This past Friday, Milwaukee was blessed with the performance of Mac DeMarco. DeMarco is a Canadian-born, multi-instrumentalist at the ripe age of 25. He’s best known for his solo work and recent album releases of “Salad Days” (2014) and “Another One” (2015.)
To label DeMarco as any one genre would be to pigeonhole him; you could line his songs up with new age bluegrass, jangly alt-pop, but in the end, he is an artist in his own way.
I made the mistake of showing up to the Riverside Theater a bit past 8 p.m., arriving to a sold out pit and bottom seating section. Being in the nosebleeds did not disappoint and the energy up there was as vibrant and enthusiastic as the rest of the house.
The crowd busted at the seams once DeMarco stepped on stage. After that, it was a wave of shrieks and cheers until he began strumming his guitar.
His opening song was “The Way You’d Love Her” from his most recent album “Another One.” People were immediately rocking their most contorted and free-spirited dance moves. DeMarco was swaying his body like an awkward Michael Cera, to say the least.
To follow one hit with another, DeMarco began to play “Salad Days,” something of a young-adult anthem and a real a crowd pleaser. Down below and on the balcony, fans were singing along to the infamous chorus, belting out, “Oh mama, actin’ like my life’s already over, Oh dear, act your age and try another year.”
Throughout the rest of his performance, fans playfully threw water bottels, t-shirts and more at DeMarco and he took it in stride, humorously shouting back and creating a bit of banter with his band mates.
To the security guard surprise, fans were jumping their way on stage to air-guitar along side DeMarco as well as crowd surfing to “Freaking Out the Neighborhood.”
Mac DeMarco’s show was a perfect combination of mellow and relatable love songs mixed with up beat, let’s-make-tonight-a-memorable-one, slippery hits.
After this show, I’ve recommended Mac DeMarco to more people than I have before seeing him preform live. He is an excellent performer with the liveliness and passion music lovers crave to see. I’m already anticipating the next time he’s in Wisconsin or even in a near-by state and I recommend readers to do the same.