Canadian musician, Mac DeMarco, came hot off his latest album, Guitar, as he stood onstage at the Santa Barbara Bowl. As his last stop on the North American leg of his 2025 tour, the slacker rock singer-songwriter continued to perform as if the venue only contained his closest 4,500 friends. Going through over fifteen years of his discography, DeMarco took fans down on a journey down memory lane with deep cuts and saving the crowd pleasers for last.
Supported by Vicky Farewell Nguyen, an artist signed to Mac’s Record Label, the LA-based singer opened the show with a gentle welcome and the indie sound she’s known for. DeMarco included artists from his label to open for his North American tour, which shows his unwavering desire to build and foster new talent.
As the crowd collectively gathered together in a living-room like atmosphere, the lofi musician came onstage with his crew and set the night right with the first track on his sixth album, “Shining.” His bonhomie was relaxing, allowing complete strangers to find camaraderie with one another. In a dressed down stage production, the “Sweeter” singer spoke to his audience like guests, sharing behind the scenes details.
“This next song is about my truck,” he said before “20200817 Proud True Toyota.” While moving around like he owns the Santa Barbara Bowl, he checks out his friends’ instruments as if they’re composing new songs in a room he calls his studio. As he adlibbed phrases such as, “I like her” and “Thank you baby,” he even dropped an on the nose anecdote about his time in Santa Barbara.
“Last time we played on this stage, it was very strange. We had a horse and some confetti. If you behave, maybe we’ll give you the horse.” The audience returned his energy in twofold, cheering him on for whatever idea decides to roll off his tongue. Rowdy, but fun-loving, members in the crowd started stacking up their reusable drink cups as high as possible, hoping the “Moonlight on the River” musician would see it.
Given that Santa Barbara is his last stop on the tour, he continued to change up the setlist from previous stops. “Eh fuck it. We were thinking maybe not but this is the last show so why now,” he shared before signaling his band for a cover of “Had to Fall in Love.” Of course, it wouldn’t be a Mac DeMarco show without him bending down and thrusting towards the ground, almost in frustration and joy.
Ending the night on arguably his biggest hits, from “Freaking Out the Neighborhood” to the chart topping “Chamber of Reflection,” the cheers reached a fever pitch before the stage went dark.
