A rapper with a love album? Probably not something that many people expect, but Pittsburgh’s own Mac Miller did just that with the release of his new album, "The Divine Feminine." Released on September 16, "The Divine Feminine" is Mac Miller’s fourth studio album and focuses on love and relationships, and features appearances from Anderson .Paak, Kendrick Lamar and Miller’s current girlfriend, Ariana Grande. To promote the new album, Miller announced The Divine Feminine Tour, and that the first show was to be in his hometown of Pittsburgh at Stage AE. Being a fan of his music since the K.I.D.S. mixtape, I was not about to pass up a chance to see Mac Miller in his hometown show.
My friends and I arrived at the venue at 7:30, and waited about 15 minutes to pass through security and get in the confines of Stage AE. Walking past the concession stands and the overpriced merchandise, we were presented with the decision to try and fight through the already packed pit area or get better spots on the higher up lawn area. We went with the lawn and got spots right in the front. The view wasn’t too bad, as we had a clear view of the stage and were still able to have some personal space that we may not have been afforded should we have chosen to go into the pit.
The opening acts were average at best, and while they did provide some half decent music, although they didn’t really get the crowd hyped up for when Mac Miller would make it to the stage, which is the main goal of the opening act. Finally, at around 9:30, Mac Miller took the stage to the thunderous applause of the crowd. With this being the hometown show, he started the show with some old favorites from his early days, including my personal favorite song of his, “Knock Knock.” This was how I first heard of him, as the song was featured on HBO’s 24/7 Road to the Winter Classic as the official victory song of, ironically, the Philadelphia Flyers. Yes, there was one point in time where the Philadelphia Flyers had a song from a Pittsburgh rapper as their victory anthem, let that sink in. Continuing with the throwbacks, other crowd favorites such as “Nikes on My Feet,” “Frick Park Market,” and the remix to “Best Day Ever,” as he had the whole crowd singing along and getting into it. Finally, it was time for the new stuff, with Mac doing some songs off of the new album, including “Dang!” and “We.” One song off of the new album that wasn’t played however was “My Favorite Part,” which includes Ariana Grande, his girlfriend. The two were seen getting close at the Steelers game earlier that afternoon, so it could’ve been possible for her to perform on stage with him, however, she didn’t, much to the dismay of the crowd. After a solid hour of performing, Mac left the stage, only to return a few minutes later to the opening notes of “Loud,” and go in on another song with the hometown crowd, sending the crowd into the night happy with what they just heard.
Overall, it was a solid concert. It was the opening show of the tour in his hometown nonetheless, so the bar for the rest of the tour has been set fairly high. That said, if you have the opportunity to get to a show and you’re a fan of Mac Miller, I definitely would recommend spending the money to enjoy a fun night out with some great music.
