Words By: Brendan Lee
Photos By: Johnny Erwin
Saturday October 13 – Seattle hip hop duo Macklemore & Ryan Lewis took over the Vogue Theatre, playing two sold-out all ages shows October 13th and 14th -presented by Live Nation West – in support of the Heist World Tour. Fresh off the hype of the duo’s highly anticipated first album ‘The Heist,’ which sold 78,000 units in its first week, the stage was set for a legendary show – which Macklemore and his entourage of talented musicians and dancers gave to the fans. After Saturday night’s show Macklemore tweeted “Tonight made it official….I love Canadian people like I love my lady. Vancouver is the Miami Beach of the NW. Lets do it again tomorrow…,” which is fitting since his first live performance ever was right here in Vancity and he also spent time in rehab on Bowen Island, a point mentioned after he performed the introspective song “Starting Over” from ‘The Heist.’ The tour also included Louisiana rapper Dee-1 as an opening act, an odd choice but surely one that was made by Macklemore, as he is a fan of Southern rap music.
Dee-1 started the night off to an already packed house, as young and eager Macklemore fans – some who waited outside for most of the day – secured their spots in the front row, taking in the Louisiana rapper’s rhymes. He had a good stage presence for what assumingly was the biggest crowd he’s ever played in front of and he worked the crowd well to keep everyone amped up. His subject matter took a positive spin on the southern rap element usually stylized by glorification of violence, drugs and misogyny – overall a good performance from a wildcard opener, to say the least – be sure to check him out!
Macklemore stormed the stage, fur collar in tow, along with Ryan Lewis and trumpet player Owour Arunga. Throughout the set there were also guest appearances from Ray Dalton (Can’t Hold Us), Wanz (Thrift Shop), Mary Lambert (Same Love), and Hollis (White Walls). He opened his set with the opening track from ‘The Heist’ titled “10,000” hours, an exploration into the work ethic both Macklemore & Ryan Lewis devoted to perfecting their craft. They played a mixture of songs from ‘The Heist’ and ‘The VS EP,’ and also the fan favourite “I Said Hey” from Macklemore’s 2005 solo album ‘The Language of My World.’
The sold out crowd never lost an ounce of energy throughout the entire set, singing along to every hook, even though the album just dropped 4 days prior. Macklemore’s live performance is strongly produced and indicative of his dedication to quality and perfection. His stage presence was reflective of a proud confident emcee doing what he loves – covering a wide range of topics from the comedic party anthems ‘Thrift Shop’ and ‘And We Danced’ to the controversial in ‘Same Love’ and ‘Wings’ to the more introspective side in ‘Otherside’ and ‘Starting Over’ – which both touch on Macklemore’s struggles with addiction. He wrapped up his set with the anthem “Irish Celebration,” which was a fitting ending as the chorus goes “put your glass to the sky and lift up and live tonight cause you can’t take it with ya,” although I’m sure most of those that attended either of these shows will remember it for years to come.
Setlist:
10,00 Hours
Crew Cuts
Life is Cinema
Thrift Shop
Otherside
Same Love
My Oh My
Can’t Hold Us
White Walls
The Town
I Said Hey
Starting Over
Wings
Victory Lap
Gold
Encore:
Castle
And We Danced
Irish Celebration
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