Barclaycard Arena- Birmingham (Tuesday, April 26)
MACKLEMORE is a rapper like no other; one moment he has you laughing and dancing until your sides hurt and then almost weeping the next.
Part of the two piece American hip hop duo, which formed in 2008, Ben Haggerty, a rapper and singer known as Macklemore is joined by producer and DJ Ryan Lewis for their latest album This Unruly Mess I’ve Made, the long awaited follow-up to the acclaimed debut The Heist.
Full of love, fun, and often silliness the show also dares to tackle serious topics such as homophobia and racism, writes Liz Sharpe.
We begged to hear party banger Can’t Hold Us and number one UK hit single, the hilarious Thrift Shop, which raps about saving money and buying second hand, and vintage goods.
When they were delivered the crowds jumped up in excitement, with most dancing, myself included.
Ryan Lewis crowd surfing at the Barclaycard Arena.
The arena fell silent with fans raising their lighters and phone cameras in the air to celebrate St. Ides, Light Tunnels and Same Love, an anthem written by Macklemore in dissatisfaction with hip hop's homophobia.
The track, released in 2012, received acclaim for its pro-gay marriage message and condemnation of homophobia.
Fresh off the new album, Brad Pitt’s Cousin, featuring the very talented hip-hop act Xperience, was both amusing and intriguing.
One highlight of the show included an altered line of Growing Up to mark that, only a few days earlier, Macklemore had seen his little girl Sloane take her first steps.
New singles Downtown and Dance Off came with fabulous displays of dancing and wacky costumes – it was hard to look away for fear of missing something, a costume change or a fantastic piece of instrumental.
While, White Privilege II, which has received mixed reviews from critics, certainly serves its purpose to promote standing up against racism whether it’s Macklemore’s most catchy song is debatable.
There was an astounding performance from Xperience, who warmed up the audience up with his fresh, and at times, extremely heartfelt lyrics.
The concert also featured a large hugely talented cast of musicians and dancers.
For more details, see thisunrulymessivemade.com, macklemore.com and facebook.com/macklemore.
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