Storming the stage five minutes earlier than scheduled to an already rowdy crowd on Thursday night, Pittsburgh rapper Mac Miller had a daunting task ahead of him as he embarked on the second date of his four-stop Australian debut tour at Melbourne’s The Hi-Fi Bar.
Wearing a black dress shirt accentuated with neon prints and a gold chain, the 21-year-old rapper looked every bit the part as he burst onto the stage in a flurry of flashing lights and dry smoke, just as the opening notes for “Party On Fifth Avenue” chime in and effectively driving the testosterone fuelled audience into a frenzy.
Undoubtedly the song set the mood for the rest of the show as the tattooed musician jumped frantically about on stage, delivering the second single from his debut album, Blue Slide Park, with the kind of conviction you’d expect from a young rapper with the whole world at his feet.
Digging further back into his discography, Miller performed 2010 hit “Nikes On My Feet” to great approval from the audience with most in the balcony nodding their heads more reservedly while people in the lower level moved together as one seemingly synchronised mass of swaying arms and lit mobiles.
Impressively, Miller delivers a wide array of songs such as “Live Free”, “Smile Back” and crowd favourite “Best Day Ever” in such a short amount of time since taking the stage. Wasting no time on small talk or niceties, he is a man on a mission as he is clearly focused on delivering his lyrics with a heated passion that is shared by the audience.
Miller’s young age is undoubtedly reflected in his lyrics, which mention in abundance his love for boozing, smoking weed, and girls. Similarly reflected in the turn out at his show, the majority of the audience present were mostly male and dressed similarly to Miller, as they held a beer in one hand and the other up in ode to the rapper.
However, despite his relative quick shot to fame, Miller’s lyrics show depth and wisdom well beyond his years in certain tracks. Showing his versatility and a strong voice in “Angels (When She Shuts Her Eyes)”, Miller dials down the fast pace. Furthering this, he pays homage to the people that he’s lost over the past weeks, launching into Michael Jackson’s “Man In The Mirror” that has the audience belting it right back with him.
Performing “Matches“ for the first time from his new record, Watching Movies With The Sound Off, Miller gives the Australian crowd a preview of what’s to come. After “Frick Park Market”, Miller acts coy and exits but the audience is not fooled.
Returning for an encore of “The Question” and fan favourite “Donald Trump”, the show is then well and truly over to much dismay.
Whether a fan of Miller’s or not, it would be difficult to deny him the credit he deserves as a performer. His fast and coherent delivery is admirable as are the catchy beats that laced into his songs.
A good time was had by all, and one can only hope that Australia will be fortunate enough to be graced by the presence of Mac Miller once again.
