mgk

Colson Baker — known professionally as Machine Gun Kelly, or mgk — grew up in Cleveland, Ohio and built his initial following through a string of mixtapes and independent releases in the late 2000s and early 2010s that established him in the hip-hop world before he made the move that surprised nearly everyone in that scene. His 2020 album Tickets to My Downfall, a full pop-punk record produced by Travis Barker of Blink-182, debuted at number one on the Billboard 200 and triggered a genuine debate about genre authenticity that ultimately proved less interesting than the album itself. His follow-up, Mainstream Sellout (2022), continued in the same direction while refining it.

The Lost Americana Tour marks another evolution — a pivot toward Americana and alternative country that his more recent work has telegraphed. Whatever genre he's operating in, mgk brings a performer's instinct for connection with an audience that has been sharpened by years of touring in increasingly large venues. He has headlined arenas across North America and Europe and built a following that transcends the genre categories that critics have struggled to assign to his work. The Lost Americana Tour is the kind of large-scale production that turns skeptics into fans by simply being too entertaining to argue with.