Mac Miller pounds out a show for Pittsburgh's Yinzers
-
Rap phenom Mac Miller of Point Breeze hung out "with some yinzers" Friday night at Stage AE in his first hometown show in more than a year. -
Mac Miller packed a lot of energy into his show at Stage AE Friday night. -
Native son Mac Miller headlines on stage at stage AE. -
Mac Miller at Stage AE.
Share with others:
Talking to Mikey and Big Bob on Kiss-FM Thursday morning, Mac Miller said, "Can't wait to get home to Pittsburgh, hang out with some yinzers."
The rap phenom from Point Breeze was greeted by a couple thousand yinzers -- wildly excited ones packing the floor shoulder to shoulder -- Friday night at Stage AE in his first hometown show in more than a year.
The last one here was an opening slot for Rostrum labelmate Wiz Khalifa in the same venue, and although he was well-received, it was hard to imagine him coming back to sell out two nights.
A lot has happened in a year. The 19-year-old Allderdice High School grad is finishing his grand 2011 odyssey of 200 shows throughout North America and Europe, during which time he has released a popular mixtape and EP on his way to topping the Billboard charts with his debut album, "Blue Slide Park."
PG VIDEOSuccess can often breed contempt, so the critical backlash is under way. Trend-setting website Pitchfork gave "Blue Slide Park" a 1.0 out of 10, and a Washington Post critic called his show at the Fillmore Silver Spring "the single worst concert I've been to all year," saying his lyrics didn't amount to much more than "being bored, skipping class, craving fun, beer and weed."
To that, his fans might say, "Yeah, so what's wrong with that?" He even said it himself Friday night.
Fans aren't turning to Mac Miller for spiritual enlightenment, social commentary or musical innovation. Leave that to Kanye and Kid Cudi. He's just a talented, fun-loving kid who's kind of like his fans, and he's pitching an escape from the mad stresses of the adult world and a giddy alternative to angst-ridden gangster rap.
Who else is singing "Life couldn't get better/this could be the best day ever"?
The show opened with that title track from the mixtape, then Mr. Miller and hypeman Tree J jumped out from behind the curtain, under a painted backdrop that whimsically put Frick Park Market right next to the blue slide.
"I've been waiting a long time to say this [stuff] ... Yo Pittsburgh, what the [bleep] is up?!" He went on to say, "This show means more to me than any show I've ever played my whole life," before launching into a version of "K.I.D.S." that thumped a lot harder than the recorded version.
Having played all those shows, he's picked up his game since last we saw him (of course, he had a bad throat that December weekend and was losing his voice). For one thing, you could hear him over the beats. He also bounced around the stage with more energy and confidence than the 18-year-old version.
He used the captive crowd as his chorus, singing along pretty on "I'll Be There" and "Senior Skip Day" and letting them fill in the missing blanks on "Oy Vey" (the song for his mom), "Nikes on My Feet" and other songs that are bound for the greatest hits. The fans went nuts jumping, singing and shaking their fists on his retro-powered "Knock Knock."
He put his guitar lessons to use, leading a crowd sing-along on Sublime's "Santeria," Biz Markie's "Just a Friend" and his own "Another Night." His behind-the-back guitar solo was impressive and, yes, a little corny, but that was quickly forgiven when he made good on his promise to donate $50,000 to the Make-A-Wish Foundation of Greater PA & Southern WV with one of those oversized checks.
The second half focused on the new album, with "Blue Slide Park," "Party on 5th Ave" (a song starting to get some airplay) and the sly, funky "Under the Weather." He slipped in a tribute to his late grandfather, "Poppy"; a heartfelt, hard-luck relationship song, "Missed Calls"; and an ode to the old corner store, "Frick Park Market."
So yeah, he's not the Radiohead of hip-hop, but there's a little more to Mac Miller than songs about all-night parties, Nikes and frozen pizza. And he's flashed enough talent to make us stick around to see what's next.
First Published December 10, 2011 12:00 am
