A Final Farewell: Stevie Mac & the Mac Daddies’ Last Ever Show Tomorrow (Feb 25)

Katie Coy, Managing Editor | Feb 24, 2023 11:45 am | Add a comment | 203 reads

Back in October last year, Stevie Mac & The Mac Daddies announced that they would be disbanding, and in true music fashion began a farewell tour of gigs around Beijing. But now, alas, the farewell tour is ending with their last ever show happening at Modernista this Saturday (Feb 25).

Forming in 2015, Stevie Mac & the Mac Daddies have become one of Beijing’s biggest local bands playing a variety of shows from Modernista to the British Ball, charity events, and of course they've played at the Beijinger’s own Burger and Pizza Festivals.

Ahead of their big final show we talked to Stevie to find out what they have planned for Saturday.

Can you tell us a bit about what you have in store for the final show?
Stevie: Well it’s going to be the Mac Daddies “big goodbye” so I imagine there will be some tears involved, mostly from yours truly! I’m sure it will be an emotional night so keep those tissues handy. Beyond that, it’ll definitely be an incredible performance! With it being our last official performance, I’m certain the Mac Daddies will bring their A-Game, so expect one hell of a show! We’re bringing back some old songs from the catalog and even added some new stuff just to send the band off in style!

We have two extended sets so there will be plenty of music, and we even have a pretty cool party gift for people who attend the show, but no spoilers! I don’t want to ruin the surprise. Everyone in the band wants this last show to be one of our best, so I think it’s safe to say the audience can expect as much. Stevie Mac & The Mac Daddies plan to bring it big at Modernista!

Can we get any hints on who the special guests may be?
Friends of the band will be there, musicians and DJs, so who knows? I suspect it’ll be a long night of music…

You can read more about how Stevie feels about the Mac Daddies disbanding in our interview with him from last October, but we also reached out to a few other band members to see how they’re feeling about the Mac Daddies era coming to an end.

What do you play and how long have you been performing in Stevie Mac and the Mac Daddies?
Ray Zhou: I played guitar in the band most recently from Jan 2021-Jan 2022. From 2016-2018 I was also the bassist.

Daniel Gunn: I have been playing guitar for the Mac Daddies for the past eight months or so.

How would you describe your time playing with Stevie Mac and the Mac Daddies in three words (or more)?
RZ: So much drama

DG: Playing for the Mac Daddies has been a blast. The music is very fun and lively which is different from other music I'm used to, so it’s been a great change of scenery for me.

How do you feel now that it’s coming to an end?
RZ: The best thing about the Mac Daddies is that there is a real community around it. I’ve seen many iterations of the band over the years, and it always draws a crowd of people who are down to earth and out to just have fun. That’s because the band itself has always been about having fun, we never took ourselves too seriously, and I think the crowd appreciates that energy. It’s bitter sweet to see this band coming to an end because it was the first local band I saw when I first moved to Beijing in 2015.

I first met Stevie through the Lush open mic and karaoke nights and was shocked and thrilled when he asked me to join as the bassist. I was then supposed to take over on guitar in 2018 but had to suddenly leave Beijing for a job in another city. But, fortunately I was finally able to fulfill my role as the guitarist when he invited me to join the band again in 2021. It turned out to be the most fun year I had living in China, largely due to the Mac Daddies. I think the decision for Stevie to bring the band to a close signals a positive turning point in his personal life and priorities, and so the band is coming to an end for the right reasons. I hope to have other opportunities to play with Stevie and others from this band in the future.

DG: Now that the Mac Daddies are coming to an end I will focus on different musical projects such as my current band Alien Radio, and another project I have in the works. I'll also try to coordinate with talented musicians across Beijing to create some other musical ventures. The spirit of the Mac Daddies is not dead and will carry on in other projects. I have a feeling Stevie will miss the Mac Daddies and will also do some other projects in the near future; or so I hope.