Despite a last-minute date change and an ill-fated show in Kingston on Nov. 27, Machine Gun Kelly bounced back in full force and wowed a packed house full of rap fans at the Algonquin Commons Theatre on Dec. 5.
MGK’s recent Kingston show at the Ale House was unexpectedly cut short when he walked off the stage after audience members began brawling and behaving inappropriately, but that didn’t stop the young artist from continuing on the last leg of his Alpha Omega tour with enthusiasm.
Apparently the rapper — whose real name is Richard Colson Baker — is no stranger to having fights break out at his shows. Ryan Duke, a first-year bookkeeping and accounting practices student, was at MGK’s Ottawa concert last year when a fight broke out between sets.
“It didn’t affect the show, he didn’t walk off or anything,” he said. “But I looked over and there were two people just rolling around on the floor next to me.”
MGK’s stop in Ottawa – which was originally to be held at the end of November – was postponed due to a scheduling conflict. However, his fans didn’t seem at all phased.
When he stepped onstage, the room shook with chants of “MGK!” and the Cleveland native’s unrelenting energy as he jumped around the stage armed with a shotgun microphone stand fueled the crowd’s enthusiasm.
Heather Dombroskie, a first year pre-nursing student, bought her ticket as soon as they went on sale.
“It’s worth seeing him in concert,” she said. “I love how relatable his music is, and how his songs are based on his personal life. Other rappers only rap about drugs and women, but MGK has background on his songs and it’s easier to connect to them.”
Dombroskie told the Times that a friend introduced her to his music five years ago and she’s been a huge fan ever since.
Tara Bowers, 27, drove three hours from Belleville to see the show.
“When you hear the opening of his first song when he’s about to come on, it just gives you goosebumps,” said Bowers. “If you ever hear that same song again, it won’t sound the same. Whatever weight is on your shoulder gets lifted. Any problems you’ve had that day are just gone the second he walks onstage.”
The show marked Bowers’ 29th time seeing MGK live, and she even managed to snag a spot right up against the barricade despite the fact that she considered not going because of her negative experience at last week’s show in Kingston.
“It was all around a bad night for both audience and performers,” she admitted.
“There was a bunch of people fighting and he was trying to have an intimate conversation with the crowd. No one was into it. But these guys perform injured. They perform sick. They perform with no sleep. He had a damn good reason to walk off stage.”