When we say 'three six,' you say 'OH!'

Some people say Macklemore is not 'real' hip-hop. Some say his lyrics are contrived; his songs are mediocre.

But there's something about him that makes his concert worthwhile, even if you're not there for the music: Macklemore (née Ben Haggerty) knows Olympia.

The crowd cheered wildly every time he mentioned anything Olympia-specific or referenced a landmark, like Jezebel's bar. Jezebel's used to be called The Bar Code, where Macklemore got practice being a DJ and opening for other artists. "If you'd have told me back then that one day we'd be selling out the Capitol Theater, or that hip-hop would be something that people all over the world would respect..." He left it at that. The genre has come a long way.

For more evidence of that, one needed only to look around and see all ages represented in the theater. Everyone was there-- grandparents, college students in the balcony beer garden, and children dancing in front of the stage. "Everyone deserves a hip-hop show," Macklemore said, "no matter what fuckin' age."

The openers, too, were all from the Olympia area. AKA, Free Whiskey, and XPerience all thrilled the audience with their rhymes about the Puget Sound and the regular chants of, "when we say, 'three six,' you say 'OH!'"

Everyone was dancing, and Macklemore took notice. "The people of Olympia, Washington, are not afraid to dance!" he said. "People are not afraid to get naked; why would they be afraid to dance?!"

The crowd yelled wildly, but all clothes stayed on.

All photos by Ray Campbell