Macklemore is touring Australia in celebration of his new album, GEMINI, and tonight is the first of three sold-out shows at Sydney’s Hordern Pavilion and I for one am amongst so many other’s that are pumped for tonight’s show. Macklemore’s latest solo album Gemini is well loved by us making it into SCENEzines Top Ten albums from last year list for 2017. 

The weather outside is a little bleak but there is no damping the enthusiasm of the 6000 plus crowd gathered inside the Hordern who had come to party and definitely not sit down. As the lights go dim and the horn section leads the intro into tonight’s show opener Aint Gonna Die Tonight, and when the man himself steps out looking all fly, the whole place erupts.

The set-list tonight satisfied fans both new and old with Macklemore singing all his best-known songs including Dance Off, Thrift Shop, Downtown and the set-list closer of Can’t Hold Us which had everybody jumping like the floor was a trampoline. But some of the greatest highlights had to be when the whole Hordern was awash in the glow of mobile phones as he sang his heart out on Same Love. Before which he congratulates Australia on voting in marriage equality and speaks about the NRL Grand Final performance controversy that made him feel uncomfortable about playing the song but not tonight, no, in this room you can see that love is patience and love is kind.

Macklemore and his crew totally ripped it up tonight. A shout out to the horn section, his amazing backup dancers, his homie Dave B providing backup vocals for Corner Store and other tracks and the absolute intense Donna Missal who crushed her part on the song Over It. All good things however must come to an end and you just know tonight’s show could only end one way and that way was in Glorious fashion, the hit song off the Gemini record had the whole place pumping and as ticker tape rained down upon us the stage lights went on and the whole crowd were on their feet giving a standing ovation for tonight’s tremendous performance, one which I was left covered in sweat having danced my ass off, with a feeling of ecstaticness spreading over me and a smile you could not wipe from my face.

The Gemini tour will play sold-out shows in Sydney on Sunday and Monday night, then Melbourne on February 6th  and 7th before hitting New Zealand.

Review – Chad

Photos – Christian Ross