It's been an epic summer for an unlikely duo that has hit the road together for The Adventures of Kesha and Macklemore Tour. The two arrived at the Hollywood Casino Amphitheatre in Tinley Park on July 14 to a packed audience.
Ben Haggerty, more famously known as Macklemore, took to the stage in support of his second solo album, Gemini. He jumped out onto the artificial turf platform to the screeching song "Ain't Gonna Die Tonight" featuring Eric Nally, who later contributed on the throwback feel-good song "Downtown."
He performed a strong concert set, keeping things moving with fast songs like "Thrift Store" and "White Walls." Mary Lambert came out to sing on the Macklemore and Ryan Lewis' track "Same Love," which helped make her famous as well.
Macklemore's set consisted of patio lights, lawn chairs and picnic table. He talked about the decorations, saying that he can afford to buy fake palm trees, then described discounting his Uber ride because it was too pricey. Relating to the audience was his strong suit throughout the evening.
His "Willy Wonka" segment had two lucky winners with golden tickets under their chairs sitting on the stage on top of bouncing inflatable couches while Macklemore serenaded them.
He kept it real by throwing hot dogs out into the audience for people to catch, and even did a little crowd-surfing himself.
The rapper closed with "Glorious," although Skylar Grey was missing, so vocals were piped in to support the backup singers.
Kesha arrived shortly after the set change in a spaceship to perform her latest single, "Woman." Young people should have covered their delicate ears at this show with songs including "Bastards" and her continual cursing when speaking to the crowd. Along with the potty mouth, she was as messy as expected, even asking what day of the week it was at one point.
She exclaimed that she saw rainbows throughout the pavilion and thanked the LGBT community for its support over the years. With the singalong "We R Who We R," she stated that she will always stand with her LGBTQ fans.
Macklemore returned for the duet of "Good Old Days," a song that makes Kesha's vocals soar.
Her rendition of "Jolene" was awkward, but she is clearly a fan and got approval somehow from Dolly Parton herself to the put it on the latest record, Rainbow.
Her rendition of "Timber" of the guitar made up for the misstep though. Kesha commented on smelling weed emanating from the crowd before fittingly launching into "My Love Is Your Drug."
No, Kesha is not exactly a role model for teenagers but she can be a lot of fun to be around. "Take It Off" had fans throwing bras and t-shirts onto the stage. She switched outfits several times over the course of the night with white being a theme.
She made a joke about returning for the encore of "Praying" and "Tik Tok," which closed the concert.
The two seemed overwhelmed with the turnout of more than 16,000 attendees, and Macklemore humbly mentioned playing in a small venue like Schubas in Chicago years ago. It was an interesting combination of talent thanks to a hit single together that blossomed into an obviously close relationship. From confetti to messages of inclusion, these two made some unforgettably fun music together that breezy evening.
