Mac DeMarco ends his first ever solo tour in San Diego.
Mac DeMarco
With tickets selling out within the first few days of being available, many were anticipating an intimate evening with the prince of indie rock himself—and they got just that. Equipped with only four instruments (and a Halloween animatronic), Mac DeMarco was able to give a great performance. He mainly played his acoustic guitar and sang stripped-down versions of his tunes, with the crowd acting as a backup choir. In some instances, the crowd acted out guitar riffs and solos; DeMarco made the whole crowd sing his guitar parts for “Ode to Viceroy.” He played a variety of songs from his works, even some from his old band Makeout Videotape. Along the way, he would interact with the crowd by telling stories about his old job as a computer teacher, how his song “Annie” is about a friend’s dead cat, and finding his favorite pair of pants with shit stains.
It was never a dull moment when Mac bantered between songs. His goofball personality plus his array of chill music is what makes fans adore him so much. One fan was able to throw a letter onstage for Mac to read. Instead of actually reading the note, he ad libbed: “I’ve been meaning to get something off my chest, Mac. I—I killed both my parents.” His weird and dark sense of humor had the whole audience in tears. By the end of his set, he had finished playing all of his hits and more, but the crowd still wanted an encore. An irritated DeMarco walked back onstage to perform the final track of his most recent album, This Old Dog. Before exiting with a slick mic drop, he assured that he would meet with fans outside the venue before departing back to his LA home. Many stayed to meet their idol, but others—including myself—left starstruck from experiencing a personal set from the chill lo-fi master.
