“Here Comes the Cowboy,” “Here Comes the Cowboy.” Mac DeMarco marched back and forth in a sort of monkey-imitating stance repeating these lines as the show began. He had warned after introducing his band, that the first song would be a weird one, and boy was he right. Though weird is just subjective and it certainly was more on the normal side compared with the WWE wrestling projected on screens, different accents he used, and of course, the handstand challenges.
Opening the night was Dustin Wong and Takako Minekawa. Both respected artists grew up in Japan and bring with them a sound that infuses contemporary synths with surf influenced guitar and traditional Japanese melodies. I know this explanation is a mouthful, but their sound is really unlike any other and quite hard to place. Check them out for yourself and you’ll know what I’m talking about. Plus, you’ll most likely fall in love with them like did. Their set was sweet but short. One can only hope they make their way back here very soon.
You would have thought there was a Beatle on stage the way people were screaming for Mac DeMarco. The greatest take away from the night for me wasn’t the show itself but rather the degree to which people look up to him. It created great energy in the theater. Similar to if you were at a church gathering and Jesus came down to recite some of popular scripture. Popular scripture of DeMarco’s sung throughout the night included “Salad Days,” “My Kind of Woman,” and “Chamber of Reflection.” When this last song listed was played, I was making my way up a flight of stairs from the restroom when several young girls shoved past me, running, so that they could catch it. It was great to see such excitement towards music amongst today’s teenagers, though I was left feeling a little invisible.
Another part of the night worth mentioning would be the humorous projections displayed behind the musicians. Whoever created the series of videos that were fused together with live shots of the show must have put a lot of time and care into each show on the tour. The show tonight was filled with shots from The Purple Rain movie, old Kare 11 news reports, and local football shots from the ’80s.
Overall, the show was amazing. From the video projections to the musicianship and humor of the band, there wasn’t a single aspect of the night worth complaining about. Dustin Wong and Takako Minekawa served as perfect openers, introducing the audience to a unique spectacle of sound. Mac DeMarco and his band fell right in the same category. Anyone who goes to a show of his would understand the attraction and popularity he has achieved over the years.
