Mac DeMarco was the soundtrack of my high school days, and there was no one doing jangle pop in the 2010s quite like him. In recent years, DeMarco’s music has become more subdued, but the Canadian slack rocker’s charm continues to be just as memorable as his signature gap-toothed grin. His concert at the Astro in Omaha on Tuesday delivered weird, wacky and wonderful to fans.
Some parts of DeMarco’s performance were to be expected — immaculate psychedelic vibes, quirky crooning, twinkly guitar and an adequate amount of shredding. Some parts of the show were quite unexpected — his Gollum-like ranting, microphone twirling and a very long mid-song handstand. Being an elder Gen-Z (or the youngest Millennial), I figured I’d be an average age attendee, or even on the younger side of the crowd, but the Omaha attendance skewed considerably younger than me! DeMarco’s many trending TikTok songs probably contribute to his Gen-Z appeal. In his acknowledgement of having a younger fanbase, DeMarco noted before performing 2012’s “Rock and Roll Night Club” that the song was probably older than some of the audience.
DeMarco alternated between his high-energy early hits and his stripped-down recent ballads, both of which had short run times that kept the set’s momentum strong. He started the show with “Shining,” from last year’s Guitar record. It wasn't the most predictable opener, but it led into 2017’s “For The First Time,” which piqued my interest a bit more (and, of course, got the Gen-Z crowd’s phone cameras up).
There were plenty of audience sing-along moments throughout DeMarco’s set, especially TikTok favorites Heart to Heart,” “Moonlight on the River” and “Chamber of Reflection.” A highlight for me from the concert was “Freaking Out the Neighborhood,” which DeMarco elongated with multiple revved-up reprises of its ending guitar jam, and he brought it back to close the encore. There was a running bit throughout the show where DeMarco introduced multiple songs as “My Kind of Woman,” which he actually didn’t play until the encore. Another continued bit was circling the stage while ranting in a sort of deranged voice. This definitely could’ve been interpreted as creepy, but paired with his baggy construction pants and microphone twirling, set more of an avant-garde tone to an otherwise straightforward performance.
DeMarco’s music has evolved from a psychedelic jangle pop party to a relaxed lounge-y croon, but one thing that remains unchanged about the Canadian singer-songwriter’s tunes is that they cultivate the best vibes. There’s a good reason his show at the Astro was sold out last night — DeMarco’s stage presence and showmanship is simply unforgettable.
