Last Thursday, the Linwood, New Jersey-born singer-songwriter and experimental guitarist Mk.gee took the stage at Philadelphia’s Franklin Music Hall. The show, originally scheduled for September 28, was cancelled, quite literally, at the last minute due to “unforeseen illness.”
The rescheduled date of November 7 took place two nights prior to Mk.gee’s debut SNL appearance. His commitments to the iconic NYC production were likely the reason for an unusually late weekday start, with doors at 9:00 p.m., opener SEES00000 at 10:00 p.m., and Mk.gee himself at 10:40 p.m. Even so, the show sold-out the day prior and lines wrapped around two city blocks as early as 8:00 p.m. by fans hoping to get close to the stage.
The crowd, predominantly college age or near college-age adults, were ready to vibe. Packs of athletic, posh males pushed their way through the crowd for a closer vantage point, while a plethora of young couples comfortably canoodled around the room, prior to (and during) SEES00000’s set. Towards the rear, a handful of middle-aged men (likely musicians) stood back and discussed Mk.gee’s guitar calibrations. Puffs of smoke could be seen billowing up around the room throughout the night, from the floor to the jam-packed balcony.
Opener SEES00000, on promptly at 10:00 p.m., maintained a relatively mindless background noise-type DJ set with little demand for audience participation, intermittently bringing the heat with a well-timed bass drop. He provided fleeting doses of significant motion and/or heightened stimulation.
Mk.gee took the stage at 10:48 p.m. and opened with his latest release “ROCKMAN,” which he would revisit twice more later in the set. During “Dream police,” and “How many miles,” the musician established a clear, vivid picture of his live aesthetic. Visually, the spotlight, for a significant period of the night, hits Mk.gee and his band from behind, allowing his sense of mystique to remain intact.
The duration of Mk.gee’s stellar record Two Star & The Dream Police clocks in at just over 30 minutes in length. On this night, his set was just shy of an hour and 45 minutes. Live expansion was heard for songs such as “Rylee & I,” and “New Low,” which was performed with SEES00000, as well as “You got it,” and “Dream police.” This played a major role in the fluidity of the set and the effectiveness of Mk.gee’s carefully placed solo passages; those appeared to be interchangeable, though were ultimately regimented stepping atones for the production. Sporadic lighting cues and shifts in sound and mood were accentuated by seamless transitions from one song to the next. Mk.gee, a certified recluse, has no need for gratuitous silence, stage banter, or repeated visits from a prop master. It is a show that celebrates music, and music only.
The sole recurring bit of levity was the repeated use of his war cry… a sharp, hostile scream, typically followed by a return to his soft-spoken nature in the form of an, “oksouhm,” as he performed some light tuning between songs.
The show concluded with a moment that has, somehow, remained a, “If you’ve seen it, you’ve seen it… if you haven’t, be ready” secret amongst fans. Mixing Celine Dion’s “My Heart Will Go On” with Andrea Bocelli’s “Time To Say Goodbye (Con te partirò),” Mk.gee’s guitar tone resembled that of a flute.
According to setlist.fm, it was just Mk.gee’s sixth performance of this arrangement. Looking back with context, it appeared to be the messiest of the bunch, as Mk.gee failed to fall into his desired tempo, causing issues with syncopation. However, his debut of the arrangement in Denver was perfectly uniform. Sans these minor issues, the Philly crowd, from the security at the barricade to the two interpretive dancers in the back of the room, stood largely hushed throughout the performance. Only the unnecessary use of his signature eagle squawk midway through the Celine bit distracted from the seriousness of the moment.
The mere execution of this moment surely reflects why Mk.gee is seen as a young legend in the making. It is not hyperbole, nor the frat bro-ification of his artistry. It is something tangible… something unique that crowds are privy to in what are likely the last remaining moments of intimacy.
Setlist
- ROCKMAN
- Dream police
- How many miles
- You got it
- Candy
- Lonely Fight
- Little Bit More
- cz
- New Low (w/ SEES00000)
- I Want
- Rylee & I
- DNM
- DNM
- DNM
- ROCKMAN
- Breakthespell
- Are You Looking Up
- Alesis
- ROCKMAN
- My Heart Will Go On/Time To Say Goodbye (Con te partirò) [Celine Dion/Andrea Bocelli cover]
