Photos Courtesy of CatMax Photography, LLC
This past Friday, November 22, was my third time seeing Macklemore & Ryan Lewis live. No, I don’t know every word to every song and no, I don’t listen to The Heist every day, but I do choose to see them live when I can because they put on a mesmerizing show. Even performing in a huge arena, Macklemore is able to make the show feel so intimate. His passion for music and his fans is so obvious when he is standing up on that stage. With each show I have been to, Macklemore makes it his first priority to break down that barrier between him and his fans as he pours out his heart on stage. Whether it’s free-styling, sharing his triumphs and tribulations through personal stories, making jokes or dancing around the stage in outlandish costumes, Macklemore is a true performer.
Macklemore captured the attention of everyone at the Arena at Gwinnett Center on Friday night. The third song into his set was his first big hit, “Thrift Shop”, which got the entire audience amped for the rest of the set. Throughout the show, the stage was packed with multi-instrumentalists providing incredible support to Ryan Lewis’ already sick beats and mixes. It was really special when Macklemore brought an Atlanta woman out on stage where she surprised her girlfriend with an incredible marriage proposal. While the audience was celebrating the couple, Macklemore and Mary Lambert belted out the lyrics to “Same Love”.
The night continued with fan favorite “Can’t Hold Us” and Macklemore’s most recent radio release, “White Walls”. Macklemore really went big this time around with dancers, a full band, countless drops of confetti and even some pyrotechnics. It’s just pure fun. Even after seeing them three times, Macklemore and Ryan Lewis continue to hold my attention.
