Machine Gun Kelly and Willow at the Enterprise Center | August 10th, 2022

It should be illegal to have this much fun on a Wednesday.

Rapper turned punk-pop rockstar Machine Gun Kelly, joined by alt-indie superstar Willow, brought his Mainstream Sellout tour to the Enterprise Center where as many as 20,000 people packed the arena for a night full of music as various as it was enjoyable – alternative, indie, pop, punk, rap…something for everybody and a lot for all.

I had the privilege of accompanying Danya Artimisi Creative, who photographed the show, on behalf of Arch City Media to write this review. While I’ve long been a casual fan of Machine Gun Kelly (MGK), and I appreciate what I’ve been exposed to of Willow’s, but I’ve always maintained one position: I love all good music – and Wednesday was chock full of exactly that.

Austin Basler on Twitter: “Willow perfectly fit this ticket. Place was all in on her performance. Thanks to the media team for these killer seats pic.twitter.com/wVi8XzP7SJ / Twitter”

Willow perfectly fit this ticket. Place was all in on her performance. Thanks to the media team for these killer seats pic.twitter.com/wVi8XzP7SJ

My first impression was overwhelmingly positive – the crowd was large and energetic, the stage immediately piqued my interest, and the production value was foreshadowed by the many props, unique lighting touches, pyro, and more. My expectations were raised first by the crowd outside the arena, again by everything inside the room, and once again as soon as MGK’s set began with a helicopter entrance:

Austin Basler on Twitter: “I didn’t have the service to continue this thread during the show but I’m okay with that…because that was one of the most fun shows I’ve been to in a very long time. MGK himself, the production, the band, the pyro…all of it – spectacular.It all started with this helicopter: pic.twitter.com/tTYFLpo7qK / Twitter”

I didn’t have the service to continue this thread during the show but I’m okay with that…because that was one of the most fun shows I’ve been to in a very long time.

A large part of my childhood was spent in a punk-pop/rock/alt/borderline-emo phase and while that’s not something I regret in the slightest, it is something I’ve grown very far from. The appreciation for that area of entertainment never faded but my exposure to it sure did; in fact, it wasn’t until MGK made his transition from rap to punk that I found myself seeking out that variety of music once again.

One thing that changed significantly from my childhood to now is my appreciation for the band behind the music. It’s easy to appreciate lyrics, but good lyrics without great sound is not a recipe for success. MGK is a longtime friend of legendary Blink-182 drummer Travis Barker, and I knew that he alone would be enough to make the supporting band phenomenal – little did I know that the entire band would impress me as greatly as they did. My favorite band member happens to be the newest, British guitar-player Sophie Lloyd:

Austin Basler on Twitter: “All credit to MGK and company, but the show wouldn’t have been half as memorable if not for the overwhelming amount of pure happiness radiating from all 20,000 people in attendance. My favorite part about music is how it brings people together. Picture speaks for itself. pic.twitter.com/aFEV3BVACo / Twitter”

All credit to MGK and company, but the show wouldn’t have been half as memorable if not for the overwhelming amount of pure happiness radiating from all 20,000 people in attendance. My favorite part about music is how it brings people together. Picture speaks for itself. pic.twitter.com/aFEV3BVACo

As I said in the tweet above: the power that live music has to bring people together, inspire emotions, and make everything outside of a particular venue feel non-existent for a few hours…is simply incredible. At this point in the show pictured above, despite the showmanship, props, and captivating energy coming from the stage, I found myself lost in the crowd enjoying being witness to everyone else enjoying the show. The atmosphere at a concert can make or break the entire experience and sometimes the atmosphere is out of the control of the artists themselves; thankfully this atmosphere was one I’ll remember for a very long time.

I mentioned in the opening that I’ve long been a casual fan of Machine Gun Kelly, but after this experience I can proudly call myself much more than that.