At The Greek, Mac DeMarco does his thing, takes it easy, celebrates Christmas

Last Friday night, Canadian-born, LA-based slacker-rock musician Mac DeMarco rolled through Berkeley’s Greek Theater, playing before a sold out crowd to kick off the North American leg of his tour in support of This Old Dog (2017), DeMarco’s fourth studio album. Ever the jokester and showman, DeMarco played a jam-packed, 90-minute set with enough infectious energy to leave a smile on the face of even the most jaded concertgoer.

DeMarco, the 27-year old multitalented singer-songwriter, musician, and producer is hard to categorize, a notion he would most likely gladly embrace. Mixing elements of indie, soft, and psychedelic rock with some California pop influences and a touch of lo-fi production, all wrapped up in his signature not-to-be-taken seriously persona, DeMarco’s music sounds as at home at a summer barbecue as it does in a cabin in the woods in the winter. Sometimes a country twang pops up, but as soon as it arrives, it’s gone, replaced by a bluesy beat or a groovy bass line. Unafraid to borrow from a multitude of genres, styles, and decades, and strongly informed by a sense of place (first Montreal, then New York, and now Los Angeles) DeMarco’s music belongs to its own subgenre, one that he has helpfully named as “jizz jazz.” A gifted artist, DeMarco should be taken seriously – just maybe not, like, too seriously.

Not only did DeMarco play cuts off all of his albums, but he threw in some characteristically odd-but-welcoming additions. Early in the set, DeMarco employed a backdrop of red and green lights for a Christmas-themed interlude (because Christmas is “only, like, five months away”), and, later, sang a ten-minute cover of Vanessa Carlton’s A Thousand Miles singing only the lyrics “Makin’ my way downtown.”

In addition to his musical talents, DeMarco is a one-of-a-kind showman. He growls, struts, yells, drinks, roundhouse kicks the mic stand, stage dives, pulls fans up on stage (and keeps them around for the rest of the show), all the while keeping his chill, slacker vibe. DeMarco is a paradox, simultaneously a tour-de-force performer and the embodiment of lethargy.

Above all, though, DeMarco is genuine – watching him meandering around the stage, grin on his face, you get the sense that he’s the same person whether he’s in front of a crowd of 8,500 at The Greek or hanging out in a basement with some homies. Where other performers adopt a stage persona, DeMarco isn’t putting on airs. He’s the same laidback, breezy dude in interviews, around fans, on stage, and on his albums.

Speaking of those albums – DeMarco sounds as good live as he does in the studio, perhaps even better. Though touring in support of this year’s This Old Dog, DeMarco didn’t shy away from playing cuts off of previous studio albums 2 (2012) and Salad Days (2014), much to the delight of fans. Over the course of his discography, DeMarco’s sound has evolved, maturing from it’s lo-fi beginnings and incorporating some lighter, West Coast tones. Highlights included “This Old Dog,” the title track off DeMarco’s most recent album, “Ode to Viceroy,” an early highlight from 2, set-closer “Chamber of Reflection,” the synthy slow-burner off of Salad Days, and, yes, that Vanessa Carlton cover.

Closing out the warm, carefree days of summer, DeMarco spread enough of his irresistible energy and pure good vibes to get us all through the chilly Bay Area autumn ahead.

DeMarco continues his tour in Spokane, Washington, this Thursday, Sep. 14.