By: Joely Emerson
Unpretentious, approachable, humble.
This is the image that alternative singer-songwriter Michael Marcagi cultivated for a sold-out Majestic Theatre last Sunday. Relaxed and charismatic, Marcagi approached the stage about two hours after doors opened sporting blue jeans, a green sweatshirt, and a boyish grin.
Never mind the fact that his biggest song, “Scared to Start”, has garnered thousands of streams (mostly due to its popularity on TikTok). Marcagi still maintains the identity and the humility of an up-and-coming indie artist. Several times on Sunday, he thanked the crowd for coming out, expressing his pure disbelief that people would actually come hear his music live. “I feel like the luckiest human in the whole world,” Marcagi blushed, “there's nowhere else I'd rather be”. Granted, most artists tend to talk up whatever town they happen to be playing in, pining for that positive reaction from the audience. That said, with Marcagi it felt genuine. This might have to do with his pride in and demonstrated love for the Midwest. Originally from Cincinnati, Ohio, Marcagi loves to write songs about his home state, namely “Midwest Kid,” “Flyover State,” and the unreleased “One Bed Studio,” all of which he played Sunday night. He connected with the audience over “being from a part of the country that no one gives a sh** about”. Marcagi also theorized that the reason he feels so at home in Wisconsin is because he loves beer and cheese, a sentiment that most of us here in Madison resonate with.
All of this appreciation was reciprocated in its entirety by the packed crowd. At one point, a group near the stage handed Marcagi a bouquet of roses for his birthday, which apparently was the day after the show. Later, Marcagi honored the request of a young girl to come up on stage and sing “Savannah” with him, though he was caught off guard when she wouldn't leave until he signed her cowboy boot.
Marcagi was supported Sunday night by Ashley Kutcher, an artist whose sound I can only describe as Gen-Z pop-country. While her vocals and poise were both excellent, I found her to be a mismatch stylistically. Michael Marcagi, on the other hand, left nothing to be desired. The young singer-songwriter had the charisma and the entertainment value of a seasoned performer. His homegrown vocals sounded strong throughout and paired perfectly with his band's driving instrumentals. While Marcagi can err on the folksy side, he's not afraid to jam out live, notably at the end of “Flyover State”, a single he released mere days ago, and “Tear It All Apart”.
Notably, Marcagi treated us to three unreleased tracks and two covers. The singer's outstanding vocals shone on his rendition of “Falling” by Harry Styles. Later, a cover of “Deja Vu” by Olivia Rodrigo was a well-received surprise. Having cross-listed the setlist with last week's Chicago show, the Rodrigo cover was the one inclusion that I wasn't expecting.
As for the unreleased tracks, Marcagi is the first to admit that he doesn't have a lot of music out (although he promises that'll change). I'm particularly excited for the release of “Never Stays the Same”, a rocking tune that Marcagi apparently co-wrote with a member of the Lumineers. The other two new songs, “Follows You” and “Stick Around”, were equally strong. It's not a question of whether we can expect a good sophomore album from Michael Marcagi, it's a question of when.
Having brought the energy all night, you would've thought the band would be too tired to put on a great encore, but you would be wrong. Having finished the main set on the crowd favorite “Scared to Start”, Marcagi wasted no time hopping back on stage for “Midwest Kid”, to the delight and anticipation of the crowd. Finally, Marcagi concluded with the emotional “The Other Side” – a soaring testament to the act of moving on. As Marcagi belted the final note, I noticed a few not-so-dry eyes in the crowd. All in all, Marcagi's strategic song choice and masterful execution made the encore more than satisfactory.
Marcagi promised the crowd that he'd return to Madison on his next tour, a show that I'm sure will be highly anticipated. I look forward to seeing what's next for this “broken, messed-up, Midwest Kid”.
