Machine Gun Kelly was born in Houston, although most of his time spent here has been headlining concerts.
On Tuesday night, however, in front of 54,809 RodeoHouston fans, he thought about a change. MGK’s parents were missionaries who traveled the world, and he grew up in Ohio.
“Don’t you guys think I should just move to Texas?” he asked. “I could do it. My life is in ruins.”
There was truth in that. MGK’s fiancee Megan Fox attended the Vanity Fair Oscar party solo and without her engagement ring. He proposed to her in early 2022.
He introduced a cover of Tom Petty’s “Free Fallin'” as “the best four minutes and 16 seconds of my life, slow dancing with somebody.” Even off-key, it was the most serious and honest moment in a loud, rowdy performance.
The rock side of MGK took up most of the set, starting with synchronized headbanging together with two guitarists and a bassist. He was dressed in his trademark pink and black, a motif that was replicated by fans throughout the crowd. He showed off a pink jacket covered in LED crosses and lightning and even drank from a pink Solo cup. (It’s commitment.)
The word “Sellout” was emblazoned across the stage backdrop, a nod to last year’s “Mainstream Sellout” album. There were canned bits about NASA (“Houston, we’ve got a problem!”) and lots of jokes about cowboy life.
Corny: “Now I can officially say, ‘Hey, this ain’t my first rodeo.'”
Crude: “I always thought I’d make a good cowboy. Smoke cigars. Drink whiskey. I like the reverse cowgirl.”
Huh? “I see you know how to make those horses and cows dance. But can you make those cowboy boots do anything?”
Several songs — “Maybe,” “Kiss Kiss,” “Make Up Sex” — sounded like they had backing tracks. It’s not unusual, but sometimes they threatened to overpower the live performance.
He peeled off layers of clothing to reveal his tattooed stomach. He let the crowd decide which cowboy hat he should wear, a tiny silver one or a regular size pink one.
“And suddenly I’ve got a Southern accent,” he said with no real trace of one. (They preferred the pink hat.)
Later he riffed a cappella on Ginuwine’s “Pony”. Pony. Horses. Cowboys. Understand?
Despite the pomp and pretension, MGK consistently plays to and involves the audience. He was offstage and on the rails during “Drunk Face” and would have made it to the other side if his mic hadn’t started cutting out.
A cover of Paramore’s “Misery Business” didn’t match the original’s vocal urgency. But his band is uniformly voracious.
“It’s really an honor to be here,” he told the crowd several times.
The emotion felt real. So who knows? After all, MGK can settle in his hometown.
Machine Gun Kelly RodeoHouston Setlist
“May be”
“God Save Me”
“Concert for Aliens”
“Kiss Kiss”
“5150”
“Drunk Face”
“I Think I’m OK”
“Free fall'”
“Makeup Sex”
“Yes”
“El Diablo”
“Floor 13”
“Paper Cut”
“Misery Business”
“Forget Me Too”
“Ponni” (a cappella clip)
“Bloody Valentine”
