the company you keep

Mac DeMarco

Artist Website

Openers: Daryl Johns, Vicki Farewell

Venue: Greek Theater, Los Angeles, CA – August 29, 2025

Vibe Check: 🍕

Mic Check: 🎧

Struggle Bus

Daryl Johns, the first opener of the night, got me worried I was headed into a really bad night of music. I nearly didn’t want to mention this performance at all. The day after the show, my dad asked me how my night was and I could barely form a coherent thought because I was so confused about what actually happened. My grasp on the English language was loosening. The best I came up with was:

A barefoot man performed for thousands of people and his idol while passive aggressively signaling to the keyboardist that they’re not in sync. The bassist and drummer looked upon them incredulously with stifled laughter. The audience began plugging their ears from the screams blowing out the speakers and erupted into applause at the conclusion of the set.

It was pretty clear that each band member has musical training and the chops to put on a great show, but it just wasn’t coming together. Even from the middle back rows, I could tell that intra-band dynamics were distracting and throwing everyone off and I wasn’t sure if we were witnessing a crash out in real time. So when Johns returned to the stage two sets later to perform as Mac DeMarco’s guitarist (and played incredibly well btw), I had to pick up my jaw from the floor. Maybe I just witnessed “controversial performance art”?

The saving grace was the drummer. His style reminded me of Gospel Drumming: jazzy, full, and insanely speedy drum fills. When everything else in this set was missing the mark for me, the drummer gave me something to focus on.

🤐

Normally when I say something sounds like Anita Baker or 80s R&B it’s a compliment. Vicky Farewell’s melodies didn’t feel entirely original or groundbreaking but would fit well on playlists with contemporaries Men I Trust and Natalie Prass whose whisper-like singing they have in common. Her crowd work was funny and engaging and a decent attempt to reset the vibe.

🤐

When Mac DeMarco came out and introduced his band (usually reserved for the pre-finale), I knew immediately what the problem was with the whole show’s vibe: it’s the company Mac keeps. Mac’s performing band included Daryl Johns as his guitarist and the keyboardist was from Vicky Farewell’s band. Johns and Farewell both are on DeMarco’s record label. This was all a messy, family affair.

DeMarco has an indie and do-it-yourself ethos that informs his keep it simple, stupid way of operating. His interview with The New Yorker showcased an admired musician that played and recorded every instrument on his latest album Guitar and released it on his independent label.

Once I learned that most of DeMarco’s current tour, press, and songwriting cycle was all self-produced, the entire unwieldy night began to make sense. This is a creator that’s gone through the “indie” way of doing things but is trying to adapt to the modern music industry; an industry that cannot rely on music streams alone but on ticket sales and merchandise.

DeMarco not only sold out three shows at the Greek during Labor Day weekend, but then added a surprise sold out show midweek at a much smaller venue before his three-day run. He has a dedicated and surprisingly age-diverse fanbase that clearly demands to see his work performed live. They show up and show out. I only wish the live performances did the same.

Ch-check One-Two