Pittsburgh local Mac Miller rocks hometown stage

Before coming out from behind the curtain covering the stage, Mac Miller’s voice traveled from… Before coming out from behind the curtain covering the stage, Mac Miller’s voice traveled from the speaker system of Pittsburgh’s Stage AE. “Pittsburgh, PA!” Miller yelled into his microphone as the screams of the crowd drowned out the voice of the 19-year-old Pittsburgh native. This welcoming was different than his other destinations; the Blue Slide Park tour had taken him to more than 40 cities, but now, Mac Miller was finally home.

Opening with the song “Best Day Ever” from the Best Day Ever mix tape, Millercaptured the attention of the crowd by launching with this popular song. When he began to rap, the audience was with him word for word, amplifying the performer/crowd connection. With hands in the air, the sold-out crowd of 2,400 cheered Miller’s return to the Steel City.

This effect prompted Miller to consistently thank the audience for its support throughout the show. “I think it’s real dope that there’s more than likely some people out there that actually knew me when I was getting hot. That’s cool,” he said.

Showing love to his most loyal fans, Miller went on to perform some of his earlier work from the K.I.D.S mix tape. An acronym for Kickin’ Incredibly Dope Shit, K.I.D.S. propelled the then-senior at Allderdice High School to fame.

Discussing his fame, Miller confronted his critics. “Aw, Mac Miller man, he’s so boring man. All he raps about is girls, weed and alcohol.” Dealing with the tricky subject of balancing party rap with his thoughtful lyrics, Miller argued, “That’s not all I rap about … A lot of times my music reflects what’s going on in my life.”

Proving his skill isn’t singluar, Miller showed a side deviating from the rap norm., He  brought out a guitar to the stage and covered Sublime’s “Santeria” and Biz Markie’s “Just A Friend.” Keeping the crowd involved was Miller’s specialty throughout the night, calling for the audience to sing along with him as he performed the two classics.

Although Miller touched on the earlier works that started his growing career, he stayed true to the tour’s theme of publicizing his new music and performed many tracks off his recently released Blue Slide Park album. The alblum reached No. 1 on the U.S. charts and comes close to setting a record for indie record album sales. After selling more than 148,000 units, Blue Slide Park is second only to Snoop Dogg’s 1995 release, Dogg Food.

During the live show, a check for the Make-A-Wish Foundation was brought out. This $50,000 pledge was Miller’s follow-through on his promise to donate $50,000 to charity if 50,000 albums were bought during his debut album’s pre-sale period. Although this goal wasn’t achieved, the success of the album motivated Miller to follow through with the donation.

On the same stage last December, Miller was the opening act for fellow Pittsburgh rapper Wiz Khalifa. But this December, the spotlight was on Miller, and the talented, young emcee didn’t disappoint.