The morning before Mac DeMarco’s much anticipated sold out show at the Middle East on Monday night, pill I took a break from the overwhelming excitement and had a strange thought- this is probably the last time anyone’s gonna pay 13 bucks for one of his tickets. The whole Allston Pudding crew was giddy and excited as we piled onto the 70 towards Central Square; not entirely prepared for the very strange experience that we were walking into.
Vundabar got the night started and of course they rocked it. Every time we see them live, sale they seem to have even more energy than the last time, not to mention how irresistible their songs are (I dare you to even TRY not to dance during one of their sets.) It was exciting not only to see a bold group of Boston dudes opening for a big name like Mac, but also see them so well received. Juan Wauters was next. The audience was all riled up from Vundabar and unfortunately people didn’t seem so interested in listening to an acoustic set. Their loss, because Wauters brought some primo material to the table, including a very intricate light set up and flag décor. DeMarco was clearly trying to watch his set at one point but retreated backstage after the crowd started loudly calling out to him and ignoring the artist on stage. Wauters was joined for a lot of his set by the very talented Carmelle Safdie, who spiced his set up with some very strong vocals and triangle playing. We got through Amen Dunes’ dense set without dying of Mac anticipation and then it was time.
The audience was a sea of dudes who were very clearly trying to dress like Mac- there wouldn’t be a safe spot on the floor for anyone who was allergic to baseball caps. Personally I feel a little ignorant- this was my first time seeing him live, and my experience with DeMarco’s music has often been the slow, stoned Sunday mornings that I spend listening intently to his records alone. I anticipated lots of cheap beer, sleepy stoners and some good ol’ dancing. What I didn’t expect was the howling, moshing audience that took every song as an invitation to get rowdy. I should mention- I have no problem with shows being wild and rambunctious, but it seemed to clash with the deadpan cool vibe of Mac’s music.
It was also confusing to see so many couples had decided to make out during “Freaking Out The Neighborhood”. And during “Chamber of Reflection”. And during every other fucking song in his set. A friend of AP was spot on when he referred to the night as “Indie Rock Prom.” I should also mention the selfies. Throughout the entire night, every 45 seconds a camera went off, not facing the stage. No, it was people taking pictures of themselves in the audience. Apparently what matters isn’t GOING to a good concert, it’s making sure that everyone on your Facebook feed SEES a picture of you at said concert.
Its always great to see people enjoying fantastic music but damn, it was almost impossible to hear said fantastic music over all the “I LOVE YOU MAC” ‘s being called out while he was playing. Not to say he isn’t worth the praise- DeMarco is an incredible performer. Not only can he really rock, but he also knows how to work a crowd. His songs were great. Seeing them live was a real thrill but even Mac himself seemed peeved at times; he had to constantly ask the audience to quiet down, and at one point called out some guys for being “bros” and insisted they lose their shirts.
Mac himself is a mischievous one, and jumped into the crowd to surf for a while. At this point, myself and most of the AP crew had moved closer to the back. DeMarco approached us and I became instantly frightened for his safety as many of the people around us were making out and taking pictures of themselves and didn’t seem invested in keeping him up in the air. Thinking he was going to fall, I tried to help support him, but then a girl screaming “I LOVE YOU MAC” elbowed me in the throat to get closer to him.
Yikes.
At this point Mac climbs a pipe on the ceiling of the Middle East and starts sort of monkey-bar-ing his way back to the stage until another guy from the audience decided to also get on a pipe and position himself in the way. A small spat ensues and then Mac gets back on the stage. Phew. We experience a moment of relief that the audience didn’t eat him alive.
The band left for a few moments and returned for an unforgettable encore- a performance of Neil Young’s “Unknown Legend” during which he insisted the entire audience “kneel” (get it?). There was some screaming from mac, calling out people who didn’t follow instructions, and then we were on our way home.
My personal conclusion? Mac DeMarco is a talented performer. He writes great songs. It was a thrilling, entertaining night, but if I can be honest with y’all, seeing him live just made me want to go home and listen to his records alone in my room like I’m used to doing- where I can actually focus on his music.
