Macklemore Brisbane concert: US rapper wears heart on sleeve throughout ‘f**king awesome’ Riverstage show

Cult US rapper Macklemore has worn his heart on his sleeve at a livewire Brisbane concert, preaching gratitude, love, peace and making his views on Palestine clear, while a surprise guest almost stole the show from him.

From humble beginnings as an underground rapper with “no fans” playing to just six people, made up of his parents and their friends, Macklemore has certainly come a long way.

From the minute the US rapper hit the stage to the very last second it was incredibly apparent how and why the 40-year-old has shot to cult status.

Macklemore, whose real name is Benjamin Hammond Haggerty, wore his heart on his sleeve through the entire performance, preaching gratitude, love, peace and using his platform to share his political views regarding Palestine.

Prior to the star taking the stage, Palestinian flags were waved and near the Riverstage entrance a lone group of four protesters chanted “free free Palestine” and “how many kids have you killed today”.

Macklemore started his almost two-hour set with Chant, with an unexpected appearance from Tones and I that sent the crowd wild.

Macklemore plays Brisbane's Riverstage on Friday night. Picture: Danica Clayton

Quickly followed by his 2012 hit, Thrift Shop, in which he donned his iconic fur coat and his energy was electric.

He told the heaving crowd of 9000, “Friday night in Brisbane, Friday night in Brisbane.”

Which was followed by chants for the rapper to do his now almost renowned and expected “shoey”.

“You got to work for me to take some liquid out of a shoe, we’re not there yet we’re not there yet,” the singer said.

“I love Aussies you’re so funny and sarcastic and say things like, we didn’t come here to f**k spiders.

“There is nothing better than being under the stars in Australia.

“I just wanna say regardless of what you look like, or what you believe in or don’t believe in, the shape of your body, the colour of your skin, your sexual orientation, I want you to know you are welcome to be here tonight, to be your 100 per cent authentic self.

“Tonight we strip it all away. I want to see your hearts, I want to see your hearts, I want to feel your hearts.”

Macklemore plays Brisbane's Riverstage on Friday night. Picture: Danica Clayton

But the singer did take a pause from the usual upbeat nature of his live shows to perform his new pro-Palestine protest song, Hind’s Hall.

He told the Riverstage crowd, “Those were my heroes, those were my heroes”.

“You know, I wanna say something, I wanna say something,” he said.

“It’s been on my heart, it’s been on my heart, for the last 7.5 months … I am up here today and everyday, for the rest of my life and every day that I’m on stage, in support and in solidarity with the Palestinian people, that just want the same needs met that we have, that just want liberation that we have.”

Hind’s Hall, which Macklemore performed live for the first time earlier this month in New Zealand, includes the lyrics “Who gets the right to defend and who gets the right of resistance/Has always been about dollars and the colour of your pigment, but/White supremacy is finally on blast”.

The song also takes aim at “lies” from an unnamed “them”, “claimin’ it’s anti-Semitic to be anti-Zionist”, and accuses Israel of committing “genocide”.

Australian singer Tones and I made a guest appearance during Chant, sending the crowd wild.

Macklemore came under fire earlier this month from Jewish groups for filming a video alongside pro-Palestine activists from the University of Sydney.

But the positive vibes were quick to return on Friday night, with an incredible rendition of Dance Off where Macklemore invited two members of the audience to come on stage to show off their skills.

Caitlin from the Gold Coast and Shy from Kallangur were the lucky two chosen and absolutely wowed the crowd, as Macklemore put it himself … “Shy had the moves and the hair, oh the hair … and Caitlin had (probably) done gymnastics for 16 years and then battle danced to show she was the boss”.

Macklemore performing at Riverstage, Brisbane. Photo: Grace Kessels.

The star heavily engaged with his crowd, talking about everything from self worth to politics, to his road to fame to just life in general.

He threw candy, sprayed the front rows with super soakers and asked that after a few videos that everyone put their phones away and be “present in the moment”.

Demands for an encore brought the star back quickly and he and his band belted out Good Old Days … before he descended into the most comprehensive and beautiful recognition of his band, back up dancers and singers seen at a concert, by this writer anyway.

To put it simply, Macklemore’s energy is just infectious.

Macklemore sprays the crowd with a super soaker. Picture: Danica Clayton

After his glowing wrap of his band and crew he played ‘Can’t Hold Us’, ending in a grand crescendo of stage diving / surfing, much to the crowd’s absolute delight.

All in all, an amazingly choreographed show with eye-catching pyrotechnics and talented musicians and dancers.

In the words of Macklemore himself – that was f**king awesome.