By AMAL TLAIGE
Contributing Writer
“I’m so excited! This is my first MGK concert. I’m gonna push my way through the front!” said Sarah Harris, 20, of Lake George. On Mar. 1, Richard Colson Baker, also known as rapper, Machine Gun Kelly (MGK) performed at Albany Armory, as part of his “Lace Up” tour. The tour began in Boston, Massachusetts on Feb. 28 and is named after MGK’s first album which sold 57,000 copies.
MGK has coined the term “lace up” and uses it before and during his performances to get the crowds riled up. “Lace up means to never give up, stand up for what you believe in, be real and true to yourself and do what you want to do. Be crazy, wild, and passionate in everything you do, and basically just be prepared to live the life you want,” said Heather Ippilito, 20, of Waterford.
The concert began at 7 pm., but MGK did not perform until 11:15. Half of the venue was filled with girls and boys, from tweens to people in their mid-twenties. Girls were dressed in shorts, flips flops, and midriff-baring shirts as if it were summer; others wore MGK caps and “lace up” shirts to show their enthusiasm. Glow sticks were draped around necks, and occasionally, security had to throw a few people out.
During the four-hour wait, the crowd remained energetic as they danced to a variety of techno music the different DJs supplied. Three girl dancers stayed on stage the entire time, dressed in tiny shorts and belly shirts. Around 10 pm the crowd was getting a little impatient and chanted “MGK! MGK!”.
Audience members were confused as to what time MGK was supposed to arrive, “I was receiving text messages saying ‘He’s not on, he’s not on.’ I heard he’s gonna go on at 11, but I didn’t even know what time to get here. I thought he was coming out at 9,” said Josh House, 24 of Albany.
MGK was told that people were angry about him performing at 11 p.m. and tweeted, “I can’t control what time I go on at the shows. I’m on time every night when I’m supposed to perform.” He later tweeted, “With that being said, rage on!!! Bout to hit the stage… I’m excited cuz I heard the crowd when I was driving up the street.”
Regardless of the waiting time, people did enjoy the concert. “I thought the concert was very good…I like his raw lyrics; he writes about how he feels, he’s not afraid to express himself, but I thought he was going to interact with the crowd a little bit more,” said House.
MGK jumped onto stage rapping his song, “Invincible” and the crowd went crazy as they jumped and bobbed their heads to the music. In the song, MGK raps about how even when he had nothing, his dreams are what carried him to success, “So maybe I fill up my luggage with all these dreams. And pull on my black coat and my black chucks and nothing in my jeans.”
After “Invincible”, MGK pulled his sweatshirt off which revealed many tattoos on his body. Audience members raised their hands in the air in the shape of an “L” to convey themselves “lacing up”. MGK quickly announced how happy he was to see such a big crowd and performed his next song, “End of the Road”.
Fans explain why they like MGK, “I think he’s sexy. I like his music, but mostly just cause he’s sexy,” said Beth Wilder, 23 of Brunswick.
Other fans love his lyrics. “MGK’s music really speaks to me, mainly because he worked really hard to get where he’s at. He understands what it’s like to not have anything handed to him, he’s really true to himself and his fans which he proved at the concert,” said Ippilito.
Maybe what makes MGK so easy to relate to is the fact that he’s never been handed anything. Ippilito also said, “MGK had a really hard upbringing. His mom left him when he was only nine. For him to push all that feeling into music and actually get somewhere in his life really inspires me. As irresponsible as he may seem, he has a little girl at home; he works hard every day to take care of her.”
His fans were also able to meet MGK if they went to Legends Night Club in Albany, after the concert. After performing for a little over an hour, MGK ended the concert by rapping his version of Adele’s, “Chasing Pavements”, and tells his fans never to give up on their dreams, and always be prepared to lace up.
