reCAP :: Mac Demarco w/ Delicate Steve & Alex Calder :: 2015.10.10
You get what you get with Mac Demarco. This became evident to me as I watched his show from the front row this past Saturday, October 10th. The singer-songwriter was clad in his usual attire – a long-sleeve flannel and baseball cap – and rolled out a set heavy on material from the recently released Another One. But despite the highly intimate nature of songs like “The Way You’d Love Her” and “Without Me,” Demarco performs with the air of someone who doesn’t take himself or his music too seriously. During the penultimate performance of “Chamber of Reflection,” he swings his hips and thrusts his pelvis like someone who grew up watching too many videos of Axel Rose.
And that was theme of the night – a band playing and dancing like no one was watching. “Somebody stop me,” bassist Piece McGarry yells into the mic, impersonating Jim Carrey in The Mask. Puffs of smoke came steadily from the back of the stage, as keyboardist Jon Lent and drummer Joe McMurray passed a vape pen back and forth. Guitarist Andy White is particularly fun to watch, as he spends most of the show dancing around the stage in mock ballet, plié-ing and pirouetting while ripping a guitar solo. Lent throws a percussive apple at the two guitarists and they start kicking it back and forth as they play.
“This guy’s too chill,” an anonymous dude behind me said, “too chill.”
But for someone known to specialize in “slacker rock,” Demarco’s live show is a seriously raucous affair. This can be attributed to the hero worship of his audience, who come dressed as if they’re entering a Mac Demarco lookalike contest. At the start of the show, the crowd pelted the band with Viceroy cigarettes in Guster-esque fashion. But it didn’t end there, as some threw snack bags, articles of clothing, and even a smart phone, which White used to take a selfie. By the end of the night, fans themselves were rushing the stage in an effort to get a moment with the man himself before being stopped by security.
At one point, Demarco told the crowd that they were going to crowd surf Lent for an entire song.
“If you drop him, we're gonna find you after the show and rip the eyeballs out of your sockets,” the singer warned. And though the crowd didn’t keep Lent up the entire time, Demarco’s threats proved to be empty.
But he gave his bustling fans a chance to redeem themselves. When the band closed out their set with an epic rendition of “Still Together,” Demarco himself dove off the stage and was surfed around for several minutes. He was newly barefoot when he returned to the stage.
“Somebody give me my shoe back,” he said, prompting audience members to throw their own shoes onstage.
That was the scene as the show came to an end – cigarettes littered across the stage, articles of clothing hanging from mic stands and amps, and dozens of young fans standing around waiting to claim their shoes from crew members who’d begun breaking down the set. It was unusual sight for sure, even for the Cap. But that’s what you get with Mac Demarco – a series of deeply personal songs performed by a carefree artist to packed house of hungry fans.
Mac Demarco was supported Delicate Steve, who joined the tour for one night only. The New Jersey-based band had the unenviable task of opening for Demarco, but with their layered brand of power pop and charismatic stage presence, Steve and his cohorts helped to set the tone for what turned out to be a wild night at the Cap.