ine Feminine Tour
support from his fans since his mixtape days. Five years later, this was my second time seeing Mac Miller live, but it was my first time seeing him perform“ Best Day Ever”( which is one of my all-time favorite songs in his catalog) and K. I. D. S. cut“ Nikes On My Feet.” I was astounded by the fact that I still knew the words, and I was so excited when I heard the beat start for the bonus version of“ Best Day Ever.” Those nostalgic performances rounded off the night perfectly for me, and I could have left The Tabernacle content after singing“ NO MATTER WHERE LIFE TAKES ME, FIND ME WITH A SMILE! PURSUIT TO BE HAPPY, ONLY LAUGHING LIKE A CHILD! I NEVER THOUGHT LIFE WOULD BE THIS SWEET! IT GOT ME CHEESIN FROM CHEEK TO CHEEK AYE! AND I AINT GET AWAY FROM NOTH- ING, CAUSE THAT JUST AIN’ T MY STYLE! LIFE COULDN’ T GET BETTER, THIS GON’ BE THE BEST DAY EVER!” And it was.
Mac progressed back to his most recent album by advancing through his discography, performing“ Red Dot Music” from his sophomore album to“ Cut The Check” from his third album, which was particularly hilarious and interactive for the audience. I’ ve never enjoyed yelling“ CUT THE CHECK!” so much in my life. He finally made it back to possibly my favorite song off of The Divine Feminine,“ We.” Hands were in the air, the crowd was swinging, and the vibe was incredible. Every syllable was clear; it sounded just like his recorded performance. If only Ceelo was there! It was a performance that was engaging without being out of control or having any choreography; the music was simply that compelling.
Then to completely counter that beautifully serene moment, he turned The Tabernacle all the way up with“ Loud.” That song, along with“ Frick Park Market,” was once one of the only songs by Mac Miller that I even considered turnt, so witness him perform it in 2012 with a band at the Lakewood Amphitheater and now in 2016 with just his mic in a more intimate setting, I knew it was about to go down. Pure pandemonium was the result. I think Mac knew he was tip-toeing on thin ice by traveling between different sounds and vibes so suddenly, but I think that it was necessary to truly electrify the audience and get them ready for the finale:“ God Is Fair, Sexy Nasty.”
The Tabernacle jumped when the beat dropped. The concert closer also closed his latest album, and it is a song to pay close attention to just like“ We,” but it has an incredible beat that is way more lit. We were at the middle ground between“ We” and“ Loud,” and it was perfectly set up. As the second verse developed and built up to the chorus, the crowd gave Mac the feedback that he deserved. As he signed off and exited the stage, applause reigned over The Tabernacle for what felt like an eternity. The lights had come back on and the music had stopped, but no one in attendance budged. I had never actually been to a show where an encore was demanded until that night.
“ ENCORE! ENCORE! ENCORE! ENCORE! ENCORE!” started resounding through the venue.
“ ENCORE! ENCORE! ENCORE! ENCORE! ENCORE!” continued, so I said screw it and joined in, hoping that maybe we’ d get one more song.
“ ENCORE! ENCORE! ENCORE! ENCORE! ENCORE!” persisted and the lights dimmed.
This was officially a lit ass night. His DJ ran back on stage with his laptop and got hooked up, and Mac followed him, gracious of the crowd’ s love. The instrumental to“ Rush Hour” filled the venue, and everyone knew that things were about to get even more lit.
“ I GIVE A F-CK LESS AND LESS EVERY DAY!” he began, choosing the perfect song for his encore. As the song winded down, I was glad that he came out for another song and was about to get ready to go, but Mac wasn’ t done yet. He talked to Clockwork to decide on what to play next, and he continued with“ My Favorite Part,” which was awkwardly absent from the original set. I’ m glad that he chose to play it for the encore because it couldn’ t have truly been The Divine Feminine Tour without it. It was another bonus that I was really grateful for, and it showed Mac Miller’ s showmanship was unparalleled to any other rapper and actually rivaling Drake’ s. After“ My Favorite Part” concluded, he told us that he had one more song for us, and he started the music.“ When In Rome” was our second finale, and I was all for it.“ I’ M AT THE TOP OF MY GAME!” proclaimed the Pittsburgh MC, and I couldn’ t argue with his statement at all. Not as the song came to an end, not as I listened to his music for the next couple of months, and not as I wrote this article. Mac Miller is definitely still at the top of his game, delivering great music and memories for music lovers period. The Divine Feminine Tour was a treat that will last forever in my soul, and it was one of the best times I had all 2016.
RJ