My arrival at the Greek Theatre to catch Mac DeMarco’s opening night of his world tour was anything but poised. Failing to research the venue’s parking logistics beforehand, I found myself gridlocked in a sea of traffic leading to the entrance for over 45 minutes. “$50 GENERAL PARKING,” the LED sign read. “Not in this economy,” I thought aloud. Making a U-turn and exiting the Griffith Park grounds, I scoured for parking and finally found luck on a hilly residential street—a whopping 20-minute walk from the amphitheater.
And so, walk I did, racing and pacing against the clock, regretfully aware that in all this time, I had missed the two opening acts. Clocking in at over 60 minutes of travel time, I accepted that this was truly—no pun intended—amateur hour. I made it to my seat just in time to catch Mac’s band setting up onstage. I sat wedged between a gaggle of high schoolers, the most prominent demographic of the evening, it seemed. It felt like a wholesome, full-circle moment, taking me back to when I first discovered Mac in high school years ago.
RELATED:
– FYF Fest 2013 Photos & Review with My Bloody Valentine, Les Savy Fav, Mac DeMarco
– Mac DeMarco rules Fonda Theatre with help from Holy Shit, Calvin Love, and Meatbodies
– Mac DeMarco brings pure joyful insanity to Teragram Ballroom
After a humble and brief introduction, Mac began his set with “Shining,” the opening track from his newly released LP, Guitar. Somber, wistful, and endearing, the song was enough to hush a crowd filled with teens, young adults, and the like. His voice, seemingly effortless, sounded as crisp as it does on the record, and blanketed the silhouette of the surrounding nature.
“Thank you so much, that was a new song, now we’re gonna do an old one,” he humbly transitioned. Switching gears to “For the First Time,” Mac ignited roars from the crowd, who’d been anxiously waiting to hear their all-time favorite songs by the musician. Making his way through his discography, the songsmith consciously wove a blend of both older favorites and tracks from the new album—“we’ve got our training wheels on here,” he exclaimed.
On “20191009 I Like Her,” Mac’s soft, stirring lyrics conveyed an unwavering certainty in a loved—or in this case, liked—one. Pivoting in tone to “Ode to Viceroy,” Mac picked up his guitar for the first time that evening: “I said I wouldn’t play this damn thing anymore, but look at me now.” This choice was understandable in retrospect—as his guitar felt less like a companion and more like a conversation.
Known for his playful and buoyant stage presence—featuring dance moves like marching in circles and waddling—Mac performed as if possessed by the freedom one feels alone in their bedroom, not in a 5,000-seater concert venue.
On “Still Beating,” the singer requested that fans shine their cellphone flashlights—“Classic rock-show style”—and the audience obeyed. The sight of the lit-up theatre accompanying the earnest track was truly mesmerizing. When “Freaking Out the Neighborhood” began, the entire crowd rose to their feet for the first time all evening, swaying and head-bopping to one of the songs they’d been patiently waiting for all night. Shifting in tone to “Heart To Heart,” the singer gestured for the audience to clap their hands during the chorus—a tad too aggressive an accompaniment, I thought, and more deserving of a collective snap, but far be it from me to question his judgment.
“Holy,” a personal favorite of mine, was the last song played from the new album. Anchored by an eerie, numbing tempo and laced with confessional, melancholy lyrics, it made for a standout performance. Keeping in this tone, Mac delivered a chilling performance of “On the Square,” prefacing it by saying, “Nobody cared about this song years ago when it came out, and nobody cares about it now, but my aunt Eva DeMarco up in Canada loves it”—that makes two of us.
@csamanthaaa Chamber of Reflection 🫶🏼 Mac Demarco at the Greek Theater !!! #macdemarco #greektheater #LA #fyp #concert ♬ original sound – Sammy
Following this, Mac graciously closed with fan favorites, “My Kind of Woman” and “Chamber of Reflection,” prompting the crowd to rise to their feet once again and sway in unison. Bittersweet contentment wore the faces of his fans as the show came to a close.
Despite my panicked start to the evening, I set off on the mile-long walk back to my car, brimming with sheer joy at having witnessed an artist I’ve long adored, whose music scored my reclusive teen years.
This post may contain affiliate links. Ads and affiliate links are how independent blogs like Grimy Goods can operate. Thank you for supporting our work and being a part of our music community.
Source link
1754469847-370x297.jpg)
