Machine Gun KellyYou might think the ecstatic mixture of rock, rap and electronic music that is nu-metal died with the unfortunate passing of Chester Bennington and rising obscurity of Linkin Park, but the final Australian show of Machine Gun Kelly's worldwide 27 tour proved otherwise.
Being patted down before entering the gig and sidling through a metal detector made the night feel like an episode of Narcos rather than a Machine Gun Kelly show, with punters making eager promises that they didn't have any edged weapons in their jackets.
Support DJs greeted the young crowd with a run through of all the latest trap hits (Drake/anything by Post Malone), which seemed to get everybody warmed up. The room was hyped.
After a long wait full of deafening "MGK" chants, Machine Gun Kelly, aka Colson Baker, oozed across the stage to glammed-up guitar solos and a tropical concoction of nu-metal/pop from the DJs.
Rocking pink camo pants and a matching jacket, Baker tore straight into a fiery rap, while firing finger guns. It was easy to get caught up in Baker's rockstar antics, whether swilling spirits, lighting a massive blunt (probably tobacco) or smashing a bottle on stage (wasting a good beer), but the true heart of the show lay in the poignant, emotional moments. Baker slowed down mid-set to do a personal rendition of Linkin Park's Numb in tribute to late frontman Chester Bennington, which saw multiple lighters held in the air. It was mesmerising to see so rowdy a crowd silenced in a moment of emotional solace.
Towards the end, Baker got loose, thanking Perth and then showering the punters in a generous crescendo of nu metal. The genre lives.
