Mac Lethal As "The Local Opener"

With ears ringing and a bounce in my step, I hustled from the Sprint Center to the Riot Room Saturday night.

Although Metallica's concert was immensely satisfying, I also wanted to catch Mac Lethal's semi-secret show at the Riot Room.

He was billed as "The Local Opener" on a Black Clover label showcase and was on stage when I arrived. I was told that he'd spent the first portion of his set premiering new material. Someone had joined him on the new electro-style track "Go! Motorcycle"- I assume the guest was next-big-thing XV, although I never spotted my fellow Kansan. (It's interesting that both Mac and Kanye West are gravitating toward an electro-techno style.)

What I saw of Mac- particularly the renditions of "Black Widow Spider" and "Rotten Apple Pie"- was typically cathartic.

Mac's at an important crossroads in his career; the top-quality video for "Calm Down Baby," perhaps his definitive song, was officially unleashed on the world last week.

Soulcrate Music, three amiable guys from South Dakota, had improved markedly since their previous Kansas City show. Their goofy Halloween-themed "Stealing Kid's Candy" was particularly fun.

The unappealing sight of Grieves, the night's headliner, swapping spit with an attractive young lady at the bar, combined with the sudden realization that my ears were practically bleeding, had me out the door before Grieves took his turn in the spotlight.






















(Original images of Mac Lethal, top, and Soulcrate Music, bottom, by There Stands the Glass.)