Say what you will about mgk, but no other artist loves their fans, or gives back to their community, more than he does. Since headlining the Cleveland Browns Stadium in 2022 during the Mainstream Sellout Tour, and after the mayor of Cleveland, Ohio, declared August 13 “MGK Day,” he’s used that day to give back, putting Cleveland and the people who built it in the spotlight.
Like most things, MGK Day has evolved into a full weekend affair, and this year was no different. Held a year after the release of lost americana and just a few months after the conclusion of the lost americana Tour in June, the celebration kicked off last Thursday with Emo Nite at the 27 Club, the coffee shop mgk opened in 2020.
Friday brought more festivities: Red Bull’s Best Trick Contest at Crooked River Skate Park, karaoke night at the 27 Club, and a Welcome to Cleveland Party hosted by mgk at Shooters, another one of the artist’s businesses which just reopened earlier this year.
Saturday was the big event held at North Coast Yard, a public community space that sits on Cleveland’s downtown waterfront. While the main event has been free in previous years, this year attendees had to purchase tickets, with proceeds going toward local Cleveland schools and the Greater Cleveland Food Bank. The “vampire diaries” singer even dropped off 20 signed guitars to Cleveland City Hall to be raffled off for local students and upcoming back-to-school initiatives.
This year also included an extra special treat: Wiz Khalifa joined the festivities, fresh off the release of their collaboration blog era boyz. Beyond the music, the event put a spotlight on local Cleveland vendors, giving small businesses a chance to showcase their products to the crowd.
With an event that has grown into something so big, with people traveling in from different parts of North America and even other countries, there are bound to be some flaws. This year, unfortunately, lines were massive, which was a bit chaotic at times. It was also hot, and the event ultimately had to be shut down due to circumstances out of mgk’s control.
While many have been complaining, I think we’ve lost sight of what the event is supposed to represent, and that’s community. EST: Everyone Stands Together. It’s a chance to make memories with your friends, meet new people, explore the city that your favorite artist calls home, and give back to a community that he is proud to be a part of.
While we were only about six songs into mgk’s set, a torrential downpour hit. I’m talking the type of rain that hurts when it hits your skin. But there was something so cathartic about hearing the iconic “Wild Boy” in the pouring rain. He truly did everything he could to continue his set, but unfortunately the rain fried his and the band’s equipment.
“I’m so sorry the rain came and fucked all the equipment…We had such a special set list…But I’m proud of you…I think about you guys like family and I think about you often. You’re always in my thoughts…Without you, I feel empty.”
There is truly no one who was more disappointed than the tall blonde man himself, who left the event with his face in his hands, but with a setlist that included “Kiss the Sky,” “Habits,” and “roll the windows up,” the universe had to balance the scales: “My heart breaks for you. But you know what it is: EST for life.”
Fortunately for the fans who were able to score tickets to the afterparty at Shooters with Wiz Khalifa, the blog era boyz were reunited on stage to perform their joint set that was supposed to be performed at the main event.
EST and the city of Cleveland are so lucky to support an artist that loves us as much as we love him!
Photos taken by:
Stephanie Axelrod (@axelrodphotography)
Kaylin Joy Photography (@_Kaylinjoyphotography_)
David Dye (@93rdnative/@nostalgia_native)
Keep up with mgk: Website // Facebook // X // Instagram // YouTube // Spotify // TikTok
Keep up with Wiz Khalifa: Website // Instagram // YouTube // Spotify // X // Facebook // Apple Music
