After a month of hype, Pittsburgh-born rapper Mac Miller finally graced the stage at the Turret Nightclub this past Monday night.
With the 400 ticket pre-sale selling out in under three minutes, the show, presented by the A-Team, was almost sure to excite the all-ages crowd.
Opening the show was Canadian hip-hop duo SonReal and Rich Kidd who got the crowd pumped as people slowly trickled in from the long, winding Turret stairs.
Following a short musical interlude was the second opening act, The Come Up. Also from Pittsburgh, the two rappers jumped around the stage spitting rhymes as Miller “discreetly” stood at the side, his face shrouded by a zipped-up hoodie.
Finally, around 11:45 p.m., Miller took centre stage to thunderous applause and many a high-pitched squeal.
With a distinct fan-base centered around the 18-22-year-old demographic, many girls were decked in out in homemade, puffy-paint bedazzled shirts declaring their love for Mac “Most Dope” Miller.
With the crowd pushed claustrophobically close to the stage, their uncomfortable stance proved fruitful as Miller often reached into the audience to interact with his fans.
An engaging and high-energy performer, 20-year-old Miller had his audience singing (well, rapping) and dancing along, mainly due to his fame and sheer star quality.
While the crowd seemed pleased with the show, a decent sound check could have made the night much more enjoyable.
After seeing Miller perform a sold-out show at the Molson Canadian Amphitheatre this past summer, I was excited to see how his music would translate at a smaller venue.
What could have been a flawless and well-executed intimate show, largely due to the excellent planning and logistics of A-Team, much of the performance was ruined by poor sound engineering. Like many students, I like my music loud and heavy on the bass. I don’t, however, like the feeling of a 747 taking off in my ear.
Despite seemingly bleeding eardrums, it was easy to let loose to Miller’s distinct brand of brash and dance-y rap music.
Highlights included a sing-a-long of Michael Jackson’s “Man in the Mirror”, a sample track of Biggie Smalls’s “Big Poppa”, and Miller’s original hit single (and YouTube video sensation) “Donald Trump”.
An overall enjoyable Monday night out at the Turret – thanks in part to the high volume of under-agers who kept the bar area clear for us legal folk – Miller seemed to give it his all at Laurier.