Mac demarco
[Photo by Farah Sosa/ LA Phil]

Review: Mac DeMarco's show at The Ford in Los Angeles was a teary-eyed trip

Not unlike the pearl at the center of an oyster, the stage at Los Angeles’ The Ford is a brilliant and shining circle — something spectacular, really, nestled at the foot of tall, rough stone walls. And this weekend, at that very venue, referred to as “mini Red Rocks” by my awed seatmate, Mac DeMarco brought an intimate audience to the verge of tears and back.

Standing on his stool, one of indie music’s favorite faces teetered endearingly back and forth in a Wi Spa t-shirt, leading an audience through the entire tracklist of his fifth full-length, Five Easy Hot Dogs. The album, recorded and released as an entirely instrumental project, presented a seeming sonic departure to the general public for DeMarco’s typical style — the songs, shorter and acoustic, were all recorded on a road trip from Los Angeles to New York.

Read more: How Youth Lagoon nearly lost his grip

Mac demarco

[Photo by Farah Sosa/ LA Phil]

According to DeMarco, the entire recording process was as impromptu as it sounds, “I had my guitars with me, a bass, a weird little drum kit with a kick drum we sawed in half in Golden Gate Park, all the stands and cabling I’d need, a couple of mics, an old model D, and a TX7… I wound up picking a bunch of stuff as I went as well, trying to keep it as travel friendly as possible though.”

However, while the path that led us to this album may have looked different, quite literally, the spirit, lyricism and sense of humor is true-to-form for the Mac DeMarco we know and dearly love. This was made as evident as ever this weekend, in the stripped-down format of the Ford shows, where DeMarco, between raspy Buffalo Bill impressions endearing self-deprecating quips, and a heartfelt tribute to the late Mac Miller, laid it all out.

Mac demarco

[Photo by Farah Sosa/ LA Phil]

Along with the entire Five Easy Hot Dogs album, the two-hour set was peppered with DeMarco’s hits, as well as quirky deep cuts and songs to satiate the truest fans, such as “She Wants the Sandwich” and “Proud True Toyota” from One Wayne G. Rather than a polished set, the experience, which DeMarco will now take on tour to New York, London and Paris, was a real-life road trip, for the audience. Emotional, exhausting in the best ways, quiet at times and profuse with laughter and sing-alongs at others — the show was as close as we’ll get to diving into the voice notes app of the enigmatic Canadian multi-hyphenate, who, over a few hours, felt more like a friend.