On February 3, folk-rock singer-songwriter Michael Marcagi brought an intimate live show to Prague’s Palác Akropolis. The Cincinnati-born artist was joined by indie folk singer-songwriter Evan Honer as support. As the crowd started to trickle in, people made themselves comfortable directly at the front of the stage, eagerly awaiting the performances to come.
Evan Honer opened the night with just himself and two of his guitars on stage. As he began to sing “Nowhere Fast,” the crowd fell silent, mesmerized by his raw and expressive vocals. He immediately had fans in a trance, whether he was crooning his heart out or sharing funny stories from his time on the road. The audience had a laugh at his anecdote about how his luggage was lost at the beginning of the tour and it had just now been found in Lisbon.
“Brother”, a song written for Honer’s brother who has schizoaffective disorder, was a heartfelt highlight of the set. The emotion behind the song was evident even as he introduced it, and his voice soared over the notes with true feeling behind every word.
As he continued through his setlist, he joked with the crowd that “as you can tell, I have a lot of sad songs,” but he picked up the tempo a bit so it “didn’t sound as sad.” His interactions with the audience were earnest and down-to-earth, cracking silly jokes whenever he could. When he asked if we were excited to see Michael Marcagi, he immediately followed it with “I hate that guy… just kidding.”
His authenticity and sense of humor also shone through in his lyrics. “Late Show”, a new song about letting go of his ego and reaching his goals through the lens of getting to play the Late Show, was a particular highlight, as was “Waiting Room,” a short song about crashing into a pole.
His relaxed attitude and genuine delivery charmed the audience throughout. His set felt less like a performance and more like a dialogue between him and the crowd as he asked what people wanted to hear. One girl requested “idk shit about cars,” but he saved that one for last, with the crowd going wild once they finally heard it.
The crowd didn’t have to wait long after Honer’s set before Michael Marcagi took the stage. He carried this same intimate energy into his set but kicked the production up a notch. Marcagi made a dramatic entrance, standing alone as just a silhouette in the smoke before the full band joined him and grand stage lighting kicked in.
Opening with “The Other Side”, the cinematic lights filled the room as Marcagi and his band harmonized through one of his most popular singles. They brought an upbeat and sunny energy for the first few songs before slowing it down with “Good Enough”, along with an epic guitar solo, and “Follows You.”
His bright smile lingered as he played through the setlist, occasionally stopping to express his awe at how he was so far from home and yet everyone showed up and was singing along. His joy and gratitude were evident all night, whether he was singing one of his newest singles, speaking to the crowd, or exploring the stage to rock out with each band member as he strummed his guitar. He even stopped a few times to hand guitar picks to fans standing at the front of the stage.
The first half of his set was a good mix of singles from the past few years, including his newest “Don’t Include Me (American Dream)”, before he reminded us that his new album, Under the Streetlights, comes out this Friday, February 6. He promptly launched into a few unreleased songs from the album, with “Loose Ends” being a crowd favorite.
Marcagi also had a little intimate sense of humor up his sleeve — around the halfway point of the set, he shared that he drank “like 8 bottles of water before the set and I forgot to pee.” The crowd laughed and cheered as he said “I thought I’d just share that with you, feels like a safe space.” If he was struggling to finish the set, though, he didn’t show it.
The crowd went absolutely insane when he welcomed Evan Honer back to the stage with a hug for a performance of Marcagi’s hit single “Humbling,” which is a banger all on its own. But combine Marcagi’s pure voice and energetic guitar with Honer’s down-to-earth energy and some incredible vocal harmonies and you’ve got the whole venue screaming. Not only did the song sound amazing, but their friendship was evident in their performance. This duet may have been our favorite moment of the night.
When Honer made his exit, Marcagi took a moment to introduce each of his bandmates with some funny commentary, reinforcing the feeling of camaraderie that had been present all night. He then launched into “Tear It All Apart” before taking it down a notch for his beloved single “Scared To Start,” the audience swaying with every word. He continued to show his appreciation for the crowd, shaking his head in disbelief and mentioning that he’ll tell his manager to book more shows in Prague.
After “Midwest Kid,” the lights went down and the band exited the stage, but fans weren’t ready to be done yet. Amid whoops and cheers from the crowd, they walked back onstage for an encore of “Savannah” before Marcagi announced they had one song left. “It’s a new one, so sorry you guys don’t know it,” he said, “but it comes out in a few days and it’s a great singalong so we’re all gonna sing it.”
The rest of the band left their instruments behind and came to the front of the stage for “Rock Steady”, and the crowd caught on so quickly that we were all singing along by the second chorus. Marcagi was right — it was indeed the perfect singalong to end on.
Michael Marcagi gave the crowd at Palác Akropolis a show they won’t soon forget. The intimate atmosphere he created coupled with the incredible production and, of course, his amazing musical talent made it a night to remember.
He made the audience feel right at home, and we’re sure that the effect was doubled for any Americans in the crowd (yes, we noticed the Cincinnati Bengals guitar strap). The sense of closeness he had not only with his bandmates but also with Evan Honer elevated the experience even more, bringing fans into what felt like a close-knit friend group. Both Marcagi and Honer had humble, down-to-earth demeanors that fans instantly connected with, making the musical experience of the evening that much better.
If you haven’t seen Michael Marcagi live yet, there’s still a chance. He’ll be playing throughout the EU and UK through February 21. Remaining tickets are available here.
And be sure to stream Michael Marcagi’s new album, Under the Streetlights, when it comes out this Friday! Pre-save the album here.
Michael Marcagi EU/UK Tour Dates:
Feb 5 – Vienna, AT
Feb 6 – Zurich, CH
Feb 7 – Milan, IT
Feb 9 – Munich, DE
Feb 10 – Cologne, DE
Feb 11 – Amsterdam, NL
Feb 13 – Birmingham, UK
Feb 14 – Bristol, UK
Feb 16 – Dublin, IE
Feb 17 – Dublin, IE
Feb 19 – Glasgow, UK
Feb 20 – Manchester, UK
Feb 21 – London, UK
Follow Michael Marcagi: Facebook // Instagram // TikTok // YouTube // Website // Spotify
Follow Evan Honer: Instagram // Spotify // BandsInTown // YouTube // TikTok // Facebook
