On the tenth of September, concert goers at Red Rocks Amphitheater cast away their Monday blues in favor of sweet, sweet music. Mac Demarco, the prince turned crazy uncle of indie rock, treated the eight thousand people in attendance to a night of mischief, harmony, and rock ‘n’ roll.
Mac and his backing band of close pals sounded more polished than ever, jamming their way through some of Demarco’s best loved songs. They opened the show with “On the Level,” a slow jam chock-full of icy synthesizer and thumping bass. Mac then strapped on his guitar and strummed out some jangly fan favorites: the nostalgic “Salad Days,” the romantic “No Other Heart,” and a version of “The Stars Keep On Calling My Name,” featuring an especially twinkly guitar solo from Andy White, the band’s lead guitarist.
The jazz and bossa nova influenced songs from Mac’s latest album, This Old Dog, made for a dynamic and well balanced live show. Mac’s hard rockers were beautifully contrasted by gentler acoustic pieces, such as “This Old Dog,” which featured only Mac and his guitar. All the lights in the venue were shut off, leaving him to rely solely on the audience’s cell phone lights as he led a serene sing along.
The band performed a few more numbers before taking a slight break to wish a happy birthday to their sound engineer. The celebration was complete with a short cover of 50 Cent’s “In Da Club,” played on piano and drums. A birthday cake was even brought out, which ended up being flung into the crowd, candles, frosting, and all.
Mac and the band were genuinely glad to be on that stage, and that feeling carried over into the energy of the audience. Rather than treating Morrison, CO as just another stop on their tour, the boys went out of their way to foster a far above average Monday night for all.
By Jack Hernstadt