Lining,’ ‘Highway Queen,’ and ‘Let Loose,’ which led directly into a rendition of the Eagles’ fight song, ‘Fly Eagles Fly.’
The crowd’s excitement continued to build throughout and would crescendo as Jason Kelce made his way to the stage for the final performance of the night. Kelce joined the band for their signature joint performance ‘Santa Drives an Astrovan,’ which appears on the upcoming album and was released as a single following the concert. During the performance, Kelce tossed out gifts to fans left and right and even began signing jersey’s as fans threw them his way.
In what was a once in a lifetime treat for Eagles fans, the band’s new song had an undeniably successful debut.
To learn more about The Philly Specials or to preorder their latest album, ‘A Philly Special Christmas Party,’ visit phillyspecialchristmas.com
