Music’s newest renegade is selling out venues across the country
Rock music’s newest renegade Machine Gun Kelly is currently running around North American on his Mainstream Sellout Tour. The former rapper has been labeled a sellout by many for performing his new brand of pop-punk. Even MGK himself has embraced it, titling his second consecutive No. 1 Billboard album mainstream sellout. Love him or hate him, he is selling out – every seat in the venue, every show he plays.
Cleveland’s Colson Baker – known by most as Machine Gun Kelly – has been labeled “polarizing,” but that’s really just a silly buzzword. Just like any other musician, some people love him, others hate him, and a few just don’t care. But the reality is that MGK is crushing it right now, and the mob of haters always comes for those who are on top.
He kicked things off with “born with horns.” The track is about being the spawn of Satan, but I’m sure it subconsciously encourages fans to through up the international symbol for rock ‘n’ roll as well. After claiming to be the little offspring of Lucifer, MGK immediately flips the script with “god save me” – a poetic turnaround clearly done on purpose as it is on his latest album’s opening.
Despite being played so early in the evening, the melancholy “maybe” from MGK’s latest chart-topping LP was one of the set’s highlights.
He followed it up with the album’s title track, which served as perhaps the show’s most poignant moment given the fact that Kelly was singing to a sold out crowd.
Early in the set, a monstrous figure appeared with a television box head and an LED screen face which depicted an alien-like figure. “I am the Internet,” the creature growled. “I thought I put you in a box?” Clearly, most would love to put MGK in the rap box and refuse to admit that he’s penned some solid pop-punk songs. The monster is metaphor for the shit being talked about about Machine Gun Kelly online, and his performance is a giant middle finger to it all.
MGK ripped through a hefty 27-song set. He wrapped things up with “twin flame.” Staying true to the song’s title, the stage was lit up with a serious amount of pyro that made for one hell of a hot finale.
With his massive production, Machine Gun Kelly is trying to keep up with rock juggernauts like Iron Maiden, Muse, Rammstein, and others. While he may not be on their level yet, we can certainly appreciate his effort. He propelled to the stage from the rafters on a helicopter – a fucking helicopter. We must tip our caps to this man.
Not only is the production big, it’s an experience with a story.
Whether you absolutely love him or hate his fucking guts, Machine Gun Kelly is in the driver’s seat right now and showing no signs of slowing down.
The Mainstream Sellout Tour wraps up on August 13 with a performance at FirstBank Stadium in Cleveland, OH.
Machine Gun Kelly has amassed over 15.5 billion streams online and sold over 10 million album units. In 2020, MGK released his first rock album Tickets To My Downfall. The LP skyrocketed to No. 1 on the Billboard 200, Top Rock Albums, and Top Alternative Albums charts.
