Mac DeMarco Detained By Police During Santa Barbara Concert

Mac DeMarco Detained By Police During Santa Barbara Concert

Photo of the incident uploaded to Mac DeMarco’s Instagram

Update: Watch footage below of DeMarco being escorted out in handcuffs, as the crowd chants “We want Mac!”, via Stereogum.

On Friday night, Mac DeMarco‘s show at UC Santa Barbara came to an unexpected, early end – not because of tech issues or overzealous fans, but rather a run-in with the police. The Santa Barbara Independent reports that campus police shut down the show, held at a space on campus called the Hub, twice: first as a response to moshing and roughhousing, and later to detain DeMarco himself after he clambered onto the venue’s ceiling beams with the help of the crowd. The latter incident ended DeMarco’s performance, but he wasn’t charged with a crime and can continue his antics in Europe as originally scheduled.

As the Independent reports, the trouble started shortly after DeMarco’s set began. Security guards began engaging with the crowd, some of whom were moshing. Two people were arrested that evening: a 22-year old man for challenging attendees and security guards to fight, and a 21-year old woman, charged with resisting an officer. 

The show continued on as scheduled, but the peace didn’t last. Later on in DeMarco’s set, the audience lifted him up onto the Hub’s low-hanging ceiling beams. From there, the musician climbed up to the venue’s second floor, and then returned to the stage, where police detained him. The Independent reports that according to UC Santa Barbara police officer Lt. Mark Signa, authorities had no clue DeMarco was the lead performer, and not an audience member, until they questioned him outside.

Read our Cover Story on Mac DeMarco here.

Video of the incident:

Watch DeMarco’s episode of Pitchfork.tv’s “Entrevista” series:

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