Mac DeMarco and Shark Week performed for 200 students in a show co-produced by WVAU and Student Union Board on Nov. 16.
Tucked away in the back of the SIS building, the Founders’ Room offered an intimate venue for fans. The artists performed at floor level, in front of a backdrop of string lights and tapestries decorated with polaroids, a Bruce Springsteen “Born in the USA” record and even a copy of the Eagle.
Opening for DeMarco, Shark Week began the night with bluesy guitar rock off of their debut LP “Santure.” The local band got the lively audience packed around the stage dancing and energetic for the headliner.
As DeMarco took the stage, the audience was filled with energy. By the time the artist began the strumming the opening riff of “Cooking up Something Good,” the entire crowd broke into dance which kept up consistently throughout the night.
DeMarco fed the energy with the antics he is known for during performances. From dancing in circles sticking his tongue out during breaks in “The Stars Keep On Calling My Name,” to playing other songs on his knees, the performance was as entertaining to watch as it was to listen to.
While fans cheered to popular songs “Ode to Viceroy,” “Freaking Out the Neighborhood,” and “Baby’s Wearing Blue Jeans,” the show raised the bar halfway through. What began as the artists messing around on their guitars quickly changed into a cover of Led Zeppelin’s “Stairway To Heaven” and “Black Dog” that had the audience singing along as others crowd surfed across the room.
Later in his set, DeMarco followed up with another medley of covers, a characteristic of his shows that he is known for. For this section, DeMarco and his bandmates entertained the crowd with covers of “Takin’ Care of Business,” a hilarious screamo version of “Blackbird” and “Enter the Sandman.”
After the medley, DeMarco closed with “Still Together” as he stood atop his amp. Halfway through, the singer launched himself into the crowd as fans crowd surfed him around the room and back to stage. “Still Together,” while being a quieter acoustic ballad on his record, was surprisingly anthemic live and proved to be the perfect note to end on.
Overall, DeMarco was a night of high energy and success for what is hoped to be the first of many WVAU and SUB collaborations.
